My Kitchen is too dark! – 12 Fabulous ways to brighten your kitchen.
Your kitchen is the heart of your home and a perfect place to enjoy cooking, relaxing, entertaining and spending precious time with family and friends. However, it can be a little difficult to feel inspired and creative with your culinary style if your kitchen space is dim and dull.
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Your kitchen is your place of inspiration and creativity and it’s the space you use to be imaginative and also to relax and unwind, so let’s look below at 12 ways in which you instantly bring back the light and brighten up your kitchen space.
12 fabulous ways to brighten up your kitchen
- Clear clutter
- Clever use of paint
- Change wallcoverings
- Replace floors
- Alter cabinet cupboards
- Experiment with countertops
- Creative lighting solutions
- Use reflective surfaces
- Effective use of mirrors
- Use kitchen islands to brighten up a dark floor
- Consider changing the room your kitchen is in
- Remodel your kitchen
Now let’s go through our options in more detail, so in no particular order – but some that you may want to try before other more radical options!
1. Clear clutter
One of the easiest and cheapest methods of bringing backlight and airy quality to brighten your kitchen space is to clear away your unwanted clutter. It’s so easy on a busy day to use some of your important kitchen surfaces as a dumping ground.
These unnecessary items can easily become a permanent fixture, so give your kitchen an overhaul to bring back the light into your life! Treat yourself to some light, bright storage options and clear away items that don’t belong in your kitchen.
2. Clever use of paint
Using bright, neutral paints can really help you to add brightness to your kitchen. Bold dark-colored statement walls can look amazing, but make sure you limit them to one wall only if you want to create a feeling of lightness in your kitchen.
Paint finishes such as eggshell, semi-gloss, and any types which have a subtle sheen can diffuse the light and create a feeling of luminosity to your painted surfaces. White, of course, works brilliantly, but also sunny colors help to add warmth and brightness such as yellows and orange.
3. Change wall coverings
If you have paneling or dark wallpaper, it’s time for an update to give your kitchen light and space. Wooden paneling will give the illusion of your kitchen appearing smaller than it actually is, and of course, dark wallpapers will also close in your space. Painted surfaces that help to bounce off light is the best option if you are looking to create more light.
Wallcoverings that have a touch of silver in them can work wonders for opening up space and reflecting the light. This may be an accent you can bring into your window coverings, curtains or blinds.
4. Replace floor
Dingy, dark, and old vinyl floor coverings, heavy dark, black or brown carpets, or any kind of floor covering which is non-light reflective will make your kitchen lose well-needed light. Consider changing your flooring to a lighter type which will instantly reflect and bounce any available light around your kitchen area.
You may think that when it comes to kitchens, marble is limited to countertops. In fact, marble flooring looks as stunning in the space as it does in other rooms. It is a perfect light reflector and over time the flooring will develop a beautiful patina. Light oaks also help to bring the light back into your space.
Stone, porcelain or ceramic tiles would also work well, or cushion-backed vinyl as a good choice if you prefer something softer underfoot.
5. Alter cabinet colors
It goes without saying that if you are the owners of dated, old and dark mahogany wooden cabinets, in order to create some much-needed light, you will need to update them.
If you’re undergoing a complete kitchen remodel, opt for light and bright cabinets in uber reflective glossy contemporary white or pale oak finishes if you are looking for a more traditional country kitchen.
If you aren’t looking to totally remodel your entire kitchen, you could opt to simply reface your cabinets to brighten your kitchen. You can do this by changing the cabinet doors and drawer faces, but keeping your original cabinetry casings.
6. Experiment with countertops
Are your countertops worn out and dull? Consider installing a new countertop in a beautiful natural looking granite or marble. Laminate tops also work well too.
While some kitchens look good with a dark stone countertop as a contrast, a kitchen that suffers from lack of light will come alive if you include an off white, tan or light gray finish.
Don’t be afraid to include white too as an option as you can easily accessorize a plain white countertop with a few key accent pieces.
7. Creative Lighting solutions
To brighten up a ceiling in a dim room, try replacing a flush-mounted ceiling light or a pendant with a semi-flush fitted light to hang just a little below the ceiling. This will diffuse the light across the ceiling to almost simulate the glowing effect of a skylight.
Another great use of light is to maximize recessed lighting. Consider installing lights underneath the overhanging cabinets to give your kitchen a quick boost of light. You can also install recessed lighting in the ceiling. Halogen light bulbs inject a large amount of light into a dark space, and CFL light bulbs mimic important natural light.
An important tip if you want to maximize the lighting your kitchen space, is to check the wattage on the lightbulbs you’re currently using. If they’re 60 watts or below, they’re not bright enough. Experts recommend at least 80 to 100 watts in your kitchen.
8. Use reflective surfaces
Many surfaces in your kitchen are ideal to throw more light into your dark or dreary kitchen. Wooden surfaces such as light oak or vinyl finishes can bring a touch of light into a dim kitchen area. Many natural finishes too such as marble and natural light stone finishes can add space and light to a poorly lit kitchen area.
Read more : How to Refinish Wood Cabinets with Gel Stain
Add a touch of gold, silver, bronze, shiny pearl toned or copper in your appliances, or even the tiles in your backsplash, to create a reflective surface and bounce the available light around the room. Stainless steel accessories also work well here too.
9. Effective use of mirrors
If your kitchen extends into a dining area, a creative way to bring a little extra light into your home is to use the reflective quality of mirrors.
If your kitchen and dining area is more traditional in style, you may like to seek out an oversized oak or similar mirror to use on a bare wall. This works especially well if you have a fireplace in your dining area.
If you have a vintage themed kitchen, have fun at local flea markets and online marketplaces to find original vintage mirrors to bring some light and an element of recycled style into your space.
Those with a more contemporary look to their kitchens could make use of glossy and reflective mirror tiles on splashbacks and in other areas. Also, consider using glitter grouting in your tiled areas for an extra glimmer in your kitchen.
10. Use a kitchen island to brighten up a dark floor
If your kitchen area has an old oak or other period flooring feature and you aren’t looking to replace it, consider adding a kitchen island to add a layer of reflectivity or luminosity to your dim kitchen.
Another way a kitchen island can lighten your room is to simply match its faces to the flooring material so the two blend together. Letting wood or laminate wrap around the island also works well to create the illusion of space.
11. Consider changing to another room in your house
If you have exhausted all possibilities with regards to creating some much-needed light in the heart of your home, it may be worth reconsidering the layout of your downstairs areas to look at maybe moving your kitchen area into another space. This works particularly well if you have recently moved into a new home and are in the process of an entire home overhaul.
12. Remodel your kitchen
It may be the only way to get the beautiful natural or clever lighting solutions you would love in your kitchen, is to look into remodeling your whole kitchen and dining area.
This way, you can work with the kitchen designers who will give you their years of experience in helping you make the most of your light and create a stunning kitchen that is light, bright and a pleasure to be in.
An experienced kitchen designer will cleverly add recessed lighting, light-colored countertops, subtle light-reflecting cabinetry and other light-diffusing accessories into your kitchen design. Plus other things you need to consider.
Finally…
Don’t forget to get in touch with us here at Singer Kitchens to speak with one of our experienced, creative and expert kitchen designers who will be able to assist you in every step of the way when remodeling your kitchen to give you a beautifully crafted light and airy cooking and dining space. We specialize in providing bespoke, dream kitchens so contact us today and let our team of craftsmen help you create the beating heart of your home
Source: https://gardencourte.com
Categories: Kitchens