Lighting plays an integral role in how your home looks, feels, and functions. There’s no room more important than the kitchen when it comes to choosing the perfect lighting. This vital space requires a blend of functionality and style in order to create a space that works for your everyday needs as well as for the design of your home. If you’re looking for some kitchen lighting ideas, read on to discover some tips to help you choose the best possible lighting style and format for your kitchen and your cooking needs.
Pendant Lighting
A popular choice for kitchens, pendant lighting provides you with directional light that can be perfect for prepping and serving meals. Most pendants are used for kitchen island lighting to brighten up this centerpiece of the room. If you choose to install pendant lighting over a kitchen island, it’s best to have several spaced out in a row. The more pendants you have, the brighter your island will be. Look for products by brands like Regina Andrew Lighting, featuring modern silhouettes and luxurious finishes that will really bring the “wow” factor to your cooking space. As you ponder some kitchen lighting ideas, keep in mind that pendants are really made to point a specific amount of light downward. They can add a fun pop to your kitchen, but they might not work for every application.
Add Some Ambient Lighting
If you’re looking to create a mood in the kitchen, give ambient lighting a try. This light emits a gentle, softer glow than most kitchen ceiling lighting. A stunning wall sconce or torchiere is a great way to add a little bit of extra ambient lighting to the kitchen. If you have an eat-in area or bar, this is a perfect way to create a nice vibe while eating and entertaining your guests. The Hudson Valley and Oly Studio brands create incredibly beautiful wall sconces that will add artful appeal, unique textures, and warm illumination to your kitchen. Remember that not all of your kitchen light fixtures have to be utilitarian. In fact, installing a nice pair of wall sconces will add character and a charming component to the room.
Bring Bold Impact with a Chandelier
When it comes to packing a visual punch with your kitchen ceiling lighting, there’s nothing quite like a stunning chandelier. This lighting style allows you to add a bold component to the kitchen while helping you create a cohesive look. If you have a clean white kitchen, try a chandelier made of sleek metal or something in a crisp white finish. Chandeliers with sparkling faceted crystals will add an instant touch of luxe to this space. Check out some of the chandelier options from Troy Lighting. This incredible brand designs a myriad of lighting styles that range from boho-inspired chandeliers with a woven shade and natural finish to classic styles boasting black metal surrounded by a clear glass shade. A chandelier should be the statement piece in your kitchen, so choose something that will pack a visual punch but also mesh well with your flooring, countertops, cabinets, and appliances.
Keep it Clean and Simple
There’s nothing wrong with having ornate and detailed lighting in your kitchen. However, sometimes the best kitchen lighting ideas are the simplest ones. Using lighting that features a simple silhouette and understated details will add an elegant look and feel to this part of the home. Try products from brands like Hinkley Lighting. This amazing lighting company creates stunning options that add the perfect amount of functionality and style without being too gaudy or overwhelming. Look for flush and semi-flush mount lighting that will illuminate your kitchen perfectly while keeping the attention on the finishes in the room rather than the lighting itself. Try a simple sconce from Hinkley Lighting featuring a warm brass finish with a frosted glass shade. The brand’s range of kitchen ceiling lighting features rounded shapes and neutral color combinations like white, black, and gray. When you keep things simple, it helps to make your kitchen feel larger and adds functionality to the room.
Consider a Lamp for the Kitchen
We often think of lamps in the home office, living room, or bedroom – but they can also be a great addition to your kitchen, too. Consider a few kitchen lamps that you can place on countertops to add a nice source of light whenever you need it. This task lighting is easy to move whenever you need to, and you can find kitchen lamps in tons of different designs and finishes to match your space. Regina Andrew Lighting features an incredible variety of table and floor lamps that feature sculptured bases, beautiful shades, and unique detailing for a fun touch. Your kitchen lamp doesn’t have to be overwhelmingly large, either. Buffet lamps are a great alternative to standard-sized lamps and come in a much more compact size. These “mini lamps” are a great accent piece for a kitchen storage cabinet, buffet, or simply a corner of your countertops. Use them anywhere your kitchen could use a little extra light.
Kitchen Lighting Ideas: Light Bulbs
Aside from the style of your kitchen lighting, think about what type of bulbs you want to use. Ideally, the color temperature of the lighting in your kitchen should be between 2700 and 3000 Kelvin. This scale will match the color temperature of most incandescent lighting and tends to blend well with the rest of an interior space. Another thing to consider is the color rendering index or CRI of the bulbs. This index determines how the color is interpreted in the kitchen. Lower CRI ratings are gray in color, while higher ones will highlight brighter hues much better. A CRI of 80 or higher is best in the kitchen. Finally, make sure that your kitchen lighting is energy efficient. LED bulbs last much longer than standard bulbs and use less energy to light your kitchen, too. Before you purchase new lighting for your kitchen, find out what type of light bulbs the fixture requires to confirm it’s the right choice for you.
Choosing the Right Shade
Since your kitchen is a busy, messy area, it’s important to pick out fixtures that have the right type of shade. Clear glass is a good choice to add brighter ambient light, and it’s also extremely easy to keep clean. Opal glass is another beautiful choice that creates a more diffused glow, but the material is just as easy to maintain so that your lighting looks as good as new. Metal shades are a perfect option for industrial and modern kitchens. This versatile material comes in an endless assortment of colors and finishes, and it works well when you need to create directional task lighting, such as directly over the island or sink. Fabric shades are beautiful and elegant, but they may not work well in some areas of the kitchen due to the amount of moisture in the room. Install lighting with fabric shades over the table where you eat and never near the sink or stove since they could become stained or permanently damaged.
Setting the Right Tone with Your Lighting
Whether you’re remodeling or starting from scratch with a custom new build, it’s important to follow a plan for your kitchen lighting ideas. When you install the right fixtures in the right places, you’ll enjoy a layered look that provides you with the right amount of lighting you need. Start with your kitchen ceiling lighting, such as the pendants as kitchen island lighting or a chandelier for the center of the room. The overhead lighting you install will create the base for everything else that follows. You can also opt for flush mount light fixtures if you prefer this style over hanging pendants or chandeliers. If your kitchen has high ceilings, a pendant is a great choice, while flush and semi-flush mount options from brands like Mitzi or Hudson Valley Lighting can be best in a galley-style kitchen.
After you choose your main overhead ceiling lighting, you can add in “support lighting” which serves as essential directional lighting to improve functionality. For example, a kitchen lamp or under-cabinet lighting will give you more pinpointed light to prep food, prepare plates for entertaining, and just generally work in the kitchen without having to squint or strain your eyes. When you look for kitchen island lighting, you can either add a few pendants or small chandeliers to brighten up the area. These kitchen light fixtures should have a clear glass shade or something made of a light-colored linen to ensure you’re getting the right amount of brightness you need. Pendants with metal shades will add a more focused light to the island. Ensure that your pendants or small chandeliers are of the same or a very similar size and style. If you make things too mismatched, it will create an unbalanced look. Make sure that each light is evenly spaced to fill in lighting for a larger island. You can use just two pendant lights if your island is small, while three or more are best for large islands.
Whatever material, finish, and style you choose, it’s important to remember that your new kitchen lighting should be beautiful and functional. Don’t forget to include additional lighting in specific areas such as directly over the sink or in a small dining nook. The more lighting you have, the brighter your kitchen, and your life, will be. Explore the incredible variety of lighting brands and styles at Meadow Blu to help you find the perfect options for you. Whether it’s a sleek chandelier boasting bright metallic finishes, or a classic pendant light accented with a clear glass shade, we offer an incredible array of styles that will work with every aesthetic and every kitchen.