Every home has a kitchen. Initially, the kitchen was designed for cooking meals. But today it is much more than that. The kitchen has become the heart of the home where all members of the family usually get together to communicate and enjoy delicious food.

Having sufficient kitchen lighting is important for many reasons. You definitely want your kitchen to be absolutely safe. Preparing food often requires using sharp kitchen tools. Without adequate lighting, it’s hard to be careful. In fact, lighting does not just provide high visibility in your kitchen, it can be beautiful as well. Hanging nice pendants will definitely improve your kitchen design turning this room into a truly warm and welcoming place.

Unfortunately, some homeowners underestimate the importance of kitchen lighting and plan it incorrectly. If you are going to have a full kitchen makeover, adequate lighting is the first thing you should think of. Let’s dig deeper to find out what factors you need to consider to create an effective lighting scheme and illuminate your kitchen in the best possible way.

Using Three Layers of Lighting in the Kitchen

The perfect kitchen lighting design should include three layers – ambient lighting, task lighting and accent lighting. Obviously, each layer serves a different purpose. Ambient lighting is the overhead lighting used to illuminate the entire kitchen space. This type of lighting is usually warm and soft. It resembles natural light.

Task lighting is much brighter in comparison with ambient lighting. It is used to illuminate work areas in the kitchen and improve safety. When it comes to accent lighting, it is usually used for attracting the attention to some particular object. This lighting can be colorful or neutral. No doubt, it can create a certain mood in the kitchen.

Choosing Light Fixtures Ideal for Each Layer

When selecting the sources of ambient light, make sure that you know the kitchen size and ceiling height. Remember that a spacious kitchen with a height ceiling will require several light fixtures to illuminate the room properly. Today, there is a huge variety of fixtures that can provide ambient light for your kitchen. Recessed downlights are often preferred for ambient lighting in kitchens. These lights are usually placed about 5 feet apart. This type of lighting can also be effectively if used in combination with pendants.

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Ceiling-mount fixtures are another popular and practical choice. There is a wide selection of these fixtures including flush mount models and semi-flush mount models. Any ceiling-mount fixture would be ideal for small kitchens with low ceilings. These sources of ambient light work even better if supplemented by pendants. In a kitchen with a low ceiling a ceiling-mount fixture will create a cozy atmosphere that every member of your family will definitely like.

Pendants and chandeliers are a perfect choice for bigger kitchens with high ceilings. These fixtures will not just provide ambient light, they can become a focal point adding more style and character to the kitchen design. If you have a small kitchen, a single chandelier would be enough. But for a spacious kitchen more fixtures are needed. If you choose to hang several pendants to provide the effective ambient lighting, they should be placed at least 6 feet apart. If you have some free wall space in your kitchen, you can put wall sconces there. These fixtures can become a beautiful addition to your interior décor.

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If you want to illuminate a specific area in your kitchen, you can use pendant lighting as well. This fixture will help you create a beautifully lit space and enjoy the process of cooking meals. Track light systems can also be effectively used as task lighting source in kitchens. This is a modern type of lighting that is often installed over your breakfast counter or island. Under-cabinet kitchen lights are one of the most popular task lights usually preferred by homeowners. Under-cabinet light strips will definitely add extremely beautiful and at the same time practical illumination to your kitchen. This type of lightning is meant to illuminate the dark surfaces in your kitchen making the process of cooking meals safe and easy.

Accent lighting is mainly used for decorative purposes. It is also a great addition to the ambient lighting in your kitchen. You can use this type of lighting to create a focus on some elements you consider beautiful and attractive in your kitchen. Accent light fixtures usually include puck lights and cove lights built into the ceiling. You can also use wall-mounted lights for this purpose.

Choosing the Right Place for the Light Fixture

Ambient lighting is the main source of light in the kitchen. Ambient light fixtures fill the whole room with light and make it safe, functional and comfortable. Flush mount or semi-flush mount fixtures should be positioned above the island or at the center of the ceiling in case there is no island in your kitchen. When it comes to installing such task light fixtures as pendants, keep in mind that they should be positioned right above the dining table or a sink. LED light strips can be put on the bottom of the kitchen cabinets. In order to highlight some décor elements in your kitchen, you can install puck lights on the bottom of the upper cabinets as well.

Select the Bulbs with the Best Color Temperature

You can choose compact fluorescent light, LED light and incandescent bulbs for your kitchen. These bulbs usually come in one of the following color temperatures – soft white (2700K – 3000K), Cool White (3500K – 4100K) as well as Daylight (5000K – 6500K). You should select the color temperature depending on the function your light fixture is going to perform.

For ambient and task light fixtures you should choose bulbs with 3500K to 4100K color temperature. For accent light fixtures you can select the bulbs with either 2700K to 3000K or 3500K to 4100K color temperature.

Bring More Natural Light into Your Kitchen

Adding the natural light sources will make your kitchen look larger, airy and modern. Installing a skylight is not just a great way to make your kitchen feel more spacious. A skylight will also improve the design of your kitchen and add ventilation. You may also use specialty windows that are often installed beside or beneath the kitchen cabinets.

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Using mirrors is another great idea to amplify natural light in the kitchen. If you put the mirrors wisely, you will be able to make the kitchen brighter and much more welcoming. Glass is also a fantastic tool that can help you bring more natural light into the kitchen. Think about adding glass to your kitchen door.

The right light can create an inviting and charming atmosphere in your kitchen. The perfect lighting design will also enhance the beauty of your kitchen turning it into the most fascinating room in your home.

If you’re ready to purchase light fixtures for your kitchen, check out our article here on buying chandeliers.

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