Transform Your Kitchen with Brilliant Lighting

With a little attention to lighting design and placement, you can upgrade your kitchen into a space you love entering again and again.

Before diving into artificial lighting, we need to recognize that great lighting can never fully replace natural light. Ensure large windows are part of your initial design to allow natural light to flood in effortlessly.

Proper lighting is essential for creating an inviting and functional kitchen. It can create the illusion of a larger space, conceal less attractive areas, and highlight special elements—all through the play of light and shadow.

Here are some key points to consider: Minimize heat—kitchens are already full of heat-emitting appliances, so choose light bulbs that don't produce heat, like LED lighting. Note: this doesn't conflict with a warm design style, as LEDs are available in warm tones, contrary to popular belief.

Additionally, a strong central light source is crucial.

Today, there is a vast range of lighting fixtures in various colors and brightness levels.

The central lighting should cover a broad area and be centrally located to illuminate the entire kitchen evenly. Place the central fixture high enough to avoid casting shadows in the space.

Remember, the lighting fixture is also a design element and should complement the kitchen's style.

Functional lighting is important. The kitchen consists of different work areas (prep, cooking, cleaning), so ensure functional lighting over each zone.

There are many solutions today, such as LED strips under cabinets (make sure they aren’t placed at angles that create shadows when leaning over the counter).

One of my favorites is track lighting—a fixture with several bulbs you can direct in different directions.

Recessed spots near the upper cabinets will also light your work surfaces and illuminate your cabinets beautifully.

Lastly, the island. If your island serves as a workspace, ensure it’s well-lit (preferably with cool lighting to "energize" the work).

If the island is a dining area, consider stylish pendant lights to enhance the space.

Tami Rotenberg is an architect and interior designer TammyRotenberg@Gmail.com.