It’s a familiar tale, buy a property with history and charm, but it also has that old fluorescent lighting everywhere! The good news is that this is a fun and easy item to upgrade in a home.
Home buyers today either replace their lighting with stylized personal options or want modern lighting already installed. Whether you are touching up your home or staging it for sale, there are some great lighting options that are sure to please!
In this article, I’ve listed several options to help you find the proper lighting to replace old fluorescent lighting in your home.
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Lighting Options to Replace Fluorescent Kitchen Fixtures
The kitchen is the home’s center where all gather and make memories. It is also where a lot of knife work gets done, so it is imperative that you can see what you are doing.
Recessed Can Lighting
Many old homes have recessed fluorescent lighting. An effortless way to replace these is to tear it all out, refinish the drywall, and add can lights like these. They are still recessed and flush, but you will finish with a beautiful new lighting box that creates an open feeling.
Recessed can lighting is a great and affordable option in kitchens. You can even buy long-lasting bulbs that will make these lights maintenance-free!
If you have an electrician or handyman come to install these, you may want to consider having these can lights installed in multiple areas of the home. They are much nicer than one large overhead light (like the ones on ceiling fans).
Lighting Over Kitchen Island
Once you remove the old lighting, you may opt for new fixtures over your kitchen island. An excellent option for this is pendant lighting like this. These are timeless and will provide much-needed light where your friends and family gather.
When it comes to pendant lighting, there are many ways to personalize them and add pops of color and style to your kitchen.
For example, I found these hammered metal pendant lights. They are modern, and yet, timeless. They also come in various colors to add accent touches to your kitchen.
If your home already has pendant lighting, you may be able to simply change out the cover like you would on any lamp.
If pendants are not ideal for you, there are stylish linear chandeliers such as this one. These are great options for making a statement in the kitchen.
The great thing about pendants or linear chandeliers is that they work to complement can lighting in your kitchen. Layers of lighting are compelling and beautiful.
Different Types of Modern Kitchen Lighting
You may need more time to be ready to pick out new fixtures. No matter, there are great solutions for replacing your fluorescent kitchen lighting.
LED Tube Lighting
One fantastic and super affordable option is to add LED tube lights to replace those old flickering fluorescent tube lights.
LEDs offer brightness and are very long-lasting. Light intensity is measured in lumens, and LED tube lights offer significantly higher lumens per watt (often 125 lumens per watt or more) compared to traditional fluorescent tube lights. In simpler words, more light while using less power!
You can usually put LED tube lights right into your existing fluorescent tube fixture.
Under Cabinet LED Light Strips or Bars
An affordable way to add a lot of light to your kitchen workspace is under cabinet LED light strips or bars.
These take just a few minutes to install, making a difference in a kitchen with upper cabinetry.
LED Puck Lights
These are great options, especially if you rent your home. This is how to add a lot of stylish light you can take when you leave! They come in standard or soft/warm white, or you can jazz up your space with colored lights or color-changing ones.
I have used the puck lights for my home and RV. I did invest in rechargeable batteries so that it was not an ongoing expense. I installed some with Command Strip adhesive and others with velcro tape strips.
Puck lights can also come rechargeable. If I were to repurchase mine, I would opt for these rechargeable ones. Both types of puck lights have dimming options which are so lovely.
Don’t think these lights are just for the kitchen either! These are great in closets, cupboards, sock drawers, toolboxes, and more! Some of them are even motion sensing which is so convenient anywhere you need extra light without hassle.
LED Rope Lighting
Rope lighting has become very popular. I have seen it used above cabinets, under cabinets, and along the base of cupboards.
Track Lighting
If you have certain areas of the kitchen that you want to feature through lighting or beautiful artwork to display, track lighting may be a great solution.
Check out this highly-flexible rotatable track light.
These are useful for so many things because you can always reposition the light on the track and at the bulb base to allow different angles.
Chandeliers
As discussed above, the most cost-effective and quickest way to replace your fluorescent kitchen light is to swap it out for LED with tube lights.
Any of these options above are fantastic for kitchen lighting, BUT… if you want a drastic change, you could install a chandelier!
If you are like me, you immediately flash back to the 1980s when brass fixtures ruled the day, and you may have seen way too many brass chandeliers. Today, you can get beautiful chandeliers in any style. I found this mid-century burst-style chandelier and love the aesthetic it brings.
Final Thoughts
Lighting has come a long way, and we are no longer stuck with those dingy lights of the past in our kitchens. Lighting is an affordable and fun way to add your personality to your kitchen and any other space in your home or office!
Most landlords won’t mind if you swap out fixtures for your time in the home but remember to get permission and hire a professional so you don’t run into problems.
Another great solution for renters is always installing sturdy but temporary items like Command Strips for smaller lights like pucks or LED strips. These allow renters to add their touches without angering a landlord.
