26 April 2022

A new, light and bright kitchen


The kitchen is, for many families and households, the heart of the home. In many dwellings the kitchen doubles as a dining space. That means it's not only the area where you prepare meals, but it's also the area where you entertain, catch up with family, and entertain. It's important that you invest in your kitchen and make it a light, bright, friendly space for you and everyone else in your household to enjoy. If you want to know how to remodel your kitchen to make it light and bright, keep reading for some great tips.

Consult a professionals to lay out your kitchen.

Trust me, you cannot do this alone. While I don't doubt for a second that someone can take on installing the components of a new kitchen (within reason). Unless you know what you're doing, please leave the layout work to a professional kitchen designer. Deciding what goes where is as much a science as it is an art and there are all kinds of building and construction codes that have to be accounted for. Never mind the electrical, HVAC and ventilation requirements. There's too much to know that you'll never learn from YouTube how-to videos.

Choose finishes that will lighten up your kitchen space.

Work with a kitchen designer to select kitchen cabinets that are in a color that will lighten up your whole space, such as a light pine or birch, or even a wood treated with a white finish. The designer will also walk you through choosing a countertop material that will give your kitchen renovation a bright, sleek feel. Choose finishes that will reflect the natural daylight in your kitchen, or even consider adding a mirror or two to create even more of that reflection. You can even break up a dark wood floor with a brightly-colored kitchen island that doubles as additional prep space or an area for a small group to dine together.

Use natural light to your advantage.

Throughout your kitchen, taking advantage of your existing natural light will help make your kitchen into your dream kitchen. When harnessed effectively, sunlight can make your kitchen look larger and brighter, and thus, more welcoming for both you and your guests. Even if you only have one window, you can complement the natural light with mirrors and with sheer or no curtains that allow the maximum amount of light into your kitchen remodel project.

Make sure key areas are well-lit.

Sunlight, and light in general, is vitally important in the kitchen, not only because it helps your kitchen appear lighter and larger, but also because it helps illuminate key areas in your kitchen for safety. If you have children or live with someone with a disability, this is especially important. Kitchens in particular, benefit from the inclusion of under cabinet lighting. Being able to illuminate the hands of a cook as he or she is working makes for a more pleasant, and safer, place to prepare meals.

Think about lighting control systems

Lighting control systems that may or may not be automated are a kitchen innovation well worth investigating. Sometimes they're connected wirelessly in their own network, sometimes they use the whole house Wi-Fi and sometimes they can use other ways to network themselves. However, they're set up, lighting control systems will allow you to tune the light levels in your new kitchen with precision. It's better to have a brightly-lit kitchen during meal prep and cooking, but it's more enjoyable to eat with lower light levels.

Lighting control systems allow for differing lighting levels in a room depending on its use. In our house, we use smart bulbs connected via Amazon Echo Dots and I have it set up to lower the lights when I say "Alexa, lower the lights." Our admittedly low-budget approach is terrific and it's a look into what's available. If we were renovating again, I'd no doubt consider one of these systems.

So when you're ready to add some life to your kitchen or whole home, it's the lighting that will set the tone and make or break your project.

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