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When planning a lighting scheme for a client’s kitchen, I like to think about cake. Let me explain. On my birthday, a red velvet cake always comes my way, and it includes four layers plus a cherry and icing on top. Just like that cake, a well-lit kitchen should also have multiple layers for different lighting needs. I call these light layers “doing,” “knowing,” “feeling” and “changing.” The last layer is decorative.
“Doing” lights help you perform manual tasks like prepping and cooking in the kitchen. “Knowing” lights help you navigate your way around a kitchen. “Feeling” lights make a kitchen feel inviting and comfortable. “Changing” lights help you adjust to the time of day and set a desired mood. And finally, the cherry and icing on top are all about adding decorative fixtures that let your personal style shine.
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Layer 1: Lights for Doing
Your kitchen lighting scheme should start with creating a functional workspace. Adding lights where you need them the most, such as above countertops, sinks and cooktops, will let you perform manual tasks in a bright and safe atmosphere. We need light to see what we’re doing, especially when using sharp knives and high-temperature burners. You want to protect your fingers, so getting this layer right is important. LED lights mounted underneath cabinets are also a great way to add functional lighting to your kitchen.
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Layer 2: Lights for Knowing
Designers call it “ambient light,” but it is really just a layer of light to help us know where we are and where we are going. Recessed “can” down lights are a great option because they light up the floor and bounce light off cabinet fronts to create a bright, well-lit space. Adding toe-kick lighting underneath cabinets and islands is also a great way to help prevent stubbing toes at night. Wall sconces are another way to provide ambient lighting that can help you better navigate your kitchen.
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Layer 3: Lights for Feeling
Showcase lights, also known as accent lights, all have one thing in common: They help a space feel more inviting and comfortable. Whether you use illuminated cabinets, chandeliers, sconces or pendants, showcase lights should be visible from wherever you stand or sit in the kitchen. That way you’ll get the benefit of this feel-good lighting at all times. Showcase lights might also help you perform functional tasks in the kitchen, but their main purpose is to draw attention and make a room feel complete.
Layer 4: Lights for Changing
As the sun changes location in the sky, lighting needs inside the kitchen change as well. During the day, natural light from windows might be all the lighting your kitchen requires. But at night, you’ll want your kitchen brighter for cooking meals and more dramatic for entertaining guests. Adding dimmers to your kitchen lighting is key for setting the mood.
Keep in mind that our eyes require more light as we age. So if you expect to stay in your home for awhile, you might want to add more lights than necessary now so you’ll have them later.
Cherry on Top: Decorative Light Fixtures
The fun part is choosing decorative fixtures that look at home in your kitchen, like these large pendants. Think carefully about your personal style and kitchen design and then determine whether the light fixtures you choose can add any of the other layers of light needed.
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After: By moving the window 12 inches to the right, Steeves was able to extend upper cabinets along both adjacent walls. This expanded the amount of storage space in the kitchen. She also maximized space with a lazy Susan in one corner, pullouts in the other and deep drawers in the lower cabinets for pots, pans, small appliances, canisters and more.
“The unbroken lines of the cabinetry give everything a streamlined look,” Steeves says. “Extending the backsplash tile all the way up the walls was also a way to avoid chopping up the wall. These things maintain a clean and quiet look that makes the room feel bigger.”
The cabinet hardware is streamlined and minimalist. The upper cabinet doors hang about 1 inch below the cabinet boxes, and the family simply uses its fingers beneath the doors to open them with ease. The lighting choices also have an uncluttered look. There are grooves in the bottoms of the upper cabinets to accommodate LED strip lights, and there are can lights in the ceiling. “We didn’t want to highlight the fact that the ceilings are only 8 feet high with pendants,” Steeves says.
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Disney’s The Little Mermaid, The Lion King and Toy Story are celebrating major anniversaries this year and next. To mark the occasions, Houzz channeled the spirit of each classic animated film with designs for an open-concept kitchen and dining area, plus an adjoining foyer and walk-in pantry, all created with the Houzz Pro 3D Floor Planner — a tool available to Houzz Pro subscribers.
“Creating these spaces was like bringing a cherished childhood memory to life,” Houzz designer Madison Holmlund says. “Every detail, from the color palette to the furniture, was chosen to reflect the timeless charm of a few of Disney’s most celebrated films, while the Houzz Pro 3D Floor Planner made it easy to create three distinct designs for the same great room.”
Are you seeking inspiration for a dreamy kitchen of your own? Check out the spaces below and then click the links following the descriptions to navigate through in 2D, 3D Dollhouse and life-size Walkthrough views.
