7 Lighting Ideas for Your Kitchen

Lighting is one of the most important elements to consider when planning the design of your kitchen. Not only does it add a touch of magic and personality to the space, but it can complement and even transform the overall feel and energy of your kitchen. Options range from fluorescent lights to modern-day LED ceiling lights and chandeliers. All which you can use in different parts of the kitchen to create visual appeal and increased efficiency.

Hanging Lights

These conversation starters are ideal for an open plan kitchen, especially if you have high ceilings. They attract attention and add a dramatic feel to the whole space. You can even have them colored to suit your décor palette, or keep them simple if you’re going for a clean aesthetic.

There are plenty of options to choose from here, with the most popular being glamorous chandeliers and colorful pendants. Whichever style you go for, just make sure to match the size of the light fitting to the scale of your kitchen so that it looks aligned and attractive.

Task-specific Lights

As I mentioned earlier, you can mix and match lighting options in your kitchen for efficiency and aesthetic appeal. However, the most important thing about task lighting is that it’s meant to make life easier for you in the kitchen. That’s why you’ll find task lights in places like above the hob area, over the sink, below cabinets and over the central island.

These are the areas where you’ll be preparing your food, mixing things, washing up or just eating and hanging out with loved ones. You can even add lights inside your pantry as well, as this will make it easier to find things when cooking at night. Sensor lights work great for the pantry, while fluorescent tube fittings and strip lights are stunning options for the other task areas mentioned.

Accent Lights

Accent lights can be a sensational addition to an entertainer’s kitchen. They’re typically utilised to highlight or bring attention to beautiful objects like artwork and sculptures, but you can also use them to emphasize other areas like the stairs leading to your pantry or wine cellar (if you have one).

Accent lights come in different styles, including wall scones, wired lighting and directional eyeball fittings. All of these create a 3D effect on the object, transforming your kitchen into a completely different space during the evenings.

Ambient Lighting

If you want your kitchen to feel light and cheerful throughout the day and night, then ambient lighting is the way to go. Ambient lighting carries the tone of natural light which comes into your kitchen, often incorporating ethereal looking LED strip lights or cheeky puck fitting under the cabinets, to create a buoyant atmosphere.

Using semi-flush and recessed light fixtures is ideal for achieving ambient lighting in large areas, while LED tape lighting provides non-invasive light to smaller areas like under the sink and cabinets. My personal favourite is to just let nature do her thing, by incorporating natural light from the sun through glass doors and skylights.

Decorative Lights

Decorative lights in my opinion, are great for accentuating particular details that you’re most proud of in your kitchen. Like that marble countertop on the island, or special fixtures on the cabinets. Either way, decorative lights can add some serious whimsical effects to a kitchen when done right. Your options here include striking chandeliers, a mixture of differently shaped and colored pendant lights, as well as flush mounts or beautifully designed lamps.

Layered Lighting

With layered lighting, you can use a combination of ambient, accent and task lighting solutions to create an effortlessly comfortable space. Having a combination of lighting solutions is the way to go if you want to get the most out of your kitchen, and the idea here is to ensure that the fixtures you choose actually complement one another.

Era Specific

You can easily incorporate a light fixture from the roaring 20s to a contemporary kitchen, not only to create an interesting contrast, but also to pay homage to that particular era. This detail also brings an eclectic feel to the kitchen, while the fixture itself can easily become a conversation starter in a space with otherwise clean lines.

Conclusion

As you can see, the devil is in the details when it comes to kitchen lighting. There are plenty of options to choose from to help transform an ordinary kitchen into ‘the heart of the home’, where everyone feels welcome and comfortable.