It’s not a secret that the look of your kitchen can have a major impact on the overall value of your home. For many, renovating the entire kitchen may not be in the cards. But what if you didn’t have to change your whole kitchen, just change the way you see it? Practical lighting matters in your kitchen, but not all kitchens are built the same. Some have so many windows and skylights that you can forget you even have a light switch, others…not so much. But even the sun sets on those kitchens, and how you light yours matters more than you may think. Today’s homeowners are looking for ways to make their homes more valuable, and one way is through high-end design elements like chandeliers, statement pendants, and undermount cabinet lighting. All these options instantly show different moods and sides of your kitchen that you’ve likely never seen before. Let’s jump into the magic of kitchen lighting.
Types of Lighting
A well-lit kitchen is essential for a comfortable, inviting space that serves its function. An added function that most don’t consider however is your kitchen’s ability to adjust its mood throughout the day or for different types of social gatherings. This is where contrast comes into play. Having a dimmable switch, undermount lighting, or a beautiful pendant to showcase your kitchen gives your kitchen range for all the different occasions you host within it, such as having friends over for dinner later in the evening, just waking up, cooking after dark. You don’t want the same glaring overhead LEDs to always highlight your kitchen.
The lighting in your kitchen needs to be functional, but it can also help set the mood for your space. Think about how you want people to feel when they come into your kitchen and then use lighting to create that feeling. The best way to do this is by using different types of light around the room: general, task, accent and decorative. Each concept has a role in making your kitchen stand out. An example of general lighting is the overhead lights every kitchen has that play a vital role in illuminating the whole room but come up short when you want light to capture the beauty your kitchen possesses. Task lighting is undermount cabinet lights, highlighting your countertops for when you’re eating or making dinner. Task lighting is great at mood setting for times when overhead lights aren’t needed, but you still want to show your kitchen off. Accent lights are the most creative of the bunch, being found in most every space imaginable in your kitchen. Most commonly seen as sconces around a beautiful hood or inside glass cabinets, accent lights can also be above your cabinetry, at the base, underneath countertops, or along the inside of a waterfall island. Decorative lighting is your chandeliers and pendants. Perfect for entertaining, these lights are above eating areas, offering the perfect amount of light to entertain as well as a conversation piece.
Make a statement with lighting
Your kitchen is a place for family meals and social gatherings. It’s also where you cook, clean and do your chores. You want to make sure that your kitchen always looks its best, even if you’re just doing laundry or enjoying a cup of coffee.
What should you keep in mind when it comes to lighting? Ambience can be created by using different types of lights (such as pendant lights) throughout the room–and this will help set the mood for any type of activity that takes place there! For example: If someone were serving dinner parties regularly in their home then they might want to use dimmer switches so everything feels more intimate; but if they’re mostly cooking meals for themselves then bright overhead lights may be more appropriate because this makes everything easier on their eyes when trying not only read recipes but also see where ingredients are whilst preparing a meal.
Lighting can also be used to give your kitchen a high-end look.
While it’s true that lighting is often used to make a kitchen more functional and efficient, it can also be used to give your kitchen a high-end look. The right lighting will highlight the best features of your space, like countertops and cabinets. This can be done by using contrast–highlighting certain areas with bright lights that draw attention away from other parts of the room. Many people have strayed away from using darker colors for their cabinets because of the lack of natural light or out of fear that it would be too dim at night. By correctly utilizing the lighting in your kitchen, these problems vanish. When properly lit and showcased, darker cabinets arguably look better at night than they do in the day because of the ability to align with the surrounding mood.
Highlighting your backsplash
Is it difficult for you to find where you could highlight in your kitchen? Well, an underrated plus with undermount lighting is that you can change where the eyes look first. Maybe your cabinets are a little outdated, but they still fit the style of your kitchen and you can’t afford to replace them. You can renovate your backsplash and/or countertop for a fraction of what it would cost to replace your cabinets. With the help of undermount lighting, your cabinets are no longer the main character of your kitchen. The right backsplash light can make your kitchen look like you have a brand-new kitchen by only highlighting the parts of it that you love.
Showing off your island
The island is the focal point of your kitchen, so it’s important to highlight it. You can do this by using lighting that shows off its beauty. Kitchen Pendant lights are perfect for showcasing an island because they hang above it and cast light on all sides of it. You can choose a chandelier based on how you want your kitchen to look or go with a modern pendant light if you want something more contemporary-looking. Chandeliers are also an excellent and elegant way to add personality to your kitchen. These fixtures can be used as a focal point in your space, or they can serve as a statement piece that adds character. Chandeliers are also versatile; they can be romantic and elegant, but they also work well with modern styles and designs.
When it comes to your kitchen, the right lighting can make all the difference. You don’t need a big renovation or a wall of windows to have your kitchen look the way you want it to. Find what you like and what you dislike, see what you can do to change it, then put it in the spotlight. InDesign can help you find exactly what it is to give you the kitchen of your dreams. Contact us, visit our Alpharetta showroom to get inspired or call us at 678.607.2935. We service Alpharetta and all surrounding areas: Johns Creek, Atlanta, Buckhead, Cumming, Duluth, Dunwoody, East Cobb, Kennesaw, Marietta, Milton, Norcross, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Smyrna, Suwanee, Vinings and more!
