These Are the Best Kitchen Lighting Ideas You Could Try!

Kitchen lighting trends surpassed classic spotlights and simple pendants; the latest styles champion a great mix of materials, colors, and shapes and show just how transformative and important proper lighting can be in space.

As inspiring as they might be, not all of us will start from scratch in our existing spaces and be open to embracing the new countertops, cabinetry, and even color schemes. Their whole charm is that they can be efficiently and easily swapped out to suit the latest taste, and they can also work very well in adding a fresh feel to your kitchen ideas.

This year’s trends are focused on shifting the atmosphere from busy hub to warm and cozy, while also helping the space look more characterful and in sync with your own style.

Using antique and vintage designs

If you want to shop more sustainably, more people decide to decorate with antiques and vintage items in their homes, which helps bring a certain sense of character and history to the space. One of the easiest ways you could bring vintage pieces into a kitchen is through lighting.

An eclectic design mix will be able to mix both the old and the new and make the most of it. Moreover, decorating a kitchen with antique lighting will definitely create a space that transcends all trends. It is a choice that seems timeless in appearance, but these rich and rustic details will successfully lend dimension to any given kitchen scheme.

Oversized pendant and ceiling lights

Interior designer Ginger Curtis, founder and CEO of Urbanology Designs, explained that this year we should expect to see kitchen lighting trends with exaggerated scale and form being favored. Even if cones, domes, scallops, and domes all create this striking focal point, they can also cast captivating patterns of light and shadow, which enhance the ambiance of a room.

A pretty pair of oversized pendants will hang boldly over the kitchen island, drawing your focus to the island and helping to zone the entire space. You will see that we explore many other kitchen island lighting ideas on our website.

Focus on natural materials.

In recent years, we’ve seen an ongoing trend of customers opting for natural materials in their choices, which is a lovely touch, as the illumination thrown around the room, either through a rattan or even a wicker shade, can definitely create quite a unique feel.

At the same time, through fabric, you get a more whimsical aesthetic. Given that some kitchens can be filled with hard surfaces and practical appliances, they can rapidly become cold and clinical without the right styling and design ideas.

This also means embracing lighting crafted from natural materials that can establish a more rustic and grounded atmosphere, which will make the space feel soft and inviting but also warm. The use of wicker and rattan in interior design has been an increasingly popular choice, and it really doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.

Sculptural statement pieces

In some rooms, like our bathrooms and kitchens, it can be quite hard to find the space to bring in decorative accessories or pretty finishing touches. But a statement pendant light or even a chandelier might work, not only as a functional light source but also as a beautiful design feature and focal point.

It won’t even take up too much valuable surface space. We are seeing more and more demands for sculptural lighting pieces. Statement chandeliers above kitchen counters or even dining tables that aren’t only functional but also stand as a decorative work of art—quite a popular request. Kitchen lighting can be way more than simply providing practical illumination. It’s the ideal chance to express your own style and enhance the space with an artistic touch.

Layered lighting schemes

Now, our homes have to work harder for us than ever, with an increase in spaces with multiple functions. From open-plan living rooms to kitchen-dining areas, this specific trend focused on installing multifunctional lighting that can be adapted to suit the room as it’s being used.

Perimeter lighting, separated from central lighting, might help to effectively zone your kitchen. It’s also ideal if your space has a beautiful kitchen island or a separate seating zone. A layered lighting scheme might also help change the overall mood of the kitchen. From practical spotlights to colorful wall lamps, a certain mix of lighting will always help create a more usable and inviting kitchen space.

Creating a cozy feel with lamps

Even if they’re often associated with bedroom lighting and living room lighting ideas, table lamps can do wonders in other rooms as well. For instance, in the kitchen, especially if you find a place for them that won’t get in the way when cooking or preparing food.

We’ve already tackled the importance of multi-functional lighting, so the warm and cozy glow that a table lamp casts can help transform a busy kitchen into a more calming space. If you don’t know where to place it, it can work very well next to comfy seating, either on a countertop or beside a dining table.

Portable table lamps could offer you flexibility and freedom of movement, which is what we’re ultimately looking for in any kitchen, right? Housed on a shelf or windowsill, all these designs can be easily transported to a table, seat space, or even outdoors when needed.

Embracing designs crafted from a mix of materials

If you ask Jo Plismy, the founder of Gong, you will find out that the next huge kitchen lighting trends involve experimenting with new, intricate materials that make exciting lighting designs. Some of them include high-tech materials and ancestral ones, too.

There’s a plethora of possibilities for materials used in the creation of lighting. Options are endless, and I think there’s a lot of innovation in the use of softer materials like rattan and fabric, especially since harder ones include steel, ceramic, resin, aluminum, and possibly marble, which looks really good in a kitchen.

Enduring metallic designs

The kitchen lighting trend that’s most noticeable is the luxurious use of metallic lighting, which sometimes complements existing design details in the kitchen space. For instance, the chosen metallic finish of a range hood can also be seen on barstools, lighting, and cabinet handles.

It helps create a sense of rhythm and balance. Instead of the lighting being seen as a separate statement element, it’s now very encompassing. Here’s a cool light fixture that we absolutely adore!

Retro styles

The ongoing trend that involves antiques and vintage items in our homes has made us opt for more playful, retro lighting trends. If you’re searching to design a transitional kitchen where old and new styles blend together in an elegant harmony, you could opt for more nostalgic lighting that will bring in that very subtle sense of retro character without really making the space feel too dated or even old-fashioned.

Opting for curvy forms over angular shapes

Curves are at the front and center of interior design trends for 2024, as many designers opt for softer, free-flowing forms to establish a more relaxing and comfortable atmosphere in their homes.

Sometimes, we tend to get wind of kitchen lighting trends very early, especially when we see high demand for certain elements, whether it’s natural materials or even statement pendants. This particular kitchen lighting trend is made up of sharp angles.

If you found this article useful, then you also need to check: 12 Unexpected Old Home Features You’ll Be Glad You Restored