How to Maximise Light in the Kitchen
Brighten up your cooking zone with our speedy solutions and design ideas for ingenious illumination
Could your kitchen be a lighter, brighter space? This busy, multipurpose room is expected to accommodate everything from heart-to-hearts and homework to bake-a-thons and impromptu dinner parties, so it pays to shed a little light on the subject. Whether you’re after a quick fix or plan to reconfigure your space completely, it’s time to shine.
Fake it with layered lighting
Sometimes sunshine is in short supply, so make sure your kitchen is equipped with effective illumination. As well as background lighting, you’ll need task lighting that focuses on the food preparation areas. A dining table calls for soft, flattering light, so hang pendants or a beautiful chandelier to illuminate food without dazzling diners.
Check out why chandeliers work so well in the kitchen
Sometimes sunshine is in short supply, so make sure your kitchen is equipped with effective illumination. As well as background lighting, you’ll need task lighting that focuses on the food preparation areas. A dining table calls for soft, flattering light, so hang pendants or a beautiful chandelier to illuminate food without dazzling diners.
Check out why chandeliers work so well in the kitchen
Say yes to white gloss
Banish dark, matt hues and lift the mood with a glossy all-white scheme. From wall tiles and flooring to units and furniture, bright, shiny surfaces will bounce the light around. Choose smooth expanses, then introduce texture through accessories – a paper lantern or stylish clock, for instance – also in white, of course.
See how to make white work in your home
Banish dark, matt hues and lift the mood with a glossy all-white scheme. From wall tiles and flooring to units and furniture, bright, shiny surfaces will bounce the light around. Choose smooth expanses, then introduce texture through accessories – a paper lantern or stylish clock, for instance – also in white, of course.
See how to make white work in your home
Sneak in a slice of mirror
Fitting a mirrored splashback is a genius idea, and a relatively easy trick that will make a big impact. As well as boosting the light and creating a sense of depth, it’s an easy surface to keep clean.
Fitting a mirrored splashback is a genius idea, and a relatively easy trick that will make a big impact. As well as boosting the light and creating a sense of depth, it’s an easy surface to keep clean.
Accessorise with sparkling glass
Flowers in the kitchen are a wonderful thing, but if you’re using your windowsill as a display space, make sure a sturdy vase isn’t standing between you and those precious sunbeams. Glass bottles – clear or coloured, empty or filled – make the perfect light-enhancing vessels for your blooms. And when the sun is out, they will form wonderfully delicate shadows on your kitchen wall.
Discover how to display flowers like a pro
Flowers in the kitchen are a wonderful thing, but if you’re using your windowsill as a display space, make sure a sturdy vase isn’t standing between you and those precious sunbeams. Glass bottles – clear or coloured, empty or filled – make the perfect light-enhancing vessels for your blooms. And when the sun is out, they will form wonderfully delicate shadows on your kitchen wall.
Discover how to display flowers like a pro
Work it in marble
If hi-tech glossy surfaces aren’t for you, consider carrara marble. The pale grey veins add enough beautiful interest to boost the whole room, yet the surface is still shiny enough to reflect light. Pendants hung above a marble expanse will ensure its light-enhancing properties are maximised around the clock.
If hi-tech glossy surfaces aren’t for you, consider carrara marble. The pale grey veins add enough beautiful interest to boost the whole room, yet the surface is still shiny enough to reflect light. Pendants hung above a marble expanse will ensure its light-enhancing properties are maximised around the clock.
Go for glass cupboard doors
Glass needn’t be mirrored in order to provide light-reflecting qualities. The full run of wall cabinets in this bright kitchen are glass-fronted, the gleaming surfaces helping to throw the light around.
Glass needn’t be mirrored in order to provide light-reflecting qualities. The full run of wall cabinets in this bright kitchen are glass-fronted, the gleaming surfaces helping to throw the light around.
Be pale and interesting
Period details add real character to kitchens, but if you’re a lover of light, resist the urge to strip them back to wood. Instead, paint everything from intricate window frames and shutters to kitchen cupboards in white for a bright mood on even the gloomiest day.
Period details add real character to kitchens, but if you’re a lover of light, resist the urge to strip them back to wood. Instead, paint everything from intricate window frames and shutters to kitchen cupboards in white for a bright mood on even the gloomiest day.
Cook up a skylight
Roof windows pull in more light than vertical ones, so if you have the opportunity to incorporate one, it will drench your kitchen in sunshine. The cream walls and pale wood in this scheme enhance the rays for a golden mood.
Roof windows pull in more light than vertical ones, so if you have the opportunity to incorporate one, it will drench your kitchen in sunshine. The cream walls and pale wood in this scheme enhance the rays for a golden mood.
Let it shine
Stainless steel is a great way to add shine in a subtle way. This supersized splashback catches the light and throws out soft reflections for a space that’s bright but full of interesting shades and shapes. Accessories such as the pendant lights pick up on the silvery theme and add to the beautiful subtle reflections.
Have you brightened a dark space? Share your tips and photos in the comments below.
Stainless steel is a great way to add shine in a subtle way. This supersized splashback catches the light and throws out soft reflections for a space that’s bright but full of interesting shades and shapes. Accessories such as the pendant lights pick up on the silvery theme and add to the beautiful subtle reflections.
Have you brightened a dark space? Share your tips and photos in the comments below.
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To let in stacks of natural light, try replacing solid brick with glass. These bi-folding doors mean the whole back wall is virtually transparent – whether they’re open or closed – allowing the sunshine to pull up a chair at your kitchen table.