Kitchens are not always the most ideal place in a house for speakers, but understandably, sometimes a high-traffic room where much time is spent in some homes — preparing meals, eating them or doing the monthly bills at the table — can be a place where one might want speakers to listen to background music or watch TV. Keep in mind that heat, grease and steam are not conducive to either top-notch speaker performance or longevity.
Select speakers that are helped by bookshelf placement and which have superior tweeter dispersion. Small bookshelf speakers can be placed on top of corner cabinets in the kitchen. This might be a better option than in-ceiling speakers that would require more work and wiring complications, unless the installation of in-ceiling speakers is part of a larger full-scale kitchen remodel. For ambient kitchen sound, you might want to install a stereo pair midway between the cooktop and the window wall.