How to Choose Lighting for an Open-Concept Kitchen

If you have an open kitchen, you're probably thinking of ways to light up the spacious, multipurpose area with configurations that balance style and utility. Here are some clever lighting tips that will make your work easier.

Mix Metals and Material

Homeowners are often hesitant to mix different metal accents for their lighting fixtures. They often stick to one metal finish for their entire home lighting. The problem with this is that it has minimal impact on the room.

Gone are the days when matching the same metal finish for all your lighting fixtures was the ‘in thing.’ Today, it’s trendy to mix and match metals in lighting fixtures to add different aesthetics to every space.

With an open kitchen concept, it's important to break up mixed metals using a blend of materials. For example, you can have an oil-rubbed bronze beaded chandelier in the dining area and a gold lampshade on the kitchen countertop. In this case, the beaded chandelier streamlines the transition from an oil-rubbed bronze finish to gold.

How to Make Sure They Mix

What if the fixtures look fantastic on Instagram but not in your open-concept kitchen? What if they don’t have a common theme and thus look confusing and distracting? While you want to use a variety of metal lighting fixtures, they need to have a common thread so that they can be cohesive across the open-plan kitchen.

Fortunately, you can use a little design hack to visualize if your chosen lighting fixtures have a common theme. Then install those light fixtures into your kitchen space with confidence. That hack involves making a design board using Canva - a free online design tool.

Go to Pinterest and gather the images or screenshots of the lighting fixtures you want to add to your open-floor kitchen. Then upload the images into the design board template on Canva. That way, you can mix and match the lighting fixtures you intend to buy with the fixtures you already have to visualize if they work cohesively together.

Lighting Ideas

Wondering where to get a variety of mixed metal lighting fixtures? A Cottage in the City is a one-stop shop for gorgeous mixed lighting fixtures for your open-concept kitchen.

For your high-ceiling dining space, you can get a lavish chandelier. Options include the French Follie Chandelier, White Bead Chandelier, and Charlotte Chandelier.

Pendants are not as bulky as chandeliers and help your space shine, while a metallic finish helps to reflect light. Available options include the Open Frame SchoolHouse Pendant, Braxton Three Light Pendant, and Industrial Pendant Light.

There are also a variety of table lamps to pick from. A compact table lamp like the Farmhouse Table Lamp is quite affordable. But if you decide to splurge, the gorgeous Rose de Jardin ceramic lamp comes with a cream crackle design finish and elevated dimensional floral decals.

Choosing the Size of the Lights

Pick Something to Balance the Space

You might easily make the mistake of choosing a light fixture that's either too big or too small for your open-plan kitchen.

If you're refurbishing your space, you can use the existing fixtures as a guide to the ideal size for your new lights. For example, choose a dining room chandelier that is around two-thirds the size of your dining room table for a balanced size.

Bigger is Better

The conversation about the size of lighting fixtures mainly revolves around overhead lighting pieces like chandeliers and pendants. Generally, bigger is always better with overhead lights since they light the whole space. There's a simple formula to help you determine how big they should be.

First, measure the width and length of the space, then add the two numbers. For example, 14 feet by 17 feet gives you 31 feet. Convert the sum from feet to inches, and, in this case, you'll need a lighting fixture with a diameter of 31 inches to shine enough ambient lighting.

Sometimes Two Fixtures Instead of One Works Best

If you have a massive kitchen island, a single chandelier or pendant may be rather underwhelming. So you want to use a combination of two fixtures instead of one.

For example, you can go for an oversized chandelier or pendant for ambient lighting combined with a task lighting source above the kitchen sink. Likewise, you can choose two oversized pendants spaced roughly 30 inches apart.

Other considerations

• The fixture should give off enough light: The amount of light a fixture can bring is an important factor that you should consider. A fixture with just one bulb or a shade may not illuminate the space well.
• Does the design fit my space?: Mixing styles is okay but make sure they balance out well since you want light fixtures that are cohesive across your open-concept kitchen.
• Is it a trendy piece or classy?: Trends come and go with time. Of course, there's nothing bad about choosing a trendy light fixture if it fits your space. But keep in mind that you will need to update it shortly.

On the other hand, classic light fixtures stand the test of time. They are excellent for your open-concept kitchen because they won't conflict with other design choices. Choosing a classic lighting fixture can also help you avoid the costs and effort of replacing the fixtures often.

The Bottom Line

When choosing lighting for your open-concept kitchen, consider mixing and matching metals in lighting fixtures. Ideally, they should complement each other, and not be the exact same across the room. To achieve this, use the design board on Canva to visualize if the lighting fixtures work cohesively.

You also want to make sure that you get lighting fixtures in the right size. These lighting fixtures must have bulbs with enough wattage to sufficiently light the space they’re in. For some rooms, using multiple lighting fixtures like pendant lights is also better compared to using one big chandelier.

Once you're ready, head over to A Cottage in the City to buy a variety of mixed lighting fixtures for your open-concept kitchen. Here, you'll find classic and modern pendants, chandeliers, and table lamps that will add style and personality to your space.