Our hope is for Light Reading to be a place you can come for inspiration and guidance as you plan your next lighting project.

The thing is, we are incredibly inspired by our readers!  Your kind words, and contributions to “11 Beautiful Photos of Under Cabinet Lighting”

11 Beautiful Photos of Under Cabinet Lighting: This one definitely falls under the “inspiration” category, but it can also be helpful if you’re trying to determine what type of under cabinet lighting is your favorite for the kitchen. Puck? Linear? LED? Fluorescent? Be prepared to gaze at dreamy kitchens. “How To Have Great Lighting In a Rental”

Here’s How To Map Out Your Recessed Lights (An Infographic): Those who decide to add recessed lighting to a new or existing home are presented with a seemingly impossible task – laying them out on a blueprint. This infographic will clue you in on what every lighting designer knows about recessed lighting placement. You’ll be ready to install in no time. Read More >>

Lately, I have been coming across lots of photos of cool applications of kitchen track lighting. So this week I thought I would share some of my favorites with you. I hope you find some inspiration below. Or, if not, I hope you at least enjoy seeing how relevant via Pinterest (Marcia Moore)

It’s not a huge, luxurious kitchen. It is something better: Real. Track lighting functions to illuminate kitchen tasks while accenting the wall. All is taken care of with one fixture. It’s the perfect solution in this kitchen full of well-used space.

2. For Gigantic Kitchens, Too

The lighting design pictured above calls attention to the right angles in the kitchen. It’s a metropolitan look that gives the room a sense of cohesion. Track lighting like this can also be used in kitchens with exposed beams. Using tracks to cross gaps or grades in the ceiling can be really cool.

4. Pendants and Spots, Spots and Pendants

Another new trend in kitchen track lighting is the flexible track. While this kind of track is generally not malleable by hand, a special track bending tool allows you to create a custom shape. I’m not sure who bent the track above into that nice curve, but it sure looks good in this real-life kitchen, which is complete with baby pictures on the fridge.

6. Wire Track Lighting

Kitchens like the one above make you see the brilliance of modern design. To put it simply, this kitchen is beautiful work of art, from the brushed metal ceiling to the glass tile to the granite to the smooth top range. To the track lighting! Can I hang out in here? FOREVER?! Muah ha ha. Ahem. Moving on.

7. Very High Ceiling

These very bright track lights look great with their blue glass shades. And they are task-oriented lights, a clear choice for the chef of the house. The aesthetic and functional dualism embodied by kitchen track lighting echoes the aesthetic/functional dualism of the culinary arts. It provides something you need and looks good while it does it.

9. Pendants Done Right

And here we have a lovely kitchen island situation. Notice that the island is dynamic. There’s a gas range for the chef and chairs for the kids. Quite a lot going on. So they had to be very deliberate and smart about the lighting. These white pendants are perfect. What was once utilitarian is now elegant – even graceful.

10. Kitchen Track Lighting Mash Up

Here we have a kitchen doing it all with track lighting. There are spot lights, pendants, and it’s even on a curved monorail. These contribute warm light to a comfortable environment, and they go well with the chandelier. Win.

11. Stunningly Wrong

I’ve been an electrician in the Los Angeles area since 1979. In that time, I’ve worked on many older homes in Pasadena CA with wiring systems that were insulated with cloth that’s been varnished. Surprisingly, prior to 1950, many electrical systems relied on cloth insulation. Who would think to put flimsy cloth around a live electrical wire?! However, cloth doesn’t conduct electricity well, so it’s a good insulator. Before the age of plastics, cloth was the insulator of choice for electrical wiring.

Unfortunately, cloth insulation has a liability. As it ages, the cloth can disintegrate and expose bare wires. Cloth insulation can pose shock and fire hazards that modern insulation isn’t subject to.

Does Your House Have Cloth Wiring?

Some cloth-insulated wiring systems can look like modern wiring. Was your house built prior to 1950? If so, it may well have cloth-insulated wiring. A qualified electrician in Pasadena CA can tell you with certainty.

Cloth Insulation Falls Off Wires

Cloth insulation can become brittle over time and fall off the wires, sometimes in chunks. Bare wires pose the danger of shocking anyone who accidentally touches them or of causing fires if two bare wires touch or come too close.

Cloth-Insulated Electrical Systems May Be Ungrounded

Cloth-insulated wiring systems may not have been grounded. Grounding provides additional assurance that excess electrical charges will be routed out of your house and into the ground.

One benefit of grounding that many people are unaware of is that without grounding, low-level electrical charges can build up in your wires and can shorten the lives of computers, entertainment systems, refrigerators, microwaves — any device which includes electronic components like sensors and timers.

Even more importantly, grounding protects people and animals from shocks should an appliance or an electrical system malfunction.

Upgrade for Safety

Upgrading cloth-insulated wiring systems is recommended for fire safety, protection of modern electronics, and for the safety of your family against electrical shocks. If your electrical wiring was installed prior to 1950 and you think that it might have cloth insulation, call The Electric Connection, a licensed Pasadena electrician, to take a look. Many electricians will do an inspection for free and give you a free estimate for any upgrading that might be needed.

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