The kitchen is not just a room for food preparation – it’s also a dining area and a place for hanging out with the family. As such, kitchens need great lighting not only to accentuate the space but also to make it more functional.
While natural light plays a huge role in this, light fixtures come in handy at night or on those inevitable overcast days. In this article, we will explore how you can use light fixtures to transform your kitchen from a boring space into a warm and welcoming environment making them some of the best options for kitchen light fixtures.
Good Versus Bad Kitchen Lighting
When lighting your space, don’t go all out on kitchen lighting fixtures and forget about natural light. A well-lit kitchen has a combination of natural and artificial light. Natural light is better for the eyes and is known to boost mood. The main challenge with natural light is that it depends on the weather and time of day. However, your kitchen shouldn’t be dark and gloomy when the weather changes or the sun sets – this is where a kitchen light fixture comes in handy.
When installing lighting fixtures, make sure to avoid very bright light because it can hurt your eyes. Extremely bright lights can temporarily blind you, making you lose concentration, which is the last thing you want when preparing food. Not only could losing focus ruin your recipe, but it also exposes you to the possibility of nasty accidents.
On the flip side, poor lighting casts shadows, reduces visibility, and dampens the mood in the space. For instance, if an overhead light is installed in the wrong position, it might cast your shadow on your working surface instead of illuminating it. Apart from the positioning of the fixture, the type of light also matters. For instance, filament bulbs are less desirable in a kitchen setting because they produce more shadows than fluorescent tubes. Therefore while choosing modern kitchen light fixtures, thoroughly check as to how much lighting will make your kitchen the best place to cook your delicious meals.
Types of Light Fixtures
The type of fixture you install should be guided by its intended function. There are three broad categories of light fixtures – task, ambient, and accent lights. Let’s have a look at each of these in more detail.
Ambient Lights: General light that floods the kitchen in many directions and is not focused on a particular place is referred to as ambient light. Ambient light typically acts as the main source of light for the entire kitchen. Depending on your space and the time of day, you can use ceiling and overhead lights, or you can use natural light.
Task Lights: Ceiling lights that generally light the room, like recessed roof lights, kitchen chandeliers, flush mounts, or pendant lights, are often not enough to provide light in specific areas of the kitchen and may cast shadows on the task area itself. That is where task lights come in. They ensure points of focus such as countertops, sinks, cabinets, kitchen islands, cooktops, and workspaces are sufficiently illuminated.
Accent Lights: To add to the aesthetics of the kitchen, you may want to highlight certain areas of interest, such as open shelves, glass cabinets, portraits, wall art, or other décor. As the name suggests, accent lights do a great job of accentuating the area of interest.
How to Transform Your Kitchen With Unique Light Fixtures
You can improve the general mood of the space through the appropriate use of best kitchen light fixtures. When done correctly, kitchen lighting fixtures can make your kitchen seem warm, fancy, or cool. However, you must know which fixture to use for specific kitchen sections. Here are some of the areas to think about when installing fixtures.
Ceiling
Ceiling lights are a must-have because they provide ambient illumination for the entire kitchen. These kitchen ceiling light fixtures should be bright and placed high enough on the ceiling to ensure light is distributed proportionately around the kitchen. Recessed LED lighting fixtures are often the best option to go with because they stay hidden in the ceiling but still function well.
Alternatively, a single flush mount or semi-flush mount kitchen ceiling lights will work well for a small-sized kitchen. Flush mounts are usually circular, dome-shaped fixtures embedded in the ceiling, while semi-flush mounts are usually fancy lighting fixtures that are slightly suspended from the ceiling.
Kitchen Island
Islands can be lit using either task or ambient lighting, depending on whether they are task-oriented. For example, a heavily tasked island may need both hanging lights and recessed-down lighting. Otherwise, a set of pendants or mini-pendants will work just fine. If the ceiling of your kitchen is very high, you can opt for linear suspension lighting fixtures making them a great choice for kitchen lighting.
Cabinets
Low kitchen cabinet interiors that are barely lit by ambient light sources can be illuminated using LED strip lights. These are flexible LED lighting fixtures that can also be used for lighting the undersides of cabinets that prevent the ambient ceiling lights from properly illuminating cooktops, sinks, or countertops. A good substitute for strip lights is puck lights, a type of round or oval light fixture that provides intense spot-on lighting or a pool of light over a small area.
Cabinet Tops, Walls, and Points of Interest
Accent lighting for visual decorations in the kitchen can be achieved by both recessed light fixtures and wall-mounted lights. These fixtures will provide an obscure illumination of visually appealing elements in their vicinity. You can also use LED strip lights on wall spaces between the ceiling and cabinets, as well as under the cabinets.
Corridors and Hallways
Corridors and hallways need to be well illuminated because they attract the highest traffic in the house. Toe kick lights that are implemented using LED strips or rope lights are perfect for this. In addition, well-lit pathways will improve navigation, promote accents, provide radiance for your steps and contribute to the ambiance of the space and help in improving the kitchen lights.
Examples of Light Fixtures That Will Transform Your Kitchen
The following are some kitchen lighting fixtures handpicked from Homeloft that will improve illumination and give your kitchen a chic look.
1. Décor Magic Pendant Light
This handmade pendant ceiling light features a yellow-flower lampshade. It is equipped with a 60 Watt G9 bulb that fits easily to a 5-inch diameter silver-colored ceiling enclosure. It also has an adjustable 40-inch transparent Teflon lighting cable and a 10-inch flower lampshade. The cable is made from polyester resin flowers affixed to intertwining polished silvery wire simply making this a great choice for led kitchen light fixtures.
2. Lysed Semi Flush Mount Ceiling Light E26 E27 Light Fixtures
This is a retro black industrial pendant light, and it is suitable for the porch, hallway, kitchen, and stairway. It comes with a 4.75-inch updated canopy for compatibility with 4-inch junction boxes. It boasts a chic design with different color temperatures and simple drilling installation and works with any E26/E27 base LED bulbs. If you are looking for black kitchen light fixtures, this is your go to option.
3. Bennington 4 Light Track Lighting
The Bennington 4 is a brush nickel finished ceiling mount kitchen light fixture, and it is an attractive and functional 4-bulb track light with a clean and modern look to compliment your kitchen well. It requires four 50 Watt GU10 halogen bulbs.
4. LAKIQ 16 Lights Industrial Rustic Chandelier Rope Barn Pendant Light
LAKIQ 16 lights are rectangular hanging ceiling lighting fixtures that will give your kitchen a rustic vintage look. They come in 120 x 60 x 80 cm metal chains, 15 cm ceiling plates, and 60 cm hemp corner ropes and are compatible with e26/e27 bulbs.
5. Emliviar 5-Light Kitchen Island Lighting
The Emliviar 5 is a modern linear pendant lighting fixture perfect for lighting up your kitchen island. It features an oil-rubbed bronze finish metal frame with a clear glass shade. Emliviars are available in 38.5 x 8.25 x 8.9 inches in size. They also come with two 42-inch adjustable rods, each of which includes an additional 6-inch and three 12-inch rods. The unit is hard-wired and uses five E12 base bulbs with a maximum power rating of 60 Watts.
Conclusion
Lighting is a major factor in determining the aesthetic qualities of a place. For modern multifunctional kitchens, the type of kitchen light will also play a role in overall safety, convenience, and accessibility. While some kitchen lighting fixtures will need to be included during construction, some can be installed later as a home improvement project.
Therefore, you will want to assess your kitchen’s lighting needs before you start thinking about the installation light fixtures for kitchen. The tips shared above will help guide you, but you may also want to consult with an interior décor expert.
