How To Find the Best Lighting for Your Kitchen
Last updated August 21, 2024
Jonny Lambert is the mind behind Jonny Builds. Once he built his first bed, and successfully completed his first build, this opened the door for so many potential projects and this fueled a passion to continue to create so much more. He uses his platforms to teach his audience how to make furniture and crafts with wood, metal, and everything in between. His projects are wide ranging in design style from Modern, to Rustic, to Industrial, and anything else that he finds interesting and unique.
A Note From The Home Depot
Are you in the process of finding the perfect lighting? Follow along as Jonny of Jonny Builds guides you in making the right choice and highlights what to consider when choosing your lighting.
Table of Contents
How To Find the Best Lighting for Your Kitchen
Types of Lighting
Lighting Color Temperatures
Ease of Install
Picking Out Your Lighting
What I Picked
How To Find the Best Lighting for Your Kitchen
Choosing the right lighting is often one of the most overlooked parts of designing your new kitchen as well as being one of the most daunting. With this guide, I’ll break down the different types of kitchen lighting: picking your color temperature and choosing the right lighting for your space. After all, picking your kitchen lighting can be one of the most dramatic changes in a kitchen makeover, so don’t overlook this step!
Types of Lighting
When it comes to lighting your kitchen, there are essentially two types of lighting you need to think about. The first is what I like to call “room lighting.” This is the lighting for your kitchen that will provide most of the ambient light so that you can actually see what you’re doing. Take it from me, cutting onions is even worse when you’re crying in the dark.
The second type of lighting is your accent, or what I like to call “mood lighting.” This is going to be additional lighting such as pendants over a kitchen island, under cabinet lighting and anything else to highlight a specific part of your kitchen. For instance, my coffee bar has a pendant light hanging from the archway, not because it needs extra lighting to be seen, but because it will accent this kitchen feature. Also, if you have an attached dinette area in your kitchen like I do, you’re probably going to want to add a chandelier or some sort of flush mount lighting.
Lighting Color Temperatures
Have you ever looked at a package of light bulbs and wondered what they mean by 2700K? This is the light temperature of that particular build or fixture. The “K” stands for Kelvin which is the thermodynamic temperature unit of measurement. When it comes to lighting, K or Kelvin describes how that light will appear.
You can break that up into three main categories.
- Warm White: 2000K-3000K
- Cool White: 3100K-4500K
- Daylight White: 4600K and above
Each one of these ranges of color temperatures sets a certain mood, and it’s all about your particular preference. If you’re looking for a cozy and warm ambiance, you’ll likely prefer lighting towards the warm white end of the scale. If you’re going for a brighter and more modern feel, daylight white will likely appeal to you. I personally prefer daylight white for my kitchen remodel, and this pairs nicely with my white quartz marble countertops, white cabinets and white subway tile backsplash. If I was doing a farmhouse-style kitchen, I’d likely prefer something in the cool to the warm white range. Understanding your own preference and vision for your kitchen will help you achieve your overall vision for your space.
Ease of Install
First and foremost, always consult with a licensed electrician when it comes to installing your own lighting. One of the greatest advances in the last 10 years when it comes to lighting is the huge selection of LED lighting options that allow for much easier installation, as well as lower energy costs. My kitchen had 10 can lights in the ceiling when I began my kitchen remodel. Recessed lighting was all the rage 20 years ago, but thankfully these are easily replaced with canless LED retrofit lights. I ordered the Halo 6-inch selectable CCT remodel canless recessed integrated LED kit, and after removing all the can lights, these easily attached to the drywall in my ceiling with two spring clips that hold them in place. These lights require no housing, have a temperature selection switch with the full range of warm white to daylight color temperature and are easy to wire.
The main thing to consider for a remodel is the size of the existing holes in your ceiling where you’re replacing the lights. The canless LED lights I used come in three sizes: 4-inch, 6-inch and 8-inch. You’ll also want to check any pendant lights or chandeliers you’re replacing to ensure the new light will cover the existing hole. If your new lights are smaller than the existing hole, not to worry! This is easy to fix with a drywall patch kit. Again, always consult with a licensed electrician when it comes to installing your own lighting.
Picking Out Your Lighting
Now comes the fun part! Remember, picking the right lighting for your kitchen can completely transform the space. To get started you must know the types of lighting you need, the quantity, your preferred color temperature and that you have a plan for installation. To pick out the right lighting I find it's best to ask yourself “What story does this lighting tell?” Is it sleek and modern, is it cozy and warm, or does it combine elements of both? Pick the style of lights that fit with the overall theme of your space and help to tell that story. I also like to have my lighting tied into my cabinet and door hardware. For instance, in my kitchen, all of my door and pull hardware is brass on white cabinets, so I chose midcentury modern-style brass pendants to hang over my kitchen island and breakfast bar. The lights you choose are also an opportunity to add some of your unique personality to the space. Are you daring and bold? Are you simple and reserved? Remember, don’t stress about this step! Choosing your lighting should be fun and seeing it all come together is super satisfying. Happy hunting!
What I Picked
As mentioned previously, I prefer daylight white in my modern kitchen with its stone floors; something I’ve dubbed “cozy modern.” For my kitchen remodel, we went with brass cabinet pulls and a brass kitchen faucet, so the simple cone-shaped brass pendants really help to bring the whole vision for our kitchen together. For the dinette area, we chose aflush mount lightto replace the dated chandelier, and this helps open this space. Proper lighting can transform your space and is a great DIY project anyone can tackle!
This post was created in partnership with The Home Depot. The author may have received compensation for this article and associated images or video, potentially in the form of products and/or services. All expressed opinions and experiences are the author’s own words.
