How a room is lit goes a long way towards establishing its ambiance. The kitchen is a prime example of this. Kitchen lights can make or break the room’s atmosphere. Understanding different kitchen lights and how they affect the tone of a room should be top of mind when performing any kitchen redesigns.
In this article, we’ll cover the different types of lighting and how you should weigh them when you’re drafting up any potential kitchen redesigns.
Here’s how to choose lighting for your kitchen.
Task lighting
In your kitchen’s lighting system, it would behoove you to prioritize task lighting. This type of lighting should complement the ambient light in your kitchen and should be focused on areas with low contrast.
The goal is to illuminate areas where you’ll need full lighting like your kitchen countertops or any islands in the room. If you’re going to be dicing up vegetables, you need to be able to see clearly. Recessed fixtures and pendant lighting are two good ways to increase your kitchen’s task lighting.
Ambient lighting
This type of lighting is central to the feeling of the kitchen and its surrounding environment. It’s also the most functional of the types of lighting that we’ll be covering. Put simply, ambient lighting is the lighting that ultimately makes a kitchen livable and usable. It’s the uniform blanket of light that covers everything in the kitchen.
Your goal should be to achieve a consistent layer of light across the entire room, minimizing dark or bright spots. Recessed lighting is a prime way to achieve this, though you could also implement rail lighting or flush-mount fixtures as well.
Accent lighting
When you want to highlight certain design aspects of your kitchen, you can use accent lighting. More of an aesthetic choice than a functional one, aspect lighting in your kitchen can be used to accentuate your kitchen backsplash, any dishes you have displayed in glass cabinets or pieces of art you’ve placed on your kitchen counter.
How you use accent lighting and what you choose to focus it on will largely determine the look and feel of your kitchen. Do remember that less is often more when it comes to accent lighting. Some examples of accent lighting are strip lighting underneath counters or cabinets, downward-facing lights set inside glass cabinets and colored LED lights.
Decorative lighting
Finally, there’s decorative lighting. This type of lighting is a bit more of a luxury than ambient, accent or task lighting, and you can artfully light your kitchen without it, but for those striving for a fancier vibe, consider decorative lighting.
Light fixtures like crystal chandeliers or wall sconces are examples of decorative lighting. Stained glass light fixtures can provide a unique and colorful aesthetic not found in most kitchens. Additionally, ornate pendant lighting and modern LED ring lights offer unparalleled and imaginative illumination, ensuring that your kitchen’s decorative lighting is one of a kind.
Call for your new kitchen lights
Knowing and understanding the various types of kitchen lights is key to creating a space that you want to spend time in. Whether you’d like a kitchen redesign or simply some want some new kitchen light fixtures, call us at Covenant Woodworks.
We have nearly two decades of experience performing high-quality custom home remodels, and we’d love to discuss your kitchen’s lighting today.