Gone are the days of lighting kitchens and baths with a single overhead fixture. We’re no longer limited to that odd combination of glaring light and inconveniently placed shadows. Modern kitchen and bath lighting are multifunctional, geared toward satisfying both aesthetics and a specific purpose.
Look for lighting that enhances the natural light of the room when you’re searching for lighting ideas. Most importantly, you need to consider the different types of lighting available to help you create a modern, layered look.
Table of Contents
Task Lighting
Lighting to see by, whether you’re cooking or applying makeup, is the first thing to consider. Using a single overhead fixture to light up the entire room casts shadows and makes it hard to see the task at hand. You want to plan your kitchen and bath lighting ideas around what you’ll be doing in that room. In the kitchen, focus lighting on food prep areas. A fixture mounted at eye level on either side of the vanity will light up faces without casting any unflattering shadows.
Ambient Lighting
The best ambient lighting adjusts to suit your mood. Lighting with a dimmer is especially helpful. You can dim the lights for a romantic dinner and turn up the brightness to facilitate cleaning up afterward. A light fixture mounted above the bath can be turned up so you can see to shave, or dimmed for the perfect relaxing bath.
Accent Lighting
As the name suggests, this type of lighting is designed to accent your kitchen or bathroom. For instance, you might use it to highlight artwork or the contents of a china cabinet. The effect adds depth and interest to your kitchen, making it seem less like a kitchen and more like another room in your house. Accent lighting in the bathroom should focus on artwork or reflections.
Decorative Lighting
Unlike accent lighting, which is designed to draw attention to something noteworthy, decorative lighting has no other purpose than to look pretty. Mounting a dim light behind a mirror so that it shines around the edges doesn’t provide a lot of usable light, except maybe to help you find your way in the dark, but it does add soft light for ambiance. Decorative lighting in the bathroom works well around sconces and other wall art.
With these modern, layered kitchen and bath lighting ideas, you no longer have to put on makeup or chop veggies in the shadows – you can bring these rooms into the modern age in spectacular style!
Look for lighting inspiration in our kitchen and bath project photos.
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