Guide to light fixtures for a kitchen lighting project

The kitchen is one of the most important rooms of the house and has two main functions: cooking and eating. Whether you are an avid chef who needs plenty of counter space to work or you love hosting dinner parties for your guests, taking into consideration the lights for your kitchen is a whole project in and of itself, one that must examine each area of the kitchen and its function. Let’s break it down by the types of lighting products and where to use them:

Recessed lighting: Here we’re talking about the lights that are flat in the ceiling, or mounted for a different type of lighting effect. They’re usually quite affordable and therefore quite popular. They also don’t usually take up a lot of space and are used for even lighting, which is why they are great in the kitchen, above a worktop. You generally want to use these when you need to see what you’re doing, which is why they’re great above the stove or over a countertop or also under cabinets. Other uses of the recessed lighting would be as a sort of spotlight: in the living room or bedroom they may be used to draw attention to a wedding portrait or sculpture. The same goes for in the kitchen if you have anything mounted on the wall that you particularly want to highlight.

Suspension lamps: This is a great solution for providing diffused lighting and they can get quite unique in terms of style. Also known as pendant lighting, they can be used in the kitchen as well, over the sink or an eating area, and provide a soft but important gleam of light. They may also be used in a bathroom or small room as well where there is less width to work with. From a style point of view, pendant lighting is the most versatile, one that really helps to make on statement on home décor. In the kitchen, it can also be used in a certain corner to shed light on a certain appliance: microwave, espresso machine, etc.

Floor lamps: This is one of the easiest ways to light any room of the house, even the kitchen. They can be as expensive or as inexpensive as you want, they are versatile, and they are not permanent, which can make for a great temporary solution as well. It can brighten up certain spaces of the room, or now we’re seeing these arched floor lamps, which serve as great way to illuminate a reading corner, perched above a chair.

Wall lights: Finally we have the wall fixtures that serve a specific purpose, to provide diffused lighting throughout the room. They are used for two main reasons: one is together with suspension or ceiling light fixtures to soften shadows in the room. And the other, the more classic use, is as a spotlight, a way to draw attention to a painting or wall fixture.

Who knew so much thought could go into a lighting project? If done correctly, however, it will bring a whole new element of style to your home décor in the kitchen.