Track lighting is so 70's ...

Excellent! Track lighting is much smarter and better looking than the chicken-poxed look of recessed cans, and these days the fixtures are so much better looking than the 70's.

Great track lights and good instructions. Now, please hide those nasty-looking pots and pans. (I cook every day and wouldn't dream of putting my well-used and abused cookware on display; just my beautiful flame red Le Creuset dutch oven which has pride of place on the cooktop.)

the kitchen looks much better

Love the track lights, hate the pot rack...

the rudeness on this site still astounds me.

what a great DIY improvement. i'm all for the pot rack too - it shows your affinity to cooking and is a good storage solution for a small kitchen.

Amen, taxidriver.

This is a timely post for me - as I'm considering track lighting in several spots in my house.

I'm curious, though, why you need the track lighting when you appear to have excellent under-cabinet lighting?

The track lighting looks nice, but the fact that the fluorescent rectangular isn't parallel with the pot rack and island below it is giving me an OCD fit.

This looks great! I’m moving into a new apartment shortly and this might have to be my first project! Thanks for the tips! Also, hasn't anyone ever heard if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything??

Steverino, that looks like a skylight or light well to me.
Nice job on the lighting addition: as we age (yes, you will, too) we need better task lighting all the time!

Great post! I would have NEVER even considered it before as light installations seemed way too difficult. DIY on!
PS Cute stools (-:

Isn't that a skylight? Delicious sunshine! I have track lights installed inside the "well" of my skylights so all the light in the kitchen is from the same source.

Thanks for the step by step instructions (which I need!) I proudly display my well used/loved pots and pans on a pegboard in my kitchen. They are far from perfect - I like that look - I'm not the "displaying" type. Any whooo...nice stools!

agreed taxidriver. Everyone's a critic! If you don't like it then don't do it in your kitchen!!!

The new fixture looks great! Give a very warm feel to the space.

@lazylurker: the under-cabinet lighting is of little help when you need to see INTO the cabinets. I love track lighting since you can "point" the lights to shine just where you want them.

(And I would also hang any dang pot I wanted if I had space for a hanging rack like the one in the picture!)

Glad the track lighting worked out for you!

I wish I had room for a pot rack in my kitchen!

I love track lighting! Great job, and thanks for the step by step instructions. I'd love to install some in our living room soon.

Never understood why people suddenly decided track lighting is the most horrid thing you could use in your house. It works wonderfully for targeted lighting that you can move instantly. I think it's just a case of "was too popular in the most recent decade."

The options for the track lighting you can have these days are far prettier to boot!

I utterly love that kind of stool too.I had one I got for free from my school (they were throwing it away!) and I absolutely loved it until I had to give it away when I made a long-distance move. :(

For $170, you can't really beat the quality and quantity of light you get from those track lights. They also look WAY better than the existing fixtures. Great job!

I use track lighting in brand new houses, especially in gallery situations where directing the light is important. They're not 70's if done properly.

I agree that the track lighting is a big improvement, particularly now that there are reasonably priced/smaller format lighting heads out there - and it's true that the DIY isn't that tough to do as long as you have a sheetrock over framing ceiling...
...however it can be a much more difficult project for those of us who live in Midcentury highrises or new lofts with concrete ceilings, etc - so folks really need to know what kind of ceiling they have before starting out.

I might also add that doing a lighting replacement is the perfect opportunity to slap a coat of flat ceiling white (or another color?) up there to cover those inevitable stains on the ceiling.

A very small suggestion:
While you are in the process of installing the track lights (but before installing them), clean the ceiling where the old lights were before. I find "magic erasers" work well for this and do not require much water. If that doesn't work, a little dab of ceiling white paint will. It will not only freshen up the ceiling (and the light reflected) but also take away the "footprint" of the old fixture.

Lighting in general: In any room (and especially in a kitchen or bath) you need 3 layers of light: general, ambient, and task.

Cheers,

C

I so covet this pothanging rack, too.

Thanks for the DIY info and posting all the photos. I'm actually about to get rid of a large, misplaced track light in my studio apt. and rethink the lighting. Thanks to all about what to consider.

On another subject, I see you have a mini-split AC above the door. Can you tell me which brand it is and who installed it? I'm in NYC, too. I'm in my planning and info gathering stage to redo the AC in my co-op studio and am wondering if I should also brick up or leave the sleeve when I remove the old below window wall-thru AC. Maybe I should send this question to "Good Questions"?

Thanks for posting this project. I've been wanting to update the lighting in my project room and this moves me in the right direction!

Fluorescent rectangle? Pretty sure that's a skylight. I wish I could like track lighting....I agree with another poster, I think they make things look dated. I like the pot rack, however! And I especially like the other room. Looks awesome.

that is fantastic! I just did a similar install in my home!

The lighting looks great! And it makes the whole kitchen look lovelier.
What is the workstation/butcher block in the middle of the kitchen?

Too 80s? I thought the 80s were back? For a renter it is a great way to provide a wamer light to an area than the usual generic lighting in place (I have a horrific flourescent monster in my kitchen.). I think the available track lighting options today are great options, and I think it is still a relevant choice. it may not be everyone's taste, but I think it makes this kitchen look wonderful. And thanks for the step by step, I think I might tackle this soon.

