Guest Posts | Home Maintenance | Home Maintenance | Kitchen

10 Lighting Tips That will Redesign the Mood of Your Kitchen

The kitchen needs to be well-lit, that much we know is true. This is why the lighting in your kitchen is very important. Lighting creates the mood of your kitchen, so your choice of lighting: the shade and shape, will change the way your kitchen looks dramatically. Things to consider are the height of your ceiling, the space you have in your kitchen, and how much light you need at night. Here are a few lighting tips and tricks that will change the look and feel of your kitchen without having to redesign the entire space.

Work with your kitchen space.

If your kitchen is already small, don’t go for big and adorned ceiling lamps and even floor lamps. Go for something more subtle and sweet, but still provides enough light. The usual choice is kitchen countertop lighting, which involves a few ceiling lamps above your countertops so the light covers more area and highlights your countertops.

Identify where your “spotlights” should be.

Your kitchen has certain key areas that need the more lighting than others. For example, the cooking surface, the sink, and over the counters or any work area need a little more lighting. Identify your heavy use areas within your kitchen and plan your lighting from there. You can go for spotlights, or just lamps that are brighter than the rest in your kitchen.kitchen lighting by Jennifer Carole

Don’t be afraid to mix and match!

Some people think that you need only one theme for your lighting in your kitchen. This could work, however, mixing your lighting creates layers and undertones. It allows you to easily change the tone and ambiance of your kitchen. Use modern spotlights for sinks or the cooking area and a very subtle glow to emphasize your granite countertops and to provide more light coverage.

Check your ceiling height.

If you have a high ceiling,  lamps that are small and thin might make your kitchen appear empty. Instead, go for an larger adorned, vintage or traditional looking chandelier or lamp. This easily cleans up all the ceiling space and gives your kitchen a very classic look with an instant wow factor. For low to normal ceilings, medium sized to small lamps work best.

Attach lamps on your counters or islands.

You don’t have to be restricted to wall and ceiling lamps. You can also opt for lamps attached on your counters and islands. Of course, these require space, so you may need to do a little research on your kitchen countertop installation. It may take up quite a bit of space, but the effect could be wonderful. It also ensures that your countertops and islands, which are typically heavy use areas, are very well-lit.

Check the distance of your lights.

This would actually vary depending on what you want in your kitchen. Ideally, lights should be 30 inches above your stone or granite countertops, but it might be higher bases upon the height of the person or if you’re placing the light over a sink or a stove. Horizontally, lights should be about 24-42 inches apart from one another to provide more light coverage in your kitchen. Remember that the lights should also reach the corners of your room, not just over your work areas.

Consider having underlights.

Under-Cabinet Kitchen Lighting is the perfect option for kitchen lighting. They provide a subtle glow that radiates and focuses only on your countertops, so it’s great for your work areas. The best part is you don’t need to call a professional.  It’s an easy Do-It-Yourself task.

Analyze effect of lighting on your color scheme.

The color scheme of  your kitchen changes based upon the type of lighting because light effects color. You will need to analyze your kitchen’s color pallet and overall theme so you can determine how much illumination you need. White reflects light, so if you have a white kitchen, or the colors are dominantly white, you may not want to go with a bright white light. The opposite is true for darker colored kitchens. Simple pendants could be used to emphasize and illuminate your white countertops beautifully.

Be bold.kitchen lighting by Nancy Hugo, CKD

You don’t have to stick with the usual cylindrical lamps, spotlights, and chandeliers. You can always take a risk and go for bold colors like red cylindrical lamps. They definitely add personality into your kitchen. In any  case, if you need to change the intensity of the light or the color of the light, you just need to change the bulb.

Consider LED lights.

At first it seems like a strange idea, but why not? LED lights are eco-friendly and consume much less energy while giving off a more intense light. There are a lot of ways on how you can have LED lights in your kitchen.  LED lights come in cool, natural and warm tones.

Consult your kitchen countertop installation expert on what kind of lights to use on your countertops.

 

This article was written by Vadim Izoita. Vadim specializes in the fabrication and installation of granite, quartz and marble countertops with Five Star Stone Inc.

 

 

Similar Posts

One Comment

  1. Harry Elliot says:

    love this and needed night lighting under our counters, saw here another idea that you put tube lighting under counters near baseboards, so I used a string of lights under my island counter for night lights, and it’s great, so thanks for the idea and all the ideas here are very helpful. 😀

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *