I visited an award-winning kitchen to understand how lighting performs in real spaces

Kitchen design is often beautifully resolved.
Kitchen lighting is often assumed.

But task lighting isn’t just about fixtures — it’s about where light actually lands when someone is standing at the counter.

I visited the award-winning kitchen at Atlanta Design Group Studio to see it in person. Thanks to Michael Schluetter for hosting me — the space shows exactly what intentional lighting specification looks like.

This carousel unpacks the field measurement data in kitchen designs, from an IES webinar I attended: “The Art & Science Behind Beautiful Kitchens” — Doug Walter, AIA, CMKBD

Key finding:
the fixture with the narrowest beam angle, placed at the correct distance from the wall, was the only one that held usable light levels with a cook present.
Placement and beam angle. Both matter. Neither gets verified after the ceiling closes.

What does your current kitchen lighting review process look like?