Hmmm...this is surprising, I normally hate track lighting, but it really works in this space.

Thanks everyone and a few disclaimers:

1. I still have to paint the ceiling where I took out the old lights
2. That's a skylight in the middle of the ceiling, not a flourescent
3. you should see them at night. It's a much better effect!

I like modern track lighting. There's so many options these days that don't look like the utilitarian track lighting from the 80s.

I wish it was only an 1 1/2 hour project for my kitchen. Unfortunately, I have a strange built-in fluorescent box light on my ceiling. It'll take hacking out the wood frame and then patching/spackling/painting/etc..to change it.

I have a light that I want to change but was wondering if any light can be swapped with any other light? Do I have to know things about voltage and amps?

Tracks may elicit a 70's vibe, in some cases, but alternatives elicit distinct eras too. Recessed cans scream 90's to me, and well, meh. Our tracks are not fancy at all (from HD) but provide wonderful task lighting and allow for flexibility. Plus, they burn out with far less frequency than our cans did. Seems we were ALWAYS replacing bulbs for our cans.

I love the lighting & the pot rack! I'm moving to another rental apt. in a couple weeks and this is exactly how I envisioned my new kitchen! Thanks for the awesome how-to!

Agreed, taxidriver! I have a small kitchen and nowhere to put my pots and pans except to hang them.

I'm curious as to why you don't swap out the butcher block top to something bigger that you can actually sit at? The stools don't make sense at a work surface you are supposed to be able to stand up to.

Isn't it interesting, what comes around-goes around! Track lighting - pot lights- track lighting. It is all what works in your space, and how much money and/or energy you want to spend. Personally I like both looks - and have both in my home. Kudos to the new kitchen lighting!

The only thing about my last apartment I didn't like was the track lighting. It's just so "I live in a work cubicle" to me. There are SO many other, more organic and design-friendly ways to direct lighting. I wish this post had been about the removal of they're hanging potholder. I understand the need for storage but I don't like the idea of people looking at my burnt pots and pans.

You project is great and I enjoyed the pics. Your little girl will always remember how she helped dad put up the lights. I don't like the mean comments. Please don't take this as one: your cookware can be rehabbed! I also love cookware that has "personality" from being well used, but if it is clean it will cook better. The stuff on the bottom creates hot spots for one thing. That big All Clad skillet is meant to be used, abused and then scrubbed within an inch of it's life. That is why they cost so much! Your new lights will shine off it and your will be happy with it. Try Barkeepers Friend for a start. There has never been a pan I cant burn, cook food on or otherwise mess up but a little elbow grease goes a long way. Again--the lighting looks very nice.

Looks kind of shadowy....did u really put up the tracks without finishing off the spackle and painting of the old light fixture ..... DIY is sometimes so obvious it's funny....

OMG if that is a skylight get that awful pot holder out of there...who uses that many? You didn't like the lighting but you block natural light?

The track lighting is a great improvement, and clearly an easy project. I love the pot rack AND the obviously much-used pots and pans: it's a working kitchen, not a display room.

Those stools are great! And I love that your daughter is in on all your projects. My father was completely unhandy so I never learned a thing and have great respect (awe?) of anyone who can. She's a lucky little girl in many ways.

1) Inspiring post. I'm always afraid of projects that involve electricity, but this made it sound very safe and doable.
2) I applaud you for managing to cook (and obviously you do) in that little kitchen. You are making good use of the available space, while not spending a lot of money to do it. Wouldn't it be nice if we all had as much money as we wanted to hide our pots, rebuild our islands and invest in high-end fixtures.
3) Where did you get your cabinets? Are they big box or Ikea?
4) I think oven cleaner could work on the bottom of the pots if you wanted to buff and shine them.
5) Is the soffit only filling space or hiding something? For your next DIY, you might consider removing it to gain storage space. I'd love to see that project in-progress! Lordy knows, there are a lot of soffits out there that need to be removed.

I so completely agree about the rudeness - this person is helping many people attempt something they normally might not, so take it or leave it. Just because you CAN say something via posting a comment doesn't mean you SHOULD.

Love it. I just hung my track lighting this evening. Lots of random questions: Any good tips on how to position the lights for a large studio? I'm trying to use light to separate living spaces, but only have one switch, so it'll all go on together ... a much cheaper alternative than having the electrician add another switch.

Also: What did you use to make sure the track was evenly spaced on either side?

PS Thanks for the inspiration - I followed the book last summer in my new condo and love how it turned out. A bit longer than 7/8 weeks (now on six months), but this track lighting is the last bit that I wanted to do.

I seriously don't understand the idiots who think their irrelevant "critiques" are enlightening somehow. Dirty pot bottoms = sign of an excellent cook. wabi sabi. Get over it. Personally, I like track lighting because it casts interesting shadows, which (in my opinion) make light interesting.

I installed track lighting in our kitchen and used conduit to route the wires. It's not my first choice, design-wise, but it was inexpensive and is a huge improvement over the fluorescent ballast lights that were there before. Practical wins sometimes.

i agree looks like a skylight bonus! love it!