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The kitchen is for far more than simply cooking. For many, it is also a place for entertaining and spending time with your family. Breakfast bar lighting can take your kitchen to a new level by highlighting one of the most commonly used areas. In this article, we’ll discuss the importance of breakfast bar lights as well as some breakfast bar lighting ideas.
What is Breakfast Bar Lighting?
Lights over breakfast bar areas are known as breakfast bar lights. These are designed to light up a breakfast bar or even a kitchen island. In order to accomplish this, over breakfast bar lights are often positioned directly above the bar itself.
The main purpose of over bar lighting is to serve as task lighting. Eating, food prep and socialising at the breakfast bar are all made easier with proper illumination. Lights above breakfast bar areas can also enhance the general appearance of the kitchen and provide nice indirect lighting at night.
Breakfast bar pendant lights are one of the most popular types of fixtures in this area. You will sometimes also see spotlights over the bar area.
Why Should You Illuminate a Breakfast Bar?
Kitchen breakfast bar lights are a good way to enhance not just the practicality of the kitchen but also the appearance of it. While the primary goal is to use them for task lighting during meal prep, cooking or eating, they can also improve the mood of the kitchen.
Breakfast bar hanging lights and other types of modern breakfast bar lights can enhance the general aesthetics of your kitchen. You can use lights over bar areas to make the space seem more modern and elegant or more inviting and cosy.
By incorporating different types of lighting over breakfast bar spaces, you can create different atmospheres and moods. This could include adding dimmer switches to create softer lighting and make it into a romantic place to dine in the evening.
When it comes to other dining times, a well-lit breakfast bar can make it feel energetic and lively for entertaining friends for dinner. This sort of versatility makes kitchen bar lights a perfect addition to any home.
Why Pendant Lights Are a Great Choice for Breakfast Bar Lighting
Pendant breakfast bar lights are the most classic way to incorporate these lights into your space. A well-placed pendant light over breakfast bar areas can boost the visibility and appearance of the breakfast bar.
With the focused lighting that they provide, hanging kitchen lights are perfect for illuminating specific areas, such as the smaller station of a breakfast bar. This also makes them good as task lighting, as we mentioned.
As they come in a variety of shapes, styles, sizes and materials, bar hanging lights also have design flexibility. This will allow you to bring in fixtures that complement the existing style of the kitchen or change up the environment all together. Black breakfast bar lights are particularly useful, as they can complement kitchens of any colour scheme.
With their adjustable height, bar pendant lights can also be used on kitchen bars of any height. This way, you can hang them so that they stay out of the way while providing adequate light.
What Height Should You Have Pendant Lights Over a Breakfast Bar?
The general rule for hanging pendant lights over the breakfast bar is to hang them around 30 to 36 inches above the countertop. There should be somewhere between 30 to 36 inches of space between the bottom of the pendant light and the top of the counter.
That said, keep in mind you may need to adjust them according to the heights of the members of your family. This will prevent them hanging directly at eye level and being uncomfortable to look at.
What Other Lighting Options Are There For a Breakfast Bar?
If you want to play around with other types of lights for your breakfast bar besides suspended kitchen lights, there are plenty of options you can consider.
- RECESSED DOWNLIGHTS – Kitchen breakfast bar lighting can be incorporated into more modern and minimalistic spaces with recessed lights. Since they sit flush with the ceiling, they are unobstructive and will shine light straight down onto the surfaces below them.
- TRACK LIGHTING – Track lights work in a similar way by providing illumination from higher up on or near the ceiling. If you use this area for task lighting primarily, be sure you don’t add too many spotlights here. Otherwise, you may end up with shadows that may make activities harder to see.
- PLINTH LIGHTS – For lower lighting options, kitchen plinth lights make a great choice. These lights go in the kickplate of the breakfast bar or under cabinets, providing a soft glow from the floor.
- LED STRIP LIGHTING – By installing strip lighting under the countertop of the breakfast bar, you can add more mood and accent lighting. This will shine a more indirect light downwards.
- STATEMENT LIGHTING – With a chandelier or artistic overhead light, you can dress up the kitchen while providing plenty of light from above.
Why Are LEDs The Best For Lighting a Kitchen Area?
LED bulbs are the best choice for your kitchen island lights. They boast many general benefits, but some more specific for this area of the home.
For one, LED bulbs don’t output the same level of heat as traditional bulbs. They stay so cool that they are safe to the touch, in fact. This means you won’t have heat from the bulbs and heat from cooking surfaces and stoves working together to make the room uncomfortably hot.
These bulbs are also more energy efficient. If you want to keep some lights on in the kitchen at night as nightlights, then LED bulbs are the ones for the job. They won’t run your energy bill up as high as keeping halogen bulbs on all night.
