"In the kitchen I like to use decorative sconces, lamps, and hanging lights, whether industrial or with fabric shades."
-- Carolyn Malone, designer, Atlanta

"I recommend ambient lighting everywhere, task lighting under countertops and over work surfaces, lighting that shines up from the top of cabinets, and indirect lighting for softness over eating areas."
-- Tobin Mansfield, kitchen designer, Atlanta

"I like a combination of sconce lights on cabinet faces and suspended fixtures. Anything except recessed can lights. They detract from the aesthetics of the space, add nothing, and illuminate poorly. If I were the ogre of all building codes, I would have them outlawed."
-- Milton Grenfell, architect, Washington, D.C.

"I recommend low-voltage lighting combined with incandescent."
-- Mary Evelyn McKee, designer, Birmingham

"There should be various lighting options. Sconces and minimal accent lighting add illumination for entertaining and everyday casual use, while recessed spots provide task lighting. The lighting should be wired separately so the kitchen can go from cleaning mode to cocktail hour at a flick of a switch."
-- Ruard Veltman, architect, Charlotte

"The best fixtures in a kitchen are industrial or vintage-style shop fixtures. I love to mix them with a beautiful old chandelier for contrast."
-- Susan Massey, designer, Rosemary Beach, Florida

"Pendant lights are popular over islands and bar counters. The best can lights are three-inch Iris or Halo halogen fixtures with small openings in the lens."
-- William Baker, designer, Atlanta

"It's important to hire a good lighting designer for all task and indirect lighting. I like to use antique lanterns, bell jars, tole chandeliers, or lanterns over islands and eating areas."
-- Cindy Kincaid, designer, Dallas

"I use recess tracks and under-cabinet lighting."
-- Alison Spear, architect and interior designer, Miami