No longer an isolated space meant for food preparation, the kitchen is the social hub of the entire family, used as a place to chat or an impromptu workstation. Despite the numerous adjectives used to describe the cooking space, it’s always in a stage of metamorphosis, never fitting into a singular epithet. Family bonding can occur anywhere, but magic happens when it takes place in the kitchen. This is especially true for children, as many of their early memories are tied to the kitchen – food’s taste, smell, and texture can be extraordinarily evocative. Since the kitchen is the heart of the home, it must be light and bright. It’s vital for both aesthetic and practical reasons.
Use Several Different Light Sources And Types At Once
Lighting is more important than the kitchen’s color scheme, design, or pattern. It’s essential for visual comfort, ensuring a welcoming atmosphere, and practical cooking, enhancing visibility for precise tasks like cracking eggs or cutting up vegetables. A kitchen has many different areas, each with its own lighting needs. The luminaires and lamps chosen face stringent requirements, such as color temperature, cleaning ability, energy consumption, and ingress protection. A single overhead pendant can work, but it’s even better when amplified by recessed light fixtures. After all, you must deal with sharp knives, fire, and hungry people.
Your kitchen should have three layers of lighting:
- General overhead lighting: Due to its position in the room, overhead lighting effectively illuminates the area below. It’s a must for a kitchen where clarity matters. Overhead lighting doesn’t have to be old-fashioned, so you can install a more traditional crystal or glass chandelier.
- Accent lighting: LED strips can be employed to illuminate display cases, glass cabinets, or open shelves. Accent lighting creates the right atmosphere in your kitchen, and you can adjust it depending on what mood you want to create.
- Task lighting: Task lighting creates a shadow-free environment, so you can see what you’re doing. The type of bulbs you settle for can have an impact on the amount of glare you experience. Some LEDs have specialized films or coatings that reduce reflections.
Consider Adding White Cabinets To Attract More Light
If you’re too nervous to add color to the kitchen units, stick with the most neutral shade of all – white. White kitchens stand the test of time, meaning they can be easily adapted to changing trends and personal tastes. There are different shades of white, such as ivory, cream, and eggshell, that offer a visual rest by creating a fresh and uncluttered look. You can pair white with a cool beige for a sleek, contemporary feel. For a luxurious design, you can pair white with gold or yellow; for more vigor, you can pair it with red, orange, or green. Select appliances and fixtures that complement the white cabinets and create a cohesive look.
Replacement might be the preferred option if your kitchen units are slightly damaged or want to adopt a fresh, new look. The old cabinetry and carcasses will be removed, and brand-new ones will be built and installed in their place, which can take one or two days to complete. Refacing offers much of the benefits of cabinet replacement but at a fraction of the cost. If you’re a skilled and patient DIYer, you don’t need to call a professional. Replace the doors and drawer fronts and put a new veneer over the existing surface; the hardware (hinges, handles, and drawer pulls) must be replaced, too.
Install A Mirror On The Wall Or Above Your Stove
A mirror can’t create light, but it can reflect it. When the photons – i.e., the rays of light – strike the smooth, polished surface of the mirror, they bounce back, reversing direction. The silver atoms behind the glass absorb energy when exposed to a light source, so they attempt to become stable again by eliminating the extra energy, giving off more photons. The rays of light that come out of the mirror are pretty much the same as the ones that go into it. Incorporating a mirror into your kitchen is a wise design move.
Hang a mirror to create the illusion of space by diffusing light – both natural and artificial – into dark corners. Tempting as it may be to install mirrored glass as a backsplash to increase the amount of natural light in the room, don’t do it because it can easily crack due to extreme temperature changes or an accidental strike. Place the mirror above the stove to reflect stunning architectural detail and transform your culinary space into a source of positive energy and harmony. Equally, it can sit on an open shelf to instantly brighten the room. There’s no scientific proof that breaking a mirror causes bad luck, so whether you believe it is entirely up to you.
Use Metallic Accents That Will Reflect Light
Metallic accents, such as gold, silver, bronze, and brass, create shine and sparkle, subtly augmenting the light in the room. Position the fixtures strategically as statement or accent pieces to highlight their shimmer. For example, you can elevate the kitchen with metal benchtops juxtaposed against classic timber or marble for a retro-futuristic design. It gives the cooking space a sense of wonder, practicality, and respite. Varying metal finishes add depth and character. You can have copper knobs on a stainless-steel range or brass accents on a zinc range, but maintaining proper balance is crucial.
One of the best ways to incorporate warm shades is through appliances. A stainless-steel fridge resists germs and bacteria more effectively than plastic, not to mention that it reflects almost half of the visible wavelength of light. Stainless steel has a highly glossed finish, which means that light is diffused evenly. Think about getting a brand-new teapot that reflects light beautifully, much like a cut diamond. Use a cast iron teapot for brewing black teas; it will dissipate the heat like glass or porcelain.
Final Thoughts
In the summer, your kitchen is filled with joyful light, but in the winter, it turns dark and moody. It’s a far cry from the space worth spending time in, so let there be light. You may need to prune the trees to improve the view, and this situation calls for an expert.
