Last Updated on January 14, 2017 by Jane
More than anything a great kitchen makes a home. In fact they say that along with bathrooms, kitchens are the best place to sink your renovation dollars to flip your house and make a profit. But the perfect cabinets and counter-tops are nothing without chic kitchen lighting.
Go beyond builder choices which are functional and cheap but are usually not that great looking. Great kitchen lighting doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact we have found amazing options lately at big box builder stores that didn’t exist even 5 years ago when we started renovating our 100 year old home.
Chic Kitchen Lighting: The Globe
I fell in love with globe lights when a friend of mine from Toronto had this fixture installed in her kitchen over the island and over her dining room table. I knew it was exactly what I wanted to do next time around. When we moved to our new home we created the same look with three globe pendants and hung them at different lengths.
1. Globe Pendant – Milk Finish
2. Tabby 1-Light Pendant, Polished Nickel
3. Pendant Lights Grey Smoke Glass Globes
4. Glass Orb Chandelier – Luster
Chic Kitchen Lighting: Industrial
Re-purposing industrial items into the home has been something I have noticed for a while now. Whether it be metal stools or a metal desk or cool caged lights, use these items as accents in a modern home to give the room a bit of edge. Much like the mid century trend you can find vintage items while thrifting or antiquing or go with modern reproductions. Industrial can come off a bit more masculine but it also works well with a shabby chic style. Much like the Globe lights, industrial lights look better when using Edison bulbs.
1. Industrial Chandelier – Rectangle
3. 7 Cluster Pendant Chandelier Industrial
Chic Kitchen Lighting: Mid Century Modern
Mid Century Modern is design speak for what was “modern” furniture in around the 1960’s. Teak buffets and sputnik lights come to mind when I think of this style. We have a thrifted teak buffet in our family room, but you can find similar items here. I love how mid century modern comes off vintage and modern all at the same time.
3. Starburst 12 Light Antique Brass Chandelier
4. The Shepard Chandelier – Modern Brass Sputnik Chandelier
Chic Kitchen Lighting: Brass
Gold is back. Or rather brass because no one is actually putting solid gold fixtures in their home! I love the look of a white kitchen with brass details. Whether you go all out or with just a touch it looks glam.
1. Silvia Hardwired Pendant, Gold
2. Latitude 1-Light Pendant, Antique Gold
3. Jennings Aged Brass Three-Light Pendant by Libby Langdon
Chic Kitchen Lighting: Drum
This is the type of fixture we had in our previous Dining Room. I think that it is the most classic of the lights featured here and the one that will stand the test of time. I would go big as you can within the space you are trying to fill with a drum light because the bigger they are the more of a statement they make.
2. 20″ Don’t Fret! Pendant, Black
3. Bay Street Oatmeal Five-Light 22-Inch Wide Drum Pendant
There are two important lighting areas that you need to consider when you are thinking about your kitchen lighting; the kitchen table and over the island or bar. If you have both of these areas to consider make sure that while they don’t have to match the lighting in these two areas should compliment each other.
What kind of lighting do you like best for your kitchen?