Kitchen design help with moving light switch
I am attaching pictures, but we want to take down the upper cabinets and remove this mirrored wine/bar/shelf area and put in a high top bar and extend the lower cabinets to where the mirror ends(the fridge is on the other side currently and will be moved). My question is our ceiling above has no attic space and our wiring goes across the top of the cabinets inside the top wall currently. Where do I put my light switch that is currently on the side of the mirrored shelves wall? Will it look strange on the the side of the cabinets/bar? I was thinking about doing a floating bar countertop which will not have a wall for me to put the switches so not sure where to put them. I am also not sure if want to have a electrician try to move the wiring to another side of the house yet, but open to ideas. We are trying to save money where possible.
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LizaJane It is not very clear with the photos you posted, but I would either put the switch near where the coffee maker is or under the countertop on the island.
4 months ago · Like
lori77h30 i thought about the wall where the coffee maker is at, but you would have to reach across the countertop or go all the way to thru the dining room to turn on the kitchen light(which seems kind of far or is that ok). I was thinking of on the end of cabinet somewhere but it will be mounted low so not sure how that will look. I wan to do a floating bar so so the lower cabinet will be the same but their will be a another countertop attached higher with no supporting wall just brackets.(hope that make sense I found lots of photos of floating countertops and really like them) I attached a couple more angles just incase 
4 months ago · Like
Straight A Builders, Inc. I've done switches on the end of the island/peninsula in the past when a unique situation called for it. Is this switch controlling the main lighting for the kitchen or dining room? If it is fed from above, you will have to rework the wiring down to the basement somehow anyway. If you are going that far, you might as well put it on the other side of the hallway. It may be easier than you think and maybe easier than getting the feed to the basement and back up to the island. If you really want it there, or you have an easy way to an unfinished basement or crawl area, another option would be the back-splash area between the lower and upper countertops. We usually design that at 6" which is enough to fit a switch in. I think last time we did that it was a double rocker on its side to make the box fit easier and allow the switches to operate vertically, if that makes sense. We needed two in that case for bar pendant lighting, etc. which you may add as well.
4 months ago · Like
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lori77h30 Thanks the hard part is that I have no Basement in the house or crawlspace i am in Florida. There is also no attic above in the kitchen which makes it more difficult it is a high pitched ceiling. I didn't want a wall or backsplash between upper and lower countertops i wanted brackets for a floating countertop (but i might have to compromise since this seems like my only option...unless i mount them lower on the cabinets which I haven't seen anyone do) The light switch controls the dining room and two kitchen lights so a total of 3 switches( one is a dimmer)
4 months ago · Like
Straight A Builders, Inc. Sorry, I missed the cathedral ceiling on the photo at first. If you don't have metal conduit, save some length on the romex when you do the demolition, so you don't end up with an unsightly junction box on the wall where the bulkhead is removed. (You can get it down in the cabinets maybe.) You may be able to come through the cabinets (or a wall behind them) and then under the flooring or even into the concrete floor slab to get past the hallway and up the other side. Otherwise, you may get used to the lower switch height eventually, but it is amazing how much our brains get conditioned to the height and placement we are used to. Even if you build a wall instead of the floating top, the location of switches on the backsplash area will be a little awkward, maybe more so than lower at the end of the cabient. Also, you will need to get power to the end of the peninsula by code for an outlet in the end of the cabinet or the backsplash area either way.
4 months ago · Like
Lightcrafters, Inc. Have your electrician install a remote switch. Simple and inexpensive. Google it. Good luck.
4 months ago · Like
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lori77h30 Very interesting about the remote switch!
4 months ago · Like
Straight A Builders, Inc. Go the extra mile. You'll have an electrician there I hope anyway to do the receptacle required. At that point it's not that big a deal to do the rest and save on the hassle of changing batteries, etc.
4 months ago · Like
lori77h30 Yeah I think I might have a very very small space in the roof line that possibly maybe could have them run the wiring, but If not and the switch does end up in an awkward space I might be able to have a second switch that is remote...maybe? not keen to rip up my hardwood plank floors to run through concrete...it good to get ideas this is helpful and we will see!
4 months ago · Like
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