Every year millions of people renovate their kitchens. It could be a complete gut-and-remodel or a simple facelift. Either way, there are several decisions to be made when you renovate any area of your home.
Certain decisions like countertops, appliances, and paint are important, but choosing the lighting can make or break the look and feel of a kitchen environment. There are many kitchen lighting ideas to select but how do you pick the one that’s right for your kitchen?
If you’re having trouble making a decision on which lighting to put in your kitchen, read on to shed some light on the subject!
Three Kinds of Lighting
In a kitchen and any workspace, there are typically three types of lighting.
The majority of your light will come from ambient lighting. These can come from a variety of different sources, but the main objective is to use these fixtures to light your entire kitchen evenly.
Accent lightings are optional and might be used to display certain heirlooms or dishes.
Task lighting refers to lighting that’s used for a workstation, like by the sink or countertop. Ambient lighting might not cover these areas well, but task lighting will.
Kitchen Lighting Ideas to Brighten up Your Space
Lighting takes planning and consideration, so take your time and explore several ideas before making your choice.
Here are some things to remember when putting in lighting in your kitchen.
Placement
The placement of your lighting is key. Your lighting needs to be over places where you do the most work.
Depending on where these locations are in your kitchen, sizing and distance will vary.
- Over-The-Sink
Whether you’re doing dishes or washing produce, you must have adequate lighting over your sink. This lighting doesn’t need to include too much unless it’s a larger space.
- Kitchen Island
Kitchen islands are popular places for eating, gathering, and preparing food. Your kitchen island lighting is essential because this is a heavy workstation and place where people work and eat.
You could choose any style lighting fixture for this space, but the size needs to complement the island and provide the right amount of light.
- Under-The-Counter
Your under-the-counter lighting helps you to focus on your tasking. It can be soft and inexpensive when it comes to cost. Under-cabinet-lighting can even be used to showcase your china and other valuable dishes or items.
Under-cabinet-lighting can be installed easily without a complete kitchen renovation.
Color of Fixture
While you can choose any fixtures of any color, be sure to choose ones that blend and complement your kitchen theme.
- Black
Black lighting might seem like a morbid choice, however, it’s a classic choice. As long as the black is not overwhelming, it’s a practical and safe choice.
- White
White lighting is gorgeous is almost any kitchen. It gives an airy, clean, and open feel to your kitchen. Light can bounce off white fixtures and make the room look brighter and bigger.
- Metals
Metal colors like brass, copper, silver, and gold all give personality to your kitchen. Make the colors complement or match the hardware on your cabinets and other fixtures in your kitchen.
Aside from metal colors, if your bold enough, try a bright red or yellow or another color you love and incorporate it well into your kitchen.
Style And Size
After selecting your placement and colors, it’s time to choose the type of lighting fixtures you think will look best in each space. There are endless choices, but here are some of the more popular ones.
- Monorail Lighting
Monorail lighting is curved lighting that’s on a track. It covers several spaces at once and comes in a variety of forms like S-shaped or circle-shaped. There can be several size shapes of lighting on the track itself, allowing you to have different rays of lighting from one fixture.
- Pendants
Pendants hang from the ceiling, similar to a chandelier. The difference is that pendants only have one light, whereas chandeliers have several.
Pendants can be small, fitting several in one place or one in a smaller area. Oversized pendants make a bold statement and could even be an amazing focal point in your kitchen.
When considering pendant lighting, you’ll need to be aware of how low they hang. Some pendants are adjustable, while others are not.
- Canned
Canned lighting, or recessed lighting, is still incredibly popular, especially if you don’t want to choose a fixture for your kitchen. Canned lighting needs to be spaced about 4-6 feet to cover the area of the kitchen.
Recessed lighting works very well for under-cabinet-lighting. There are also adjustable canned lights if you need to move the direction of the light from one place to another.
- Eclectic
Can’t decide? Try many different styles! An eclectic approach to your lighting, while taking into account the proper light you need for your space, can liven up your kitchen and give it a truly unique feel.
- Chandelier
Chandeliers are not for fancy dining rooms. They can work well in a kitchen and bring a stunning and stylish appearance.
There are many types of chandeliers, which range from more traditional to modern.
- Spotlights
In some kitchens, there may be darker areas than others that regular LED lights cannot illuminate properly. In this case, a spotlight will work.
Spotlights work to make the darker areas appear better so you can focus on your task.
Light it Up
When it comes to kitchen lighting ideas, there are many choices, but the only one that’s right for your specific kitchen area. How will you go about finding the best lighting for your kitchen today?
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