Lighting design. It's a thing! Lighting designers help ensure that your home is lit up where it needs to be. Lighting needs to be carefully selected and placed according to the atmosphere or the room as well as the tasks or activities you'll complete there. Thinking of re-lighting your kitchen but not sure where to start? Here's some kitchen lighting ideas to put you in the right direction...
Recessed Lights
Probably the most common and cost effective, recessed lights sit nice and flush against the ceiling or above your work space. They're relatively versatile if you install a dimmer switch. That way you can adjust the lighting as you need.
PROS:
- No fixtures required.
- Get full coverage in your kitchen.
- They're completely trend proof.
CONS:
- They're inflexible unless they have a dinner switch.
- If they do have a dimmer switch it usually dims all the lights not selected ones. You may want to keep some brighter than others.
Pendant Lights
Pendant lights are super trendy and really versatile. They're a great way to achieve a modern, contemporary look but can also look more traditional if you need them too. There are loads of different styles to choose from so if you're keen on pendant lighting you'll definitely be able to find ones to suit your kitchen no matter what style it has.
PROS:
- A great way to make your kitchen look hip and trendy.
- Provides beautiful soft lighting that creates a calming ambience in the kitchen.
- Versatile styles to suit most kitchens.
CONS:
- They can get dusty and require frequency cleaning (inside and out).
- If not installed properly they can swing around or hang too low that it becomes a hazard.
- Only offers pools of lighting in the direction it faces (mostly down and slightly to the sides) which isn't great if you're looking to light up a work space.
Lighting Design Tip: Choose lights that will complement your kitchen design and colour scheme. Carefully select the brightness of the bulbs to create the atmosphere you want (ie: avoid large lighting with big bulbs if you want to keep your kitchen intimate and cosy.
Chandeliers
If you're looking to dress up a kitchen, a chandelier is the one of the many ways to do it. The pros and cons are much the same as the pendant lighting. The main difference is that a chandelier is generally quite delegate. Accidents happen in every household (especially if you're a clumsy cook like me!) so if you want a chandelier but are precious about potential damage I'd give it a skip. They are also a bit of a nightmare to keep dust free. Chandeliers used to be seen in more elegant looking kitchens . In recent years however some brilliant modern chandeliers have reached the market!
Track Lighting
Track lighting is better suited to trendy lofts or bachelor pads.
PROS:
- Easy to install and wire without an electrician (we're not recommending this, but this is the feedback we've received!)
- A good way to highlight certain areas of your kitchen. If you've got an artsy kitchen and want to highlight a vintage poster or paining you can set up your lighting to bring the poster to life.
- You can move the light around if you need to (unlike recessed lighting).
CONS:
- Track lighting tends not to lend itself to ambient lighting. For more ambient lighting we'd suggest a pendant light.
- The ceiling may look a bit cluttered. They need to be dusted off regularly too.
- They not very versatile from a design perspective.
Combination
In some cases you can do a combination of lighting styles. Check out the image below that pulls off recessed and pendant lights.
