There are many vital design elements of a new kitchen. When planning your custom designed kitchen it’s common to put a great deal of thought into flooring, cabinetry, worktops, fixtures, hardware and more. The often unsung hero of a beautiful kitchen is the lighting. Choosing the right lighting for your kitchen not only provides a right space where you can carry out your tasks easily, but lighting can also showcase the other design elements of the kitchen, such as reflective surfaces. If you’re struggling to decide on the right kitchen lighting options, we’ve put together a guide to Kitchen Lighting Trends to help you choose.
Recessed Lighting
This discrete lighting trend has been popular for many years and remains one of the most common choices for people renovating their kitchen. Recessed lighting, also known as canned lighting are metal light housings installed in the ceiling for a sleek look that is minimal enough to give you back your ceiling. Their diameter generally varies from 3” to 6.” They can offer a spotlight effect or when arranged correctly, can illuminate the entire room and not just the middle of the room. It works with many different kitchen styles, whether you lean more towards the modern or traditional side. This makes recessed lighting one of the top kitchen lighting choices. Recessed lighting is great for kitchens, hallways, bathrooms and anywhere there are low ceilings.
Pendant Lighting
For many, the ultimate kitchen dream is a large island illuminated beneath a few statement pendant lights. The beauty of pendant lighting is that there are so many styles and options available they will work with just about any style kitchen. Glass, copper, rattan, are just a few current styles on trend. They cast their light over a wider area as there is an entire half-sphere visible to both the room and you. Depending on the size of ceiling light you go with and the room you’re illuminating, you’ll only need one or two to light up the room. In terms of fixings, you’ll only need to cut a hole in your ceiling big enough to fit wires through. Pendant lighting can be chosen to blend in seamlessly with your design scheme, or you can opt for statement pieces that really draw in the eye and make your custom designed kitchen stand out. Pendants are not just a striking design choice, but they are also practical – placing them over an island provides extra light when preparing food. You can make as big or small of a statement as you want when you go with traditional ceiling lights. They work best in dining rooms, over kitchen islands, bedrooms, foyers, and patios.
Create Drama
Choosing a real statement piece to create drama in your kitchen creates a focal point and is always a great conversation starter. Don’t be afraid to get creative with your kitchen lighting scheme. Take advantage of the design features of your custom kitchen to introduce something a bit different. If you have high, vaulted ceilings, track spotlights are a fantastic way to highlight vaults and beams. Or if you have low ceilings, a formal chandelier can add a great deal of theatricality. Introducing textural elements like metals or woods in your lighting fixtures adds depth to your kitchen design and adds unique flair to the room. Play around with colour, lighting is a great way to add some bold colour or accent into your scheme, whether that be the fixture itself or coloured bulbs that change to suit your mood. Fixtures that work brilliantly for introducing colour and texture to your kitchen include spotlights, sconces flush mounts or chandeliers.
There are many fantastic kitchen lighting trends to choose from or combine. If you need advice designing your kitchen, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. We’d love to help.
Have a great weekend
Clinton and Fiona