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How to Brighten a Gloomy Kitchen

Don't let a gloomy kitchen bring you down! Brighten up your kitchen design with these easy tips. From lighting to color choices, this guide covers everything you need to know to make your kitchen feel brighter and more inviting.

By Patrick RyanPublished about a year ago 6 min read
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When you enter the kitchen, do you feel the walls are closing in? Does it seem confined, constrained, and small? The worst place in the house for low illumination is the kitchen. It might be challenging if you don't have a lot of natural light. Yet when you chop veggies or wash the dishes, you shouldn't have to strain your eyes. Also, you don't have to tolerate a dim kitchen. There are many things you can do to make a drab kitchen more cheerful. Better still, it need not be extremely expensive. This is the procedure.

Allow Light In To Illuminate A Dim Kitchen!

Adding extra lighting is the natural tactic to lighten up a gloomy kitchen. Just switching to brighter lights is the easiest approach. The typical kitchen wattage is 60 watts. Yet, you may instantly brighten your gloomy kitchen by choosing the highest wattage for each fixture, often 80 or 100 watts. Also, you can continue to utilize energy-efficient lights. You may even think about replacing your conventional light bulbs with LED ones. LED lights provide more lumens for the same power as other bulbs.

Recessed lighting seems like an easy option for a kitchen that is gloomy. The bespoke kitchen's atmosphere will change due to recessed lighting. Recessed lights can be installed in the ceiling to avoid obstructing the lines of sight. They can also be positioned in top cupboards to allow the full light to shine into the space. Another strategy is to consider the placement of recessed lighting strategically. Consider the kitchen's most-lit locations, such as the sink and the areas used for food preparation. These should be the primary areas to focus on. Start where the light is most required and move outward from there.

Backups For Recessed Lighting

Recessed lighting is not always realistic, despite all the obvious benefits. Clamp lamps can be the solution if they are not practical in your kitchen. These adaptable and practical lights are simple to mount on any wall or ceiling.

Similarly to this, you might switch out your existing recessed lighting with pendant lighting if it needs to meet your needs. The current recessed lighting fittings can sometimes be screwed into conversion kits.

Under-cabinet illumination may be a blessing in a dark kitchen. There are several alternatives available now, including LED strips and fluorescent bars. You may discover an under-cabinet lighting solution that meets your requirements. Using under-cabinet lights, you can highlight the items on display on your counters. In a typical situation, this would always be hidden by the top wall cabinets. With under-cabinet lighting options, you can showcase anything you desire, from cookware to a backsplash, efficiently and affordably.

Read More - Why High Gloss White Kitchen Cabinets are the Perfect Choice for Your Home

Incorporate White Or Lighter, Brighter Hues

There are several additional techniques to lighten and brighten a gloomy kitchen after you've done everything possible to improve the lighting. It might be wise to paint the walls in a more colorful and brilliant color scheme. For those who are a little less daring, you may still add some brightness with small flashes of color, such as with vibrantly colored pottery or even with a piece of art.

Going back to one of the all-time classic kitchen design, an all-white kitchen might be a good substitute for vibrant colors. As a result, the area seems and feels significantly larger and brighter. There isn't a better technique to reflect light around the space. White is a timeless favorite in the kitchen and will instantly enlarge any tiny room.

Installing a mirror on the kitchen wall is another approach to provide the impression of space and light. A mirror should be hung precisely across from a window for maximum impact. The kitchen will receive the most amount of light possible thanks to this.

Pick Softer Color Palettes

The idea that dark hues should be avoided in the kitchen is untrue. The use of dark hues may be quite striking, even in very tiny rooms. Yet, darker color schemes tend to make a room feel gloomy and smaller if it is tiny and lacks natural light. For the design to reflect light, including metallic hues. Light will naturally diffuse throughout the space if you use stainless steel for everything, including the sink, refrigerator, and other equipment.

As attractive as dark woods may be, they are usually not the greatest material for cabinets in a dim room. Dark woods absorb the little light you have in a poorly lit kitchen.

Any kitchen cabinets take up a significant percentage of the area, so lighter colors can significantly improve the appearance of the space overall.

Boldness Is OK, But Avoid Using Cluttered Designs

With careful planning, you can make a dark kitchen appear lighter, brighter, and more open regarding flooring, countertops, and accessories. Splashes of highlights in strong, vivid colors can be effective, but any too complex or cluttered design will be unfavorable. People's eyes should be able to easily move around your kitchen if you want it to feel spacious and welcoming. The flow will be hampered if busy, intricate, or congested. It is OK to have a statement piece or focal point in the kitchen. Yet, there shouldn't be any obstructions to the room's general atmosphere or movement. A streamlined and basic appearance is preferable if you work with smaller or darker objects.

Make The Area Accessible To The Other Rooms

You shouldn't jump at the chance to open up your gloomy kitchen to other areas just because it is practical. It may not be a choice for everyone, and it's more difficult than the other possibilities.

You may utilize the light from another room and establish a line of sight into the kitchen. To benefit from more light, you can demolish a wall or just add a window to another room. If you have a load-bearing wall, this is an excellent alternative since it eliminates the need for a support beam, which greatly increases the project's cost.

What About A Complete Makeover To Transform Your Dim Kitchen?

Of course, there are situations when you feel like a new beginning is the best action. While there are many ways to make a dark place brighter, when it comes to the bespoke kitchens, you often know when a complete kitchen redesign is necessary. Noyeks Newmans unquestionably have a design and style for you if it applies to you. Several alternatives are available to you, ranging from the traditional and timeless appearance of Shaker kitchens to the ultra-modern glossy mood of handleless kitchens.

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About the Creator

Patrick Ryan

Marketing Director at Noyeks Newmans

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