Choosing Kitchen Light Fixtures - What to Consider

What to think about when choosing kitchen lighting

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I can’t believe August is here! The older I get the faster the years seem to fly by. Eric and the kids start back to school next week. He’s busy finishing up our small kitchen reno and is installing the tile backsplash as I write this. But today I want to talk kitchen lighting!

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This budget-friendly renovation has taken us the whole summer to complete and we’re so glad to see the finishing touches come together. I was surprised to find that choosing the lighting was the most difficult decision to make!

Kitchen Lighting

I really agonized over this! We have three different light sources in the kitchen. There was a fixture over the sink, an old nasty ceiling fan in the main part of the kitchen and then an outdated fixture in the eat-in dining area.

Farm-Style Sconce

For the sink, I knew I wanted a farm-style arm light. But my hubby had his doubts. I started to as well after purchasing two different styles and not liking either one. They were solid black barn gooseneck fixtures and just felt too heavy for the space.

After much more online browsing I finally ran across this light from Amazon. I was nervous for it to come in, but they say third time’s a charm and in this case, it was perfect. The glass shade didn’t make it feel overwhelming as the other two fixtures had. And the black base tied in with the rest of the kitchen.

Just ignore the touch-up painting we still have to do!

Once Eric had it installed, he really liked it, as well. He joked with my oldest son that he should marry a good woman and then never doubt her – LOL!

Pendant Lighting

For the remaining fixtures, I also went back and forth on what to do. I was originally thinking a flush mount where the fan was and a pendant where the dining light was. But I was having a hard time getting it to tie together in a cohesive look.

I finally found these pendant lights (again on Amazon!) for a great price and decided to purchase two to replace the fan and dining pendant. I LOVE them! I was so thrilled with how they looked in the kitchen!

I love that they don’t have glass in them, making them easier to keep clean. They’re the perfect size and they tie in great with the sink fixture, the black hardware on our barn door, and the new knobs and pulls on the cabinets.

I’ll be sharing full shots of the kitchen in the reveal here in a couple of weeks so you can see it all together!

Things to Consider

There’s a lot to think about when considering lighting. If you’re thinking about changing your kitchen lighting situation here are some things to think about!

Wattage

The thing I hated most about our lighting before was that none of the sources were very bright so even when all three were on it still felt dim. All three of the new fixtures we installed give off so much more light. Pay attention to the wattage and whether the bulb will be covered or exposed.

Cohesive Look

Our kitchen is on the smaller side so we were able to get away with just changing out the current fixtures. Going with matching pendant lights in the main area and eat-in space gave the space a cohesive look so it didn’t look too busy.

Recessed or Cabinet Lighting

Depending on the size and layout of your kitchen, you may need to look at other options. Maybe recessed makes more sense in your space. You may also want to add under cabinet lighting to help illuminate your countertops when you’re cooking.

Pendants and Sconces

If you have a bar, adding two or three matching pendants adds beauty and function. You can also add visual appeal by changing out your over-the-sink fixture with a decorative sconce.

I’ve added some of my favorite kitchen lighting below. Amazon, Wayfair, and World Market are my top picks for fixtures!

Shop Kitchen Lighting

I hope this post was helpful if you’ve been thinking about updating your kitchen fixtures! If you want to check out the projects we’ve completed in our kitchen so far, I’ve linked them below. Have a great day!