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Kitchen lighting plays a crucial role in the atmosphere and functionality of your kitchen. As it is such a central place in the home, the lighting is equally as important. In this article, we explore the importance of LED kitchen lighting as well as some ideas to help improve your own dark kitchen.
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Why Does a Kitchen Need Good Lighting?
A kitchen is somewhere meals are not just shared, but memories are made and various tasks are completed. Because it is such a multifunctional space, it requires lighting that is up to the challenge. Even if your kitchen has ample natural light during the summer, the lack of it in the colder season may leave the kitchen feeling unwelcoming and cold.
Beyond the mood of the space, without adequate kitchen lighting, people may not be able to see what they’re doing. It is a room primarily used for certain tasks that include cooking, food prep, homework at the breakfast bar, eating dinner and entertaining. Kitchen ceiling lights, kitchen wall lights, kitchen island pendant lights and other such illumination can go a long way to improve and enhance the function of this busy room.
How to Use Natural Light in a Kitchen
As mentioned, natural light on its own can be enough during the summer. During this season, the bright light can feel joyful and welcoming. With a lack of bright light in the winter or as it diminishes in the fall, this natural light can fall short. Here are some tips on using natural lighting to your advantage in the fall and winter.
– Use frameless windows. Frameless windows that open to the rear of your home or skylights perfectly placed can enhance illumination by letting in more natural light. Floor-to-ceiling windows are also a good option in this case.
– Think glossy. When painting your kitchen or buying new appliances, choose glossy over matte. Gloss will reflect light more effectively.
– Reflective surfaces are a must. Besides reflective surfaces on appliances, you can also opt for reflective countertops that will not only add needed light and a pleasant shine but also open up the room as you view it from a distance for visual interest.
– Try polished floors. Floors that are polished will bounce the natural light all around in a way that reflective surfaces do.Â
– Add some mirrors. You can use mirrors as reflective surfaces with the express purpose of shining natural light back throughout the room.Â
– Take advantage of bright colours. Unlike darker colours, bright hues reflect light instead of absorbing it. You don’t have to paint the entire room yellow, for instance, but a sunny yellow accent wall can go a long way in brightening the space.
Ideas For Colours to Use in a Dark Kitchen
Many times, when people think of bright rooms, they tend to only go with white. While white does reflect the most light, it also can make the space look washed out if it is the only colour. If you want to use white, you can add a splash of bright colour somewhere else, such as on the chairs or an accent wall.
Below are a few other colours to consider for a dark kitchen:
- Lighten things up with pastel pinks, blues, greens or peach to make the space brighter and more cheerful while giving it an open, airy feeling.
- A rainbow of colours in the room, such as colourful furnishings, bowls or pottery, can brighten up an otherwise dim-looking space.
- Neutral earthy colours can bring a feeling of having the outside on the inside, which can trick the eye into thinking it is brighter as it looks like nature. Greens, blues and browns work best in this situation.
How to Use Lighting to Enhance a Dark KitchenÂ
From kitchen kickboard lights to LED downlights to breakfast bar pendant lights and beyond, lighting plays a huge role in your kitchen. Before anything else, think about these and other lights as well as how to layer them for the best effect.
There are three lighting layers that should be incorporated into any given room: task, ambient and accent. That is true for kitchen lighting as well. Task lighting is important for food prep areas and tables; ambient light is necessary to shine light all across the room; accent light such as LED plinth lights will help you make the atmosphere moodier and highlight certain features.
Task lighting options could include:
- Kitchen cabinets
- Kitchen drawers
- Kitchen countertops
- Kitchen island counters
Accent lighting could include:
- Toe kick lighting, otherwise known as plinth lighting
- Above cabinet lighting
- Lighting within cabinets
- Lighting that shows off a unique feature in the kitchen
- Art lighting
Ambient lighting could include ceiling downlights, such as:
- Recessed lighting
- Led pendant lights or chandeliers
- Surface mounted downlights
- Linear pendant lights, also known as linear suspension lights
With a properly layered kitchen lighting system, you can easily brighten up dark spaces. The options are virtually endless when it comes to what exactly you can do with these lights, including choosing various styles and colours to make the room truly your own.
You could also install some of the following to spruce it up a bit:
- Feature lights
- Backsplash lights
- Uplighting on walls or near artwork
- Skylights
- Multiple statement lights arranged near one another
- Various lighting zones with designated fixtures
- Mismatched lights to create a quirky look
Why Use LED Lighting in a Kitchen
Kitchen LED Downlights, task lights and accent lights are smart choices when lighting your kitchen. LED bulbs are the lights of the future, and they are gaining steady popularity for a reason. When it comes to lighting a dark kitchen, LED lights pose many benefits for you.