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2. Hardworking Sink
Designers often recommend giving extra consideration to elements that you interact with the most. In a kitchen, that can be a lot of things, but the kitchen sink is one area that always sees a lot of action. So it makes sense to put a little more effort into designing the sink area and choosing components.
These days, many sink manufacturers offer designs called workstations, which feature add-ons such as cutting boards, strainers and prep bowls. “I always recommend a sink with gadgets,” designer Brittany Steptoe-Wright of BSW Design says. “For example, the sink in this project [shown here] is a single, large undermount sink, but it has a colander, cutting board and drying rack that sit inside on a small lip and provide so much function. It’s a game changer.”
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On a Mixer Lift
Who it works for: You want super easy access to the mixer with minimal physical effort. You’d rather give up lower cabinet space than countertop space, or you want to use your mixer on an island in the middle of the room.
Open the cabinet door and — voilà — you can pull the mixer up and out with ease, do your mixing right on the shelf it sits on, then stash it away when you’re done. Installing an electrical outlet within the mixer’s cabinet makes things even easier. Also, think about where you’ll be doing your baking tasks when you install this. For example, being able to do plugged-in mixing at an island is a relatively new option that might not have been available the last time you remodeled your kitchen.
Your cabinetmaker should be able to source the hardware for you, but if you’re shopping for it yourself, Hafele and Rev-A-Shelf are good sources.
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The island has an oil-based stain that enhances the wood grain. Black metal swivel stools help make the island a gathering spot. The countertops are marble-look quartz. The island slab creates a continuous, expansive prep space. “I feel quartz is an economical and durable choice for families,” Reesey says.
A backsplash featuring matte white scallop-shaped ceramic tiles brightens the room and adds visual movement. An upgraded 30-inch induction range sits below a hood with wood trim that coordinates with the other wood details in the room. A stainless steel 36-inch counter-depth 4-door smart refrigerator (partially visible) is to the left of the sink.
A pair of modern pendant lights over the island coordinate with other black and brass finishes used in the room. (The kitchen also has recessed LED ceiling lights, which were digitally removed by the photographer to highlight other design details.)
Backsplash: Prado in Andalucia, Mirazur collection, Sonoma Tilemakers; pendant lights: Blaine 16-inch, Rejuvenation; paint colors: Wind’s Breath (walls) and Super White (trim), Benjamin Moore
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After: Maney stripped the kitchen and started from scratch. “We knocked it down to the studs and added new windows,” she says. “New drywall, flooring, everything.”
Maney placed a new paneled refrigerator on the wall on the right, allowing her to put the new cooktop and statement walnut vent hood on the back wall. That allowed her to create a new walnut island with an uninterrupted soapstone countertop that offers plenty of prep space and encourages gathering. The perimeter countertops are also soapstone, offering a touch of contrast and drama to the white cabinets.
Maney extended the cabinets to the ceiling with crown molding to maximize storage and give the space a loftier appearance. New engineered white oak flooring in wide planks anchors the room in warmth.
Cabinetry: Crystal Cabinets; floor: Expressions in color Sonnet, Shaw Floors; wall paint: Accessible Beige, Sherwin-Williams; trim paint: Super White, Benjamin Moore
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8. Light It Right
Lighting can make or break the mood in your kitchen, so it’s worth taking the time to get it right. A layered lighting scheme that includes a mix of task, ambient and accent lights will create a warm and inviting environment that’s perfect for socializing, whether you’re hosting a large-scale festive get-together or an intimate meal.
Think about adding undercabinet LEDs to brighten your work surfaces, a pendant light on a dimmer over the kitchen island so it can transition smoothly from prep zone to meals area, and wall sconces or directional downlights to highlight special features such as art.
How to Properly Light Your Kitchen Counters
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3. Removable Inset Cutting Board
Owners of beautiful edge-grain wooden island countertops might think twice about using them as cutting surfaces. New Orleans-based NOLA Boards, which made this T-shaped one from century-old cypress logs pulled from the bottom of a river, addressed that reluctance by insetting a designated cutting board. It’s made from the same sinker cypress wood but in end-grain block construction, which shows knife marks less readily and is easier on blades than edge-grain. The best part? The board is removable, making cleanup, maintenance and serving a breeze.
Design note: The long end of this T-shaped island is supported by hand-turned legs, making it look more like a farmhouse table than cabinetry.
50 Wonderful Wood-Topped Kitchen Islands
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“As this project required us to amp up the glam, we turned the soldier tile horizontally to allow for a few more inches of the beautiful plume-styled stonework to take center stage,” she says. “Introducing a little bit of glass tile at the countertop line also helps with spills and cleanup, as they are not directly on the marble.”