Beyond that, they are versatile by nature. Due to the many colour temperatures and lumen counts that LED bulbs come in, you can totally customise the look and feel of the lights in your kitchen.
Should Breakfast Bar Pendant Lights Be Dimmable?
While it is not a requirement, having dimmable pendant lights is a good idea for bar lights. Primarily, they will allow you to adjust the brightness of the bulbs for any given task.
For example, you can make them brighter when kids do homework at the breakfast bar, or make them dimmer if you want to sip a drink at the breakfast bar at night. In the same vein, you can use the dimming capabilities to also change the mood and atmosphere of the kitchen.
Dimmable lights can also contribute to the energy efficiency of the LED bulbs. By lowering their brightness, you will also be lowering the amount of energy the lights are consuming. This can in turn extend the overall life of the bulb, so you can spend less time and money replacing the bulbs over the years.
How To Create Ambient, Task and Decorative Lighting in the Kitchen
Ambient, task and decorative or accent lighting are all important components for a balanced lighting scheme. By having each of the layers present, the kitchen area will be well lit and easy to use.
Ambient Kitchen Lighting
Ambient light will provide the general, overall lighting for the kitchen. The other lights will ultimately supplement this one. Ambient light can be achieved in a number of ways, including:
- Recessed lighting
- Surface mounted ceiling lighting
- Bar lights
- Chandeliers
Kitchen Task Lighting
Since the kitchen is such a task-heavy place, task lights are crucial. You can put more focus on various areas for activities, such as:
- Over worktops for food prep and cooking
- Over the island for reading recipes and socialising
- In cabinets to make it easier to see the contents
- On shelves to make finding ingredients simpler
- Lighting inside of drawers
Kitchen Accent Lighting
Decorative lighting gives the kitchen more personality and visual appeal. There are many ways to incorporate this, including:
- Plinth lighting around kickboards
- Lighting underneath a worktop
- Lights that highlight architectural features
- Lights for drawing attention to certain focal points
- Picture lights for illuminating artwork in the kitchen
Why is Task Lighting Important For a Breakfast Bar?
The kitchen is a place for many activities to take place, so having enough lighting to easily complete them is paramount. The primary purpose is to make task-heavy spaces more visible.
Task lighting gives bright and focused illumination wherever you need it, including the breakfast bar. Reading recipes, measuring, preparing food or even reading the newspaper are easier with task lights.
Safety is also a factor. You need enough light when doing things such as chopping ingredients to ensure you do not accidentally injure yourself. Enough light can also make it easier to see any spilled liquids or other messes that might cause a hazard.
By being able to better see what you’re doing, not only can you do it more safely, but you will also be able to work more efficiently. You may also notice a decrease in eye strain since there will be ample illumination, and you won’t be squinting when trying to see details.
Breakfast Bar Light Ideas
Bring elegance and class into the kitchen with the LPL364 5 Watt Hanging LED Pendant Light. This pendant light features a classic shape including a circular shade while keeping minimalistic elements. It is crafted out of quality aluminium that comes in your choice of black, white, or black and gold finishes. From the LED bulb, 400 lumens of 3000k warm white light shines at a 30-degree beam angle, making the fixture excellent for task lighting. The product measures 148 millimeters by 200 millimeters and comes with an adjustable 2000-millimeter drop cable.
2.LPL366 10 Watt Twin Hexagonal LED Pendant Light
Modernise your breakfast bar with the LPL366 10 Watt Twin Hexagonal LED Pendant Light. This pendant light features a unique hexagonal shape that gives it a honeycomb look. The 2 bulbs work together to provide a total of 800 lumens of 3000k warm white light. It shines at a 30-degree beam angle for focused lighting. The fixture is built to last ouf of high quality aluminium and available in neutral black, white and grey hues. It measures 160 millimeters by 180 millimeters and features a long, 2000-millimeter cable of adjustable height.
Add some classic charm to your breakfast bar with this vintage-inspired LPL354 6 Watt Globe LED Pendant Light. This fixture is globe-shaped, with an opal acrylic diffuser making up most of the shade. This softens the 400 lumens of 3000k warm white light that shines through the globe and reduces glare. The light is fixed on an aluminium base that comes in chrome or black finishes. The light measures 115 millimeters in diameter and features a height-adjustable, 2000-millimeter drop cable.
Add mood and atmosphere to the kitchen with the LDC880 1 Watt LED Plinth Lights Build Your Kit. This kit comes with small plinth lights that measure only 23 millimeters in diameter, making them small enough to install in any kickplate. Each individual light shines 122 lumens of 3000k warm white light to create a pleasant glow. Choose from black, white, yellow gold, rose gold, polished chrome or silver finishes to suit the appearance of your kitchen.
