Renovating the house is an exciting time. But it can also be a massive headache if you don’t know exactly what you want to do with a particular room.
When it comes to the kitchen, things may seem easy. Don’t be fooled though. The kitchen is one of the most important rooms. In a way, it’s the heart of the house. It’s where you’ll entertain guests, or cook family dinners. Yes, the kitchen is where, by and large, most people should splurge a bit on. Unfortunately, many take it for granted.
When renovating it, they neglect the proper lighting or skimp on fixtures.
But knowing these five principles for choosing the right lighting will help your kitchen become all that it should be.
No.1: Functionality
People, by and large, are impulsive. We tend to buy things that are too big, or too small, or simply not right, just because we liked how it looked at first glance. You may find an old industrial hanging light fixture for a “bargain” and want to purchase it for your kitchen just because of how “cool” it looks, but one thing that should be taken into consideration though is functionality. It pays to consider what the purpose this lighting fixture would serve: is it for simple task lighting, or is it for ambient lighting? Does it highlight decorative features of the kitchen, or is it just going to be hanging off to the side to provide extra light? These are little things that most people don’t consider. But contractors, like the ones over at Hatchett Contractors or any other local business, will take this into consideration when helping with the renovation process. They understand the importance of functionality.
No.2: Mood
It matters. And it’s all about what you want people to feel when they sit down to eat in your kitchen. To put it another way, what kind of lightbulbs do you want to use in your kitchen? Light and color affect us more than we may give credit to. So, in your kitchen, do you go with softer, warmer lighting to entice a sense of happiness? Or do you go with cooler lighting to evoke a sense of calm? The choice you make should imitate the decor of the space.
No.3: Style
Think thematically for this one. Does the style, or theme, of a kitchen match the rest of the house? Or is it its own creation? If you have something like a modern kitchen, then I don’t think that old industrial hanging light fixture will go too well with the rest of the kitchen. It might clash and stand out, becoming an eyesore over time. Or maybe it ties the room together because of the montage that has become your kitchen. Ultimately, there should be some kind of uniformity in the decision of what style, or theme, you choose for your kitchen.
No.4: Size
This may be one of the more obvious principles. Or maybe it’s an afterthought. Either way, when deciding on the lighting fixture, you need to account for how much space each one will occupy. Is it going to overtake the entire kitchen, commanding all the attention towards it? Or will it be lost in the mix among all other light fixtures, making it something of a pointless purchase since it’s not adding to the kitchen’s ambiance in any particular way?
No.5: Efficiency
And last but not least, we come to efficiency. This principle is self-explanatory. Nobody wants to be paying an arm and a leg each time they turn their kitchen lights on. You’ve to find a balance in what you want versus what is reasonable.
With these five principles in mind, I’ve no doubts that you’ll be able to design the kitchen of your dreams. And one that is worthy of the house you live in.