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– Choose the colour temperature. Whether you want to create a warm-looking kitchen or mimic the appearance of natural daylight, LED lights allow for it. LED lights come with various colour temperatures which are measured in units Kelvin. The higher Kelvin numbers are cooler lights, while the lower numbers are warmer. Daylight colours can be found in the spectrum, so you can easily light the space exactly as you choose.
– Energy efficient. One of the biggest draws of LED lights is their energy efficiency. LED bulbs turn most of their energy into light instead of heat the way traditional halogen bulbs do. Not only is this good for the environment, but it’s also good for your wallet; switching to LED lights can save you ample money on your energy bills every year.Â
– Long lasting. LED lights are generally rated for a minimum of 20,000 hours. This will eliminate the need to constantly be replacing the bulbs after only 1,000 hours like with halogen bulbs. Not only does this make them more convenient, but it also saves you money and effort on replacements.
How to Use a Mirror in a Dark Kitchen
Mirrors are reflective accessories that can bounce light around a dark kitchen. The light from ceiling downlights and wall lights can be moved around more easily with proper placement.
- Behind the sink. A mirror behind the sink will help reflect light and balance out the overall depth of a room. Cramped, dark kitchens can be made to seem larger by installing a mirror behind the sink.
- Behind the stove. Choosing a mirrored backsplash will also help balance the illumination in the space. This is especially true as the mirrors allow natural light to reflect around the room.
- On cabinet doors. Standard wooden cabinets don’t bring much of anything in terms of lighting to the room, but you can change that by adding mirrored cabinet doors. These not only modernize the space but reflect light from end to end to ensure maximum illumination throughout each part of the kitchen. It is best to place them on cabinets that sit at eye level.
- As decor. You can also choose a decorative mirror with a lovely shape or intricate frame to hang on an empty spot on a kitchen wall. This can reflect light while also enhancing the overall appearance of the kitchen itself.
What kitchen cabinetry will make a kitchen look brighter and larger?
Much like using brighter paint colours can make your kitchen seem brighter, using lighter cabinetry can accomplish the same thing. By choosing light-coloured cabinetry such as white, tan or mirrored doors, your cabinets will reflect light instead of absorbing it.
Light colours on cabinets also give off a cleaner look, making the space seem more open and inviting. They look great with any colour of wall paint, so you won’t feel limited on how you style the rest of the room.
If you would rather use dark cabinets in a small, dark kitchen, it can be done. However, you’ll need to accent the darkness with some light, so it doesn’t feel like a dungeon. White accent walls or colourful countertops can offset dark countertops and still brighten up the room.
6 Lighting Ideas for Dark Kitchens
Perfect for modern and industrial-style kitchens, the LPL159 20 Watt Brushed Black LED Pendant Ceiling Light is a quick way to modernize a space. This hanging pendant light has a long bar shape that shines 1600 lumens of light through an opal acrylic diffuser that softens it. The bulbs are housed in a black exterior that provides an easy opportunity to incorporate the fitting into any room regardless of the colour scheme.
For a more traditional hanging pendant light, try the LPL348 5 Watt Beech Wood LED Pendant Light. This unique light features a donut-shaped body that has a large profile and boasts light-coloured beech wood. In the centre is a cylindrical-shaped, gold-toned light that plays well off of the light wood. From within, 430 lumens of light shine, making it well suited for stacking with other lights of its kind above breakfast bars and countertops.
Kitchen plinth lights can brighten a room from the ground up. The LDC880 1 Watt LED Plinth Lights Build Your Kit is an easy way to add kickplate lighting to your kitchen. The individual heads allow you to space them out at the distance you prefer to ensure the most evenly lit space. Each one shines 122 lumens of light, so you remain in total control over just how bright your plinth lighting will turn out to be. With a 100-centimeter cable for each one, they are easy to connect and install.
If you love the look of recessed lighting but don’t have the proper ceiling for it, the LBL708 9 Watt Surface Mounted LED Downlight is a beautiful alternative. The light sits flush with the ceiling and shines straight downward much as recessed lighting does. It outputs a total of 800 lumens of 3000k warm white colour that makes any kitchen feel inviting and warm. With a size measuring 100 millimeters by 100 millimeters by 100 millimeters, it is the perfect size for installing in multiples.
The LSP706 12 Watt Adjustable Surface Mounted LED Downlight works the same as other flush-mounted lighting. It stands out by offering greater versatility over where the light is shone. You can twist and tilt the head of the light to shine in any given direction to allow its bright, 900 lumens of light to illuminate any area. The product comes in neutral colours of black or white to suit any space and is the perfect size to include multiples in one area as task lighting.
LED Downlights are an easy way to light your kitchen. From modern recessed lighting to surface-mounted LEDs, you can provide ample ambient light across the entire room with such downlights. They come in circular, square and bar shapes among others to give you options when creating a specific style. You can also choose various features such as anti-glare and shop by colour to ensure it fits in with the existing colour scheme in your kitchen.
