Which lamp for a kitchen with an island, which one for one with a small space, and which one to hang over the dining room table?

Lamps for kitchen with island - beautiful and practical design

The kitchen island is an extremely functional and popular element of modern kitchen arrangements. It plays a key role in the organization of the space, becoming the focal point around which all food preparation is centered. Proper lighting of this area is therefore of great importance, both for the convenience of use and for the aesthetics of the entire interior. First of all, the pendant lamps over the island should provide even, sufficiently bright illumination of the work surface. This will make working at the island, such as slicing, chopping or mixing ingredients, not only comfortable but also safe. Especially in kitchens with an open layout, well-chosen lamps will help isolate the cooking area and emphasize its functionality. At the same time, light fixtures can be a striking decoration, giving the kitchen a cohesive, design character. It is equally important that the height of the lamps suspension is properly matched to the height of the island. Shades that are placed too low can not only limit visibility, but also make it difficult to move freely around the countertop. On the other hand, lamps hung too high may not provide sufficient illumination of the work zone. Therefore, it is so important that when arranging a kitchen with an island, those using it should be provided with optimal working conditions, and at the same time create an aesthetically pleasing, harmonious whole. Matching the size, shape and style of lamps to a particular kitchen is the key to achieving a functional, yet designer arrangement.

Well-chosen lighting over the island is a guarantee that this heart of the house will not only look visually beautiful, but also perfectly fulfill its practical role. In this article we suggest how to choose a lamp for a kitchen with an island, how high to hang it, as well as how to illuminate a narrow or square kitchen.

Kitchen lighting and its role - general division and characteristics

The kitchen is often the heart of the home. This is the place where we spend many hours each day, where we prepare and eat our meals, drink our morning coffee, prepare the holidays. It's also the place - and everyone knows this from personal experience - where the most important conversations take place when meeting family and friends. What kind of lamp for the kitchen will make everyone feel comfortable in the kitchen, and at the same time it will be easy to perform necessary tasks in it? Which lamp to hang over the island, which one over the kitchen table, and which one over the dining room table? Read our article and find out the answers to all these questions.

Kitchen lighting should be planned to best suit the activities performed in the kitchen and how we spend our time there. Very broadly, we can divide this lighting into three types - central / main lighting, work lighting and mood-creating lighting.

1. central lighting - in the kitchen usually takes the form of a pendant lamp, hung singly or in a larger group over the kitchen island, table, along the cabinets (in the case of a narrow kitchen) or simply in the central point of the room.
2. work light - Adequate lighting of the areas where you prepare food or clean up afterwards is extremely important. It's hard, cutting, decorating cakes, or putting food on plates in semi-darkness. Areas affected by work lighting are, of course, kitchen countertops, the kitchen island, as well as the area around the sink, dishwasher and stove/hob (usually assisted by light from the stove hood). In the role of a work light, the best is the lighting of kitchen countertops in the form of various types of under-cabinet lamps, neon lighting or LEDs or LED strips and central lighting. Remember that the best color of light for work is neutral, cold light, so incandescent bulbs with a color of 2600-2900 Kelvin.
3. mood lighting - its role is often fulfilled by gentle backlighting of kitchen cabinets, backlighting of display cabinets, light of the hood, as well as dimmed (for example, with the help of a dimmer) main light or specially designed backlighting of the suspended ceiling.

In this article, we will focus on which lamp for the kitchen will work best as a center light, table light and kitchen island light.

What lamp over a kitchen island will best highlight its character?

Lighting of a kitchen island is an extremely important design element, which not only has a practical function, but can also significantly affect the character of the entire room. Pendant lamps over the worktop should match both the style of the kitchen and its size and furniture layout.

In kitchens with a modern, open layout, lamps with a minimalist, industrial design are popular. Pendant lamps with metal, black or graphite fixtures work perfectly with the austere character of open spaces. Such solutions add a designer touch to the interior and emphasize the functionality of the food preparation area. It is worth paying attention to models with adjustable height, which allow precise lighting of the countertop.

In the case of more classic kitchen arrangements, lamps of a more decorative nature play a big role. Pendant lamps with elegant glass shades or lampshades in muted colors blend perfectly with wooden furniture fronts and give the interior a cozy feel. The size of the fixture is also important - it should fit the size of the island, so as not to overwhelm the space.

Regardless of the style, the lighting of the kitchen island should provide a comfortable environment for work, while aesthetically complementing the design of the entire room. Well-chosen pendant lamps can give an interior a unique character and consistently combine functionality with elegant design.

If the main light is also to serve as a work light, or if your kitchen has a kitchen island where you will both eat and prepare meals, be sure to hang the lamp at the appropriate height, i.e. 75 - 80 cm above the surface of the countertop. In the case of a larger island, the best solution will be the use of several pendant lamps away from each other on a relatively small scale (if you want your kitchen to look like it's out of an interior design catalog, check out the nautical large Nautilius lamps).

Equally good solution for a kitchen island is also a an elongated lamp with several shades or double or triple lamp on a long ceiling bar. You value modern elegance, and your kitchen could use a pinch of gold? Check out longis gold pendant lamp with ceiling bar and 4 glass shades.

Kitchens in which the focal point is the kitchen island usually have a very clearly defined style, and what kind of lamp will look best in them depends precisely on the style chosen.

Which lamp for a narrow kitchen and which one for a square kitchen - choose the main lighting

1. If your kitchen has a small footprint, there is no kitchen island and the table is not in the central part of the room, choose such a lamp that will guarantee even and accurate illumination of the entire space. Remember that when you turn on the main light you should be able to see well not only the kitchen countertops, but also be able to freely check the contents of the kitchen cabinets (including their top shelves)
2. If you don't have cabinets above your worktop because, for example, you've opted for a minimalist, industrial style or your countertops are arranged along a wall with windows, think about additional, spot lighting of these spaces
3. In a rectangular-shaped kitchen (especially one that is long and narrow), the following will work much better arrangements composed of several smaller lamps or lamps on a long ceiling bar
4. In a narrow kitchen arranged in a minimalist or industrial style, an alternative to a central light in the form of a pendant lamp will be spotlights on long slats, which will perfectly illuminate the space, emphasizing the modern style of the interior.
5. In kitchens with a more regular, near-square shape, the following will be perfect large lamps with a variety of lampshade shapes. The choice of the right one depends only on the size and style of the interior and whether the worktops are additionally illuminated by under-cabinet lamps.

About what kind of lamp for the kitchen will work best over the table we write below, but if in your kitchen there is room only for a small table or countertop at which to snack, it will be a good idea to additionally illuminate it with a small pendant lamp, suspended about 50 cm above the countertop.

Lamp over the table in the kitchen or dining room - how to choose lighting for the shape of the table?

Are you wondering what lamp for the kitchen will work over the kitchen table or what lamp to hang over the dining room table? Remember that both the power and the shape of the lamp should be selected according to the size and shape of the table, and the table top must be well and evenly illuminated.

• If you eat meals at a round table, choose sphere lamps - the shape of which will obviously relate to the shape of the tabletop. This will create a beneficial sense of harmony for the interior. It can be a single lamp or a group of spherical lamps - for example, those offered as part of the Alur lamp collection.
• Planning a long family table? Hang an oblong lamp with several shades over it or two or three single lamps equally spaced (place the lamps symmetrically with respect to the center of the table).

If you care about good lighting of your countertop, and at the same time you want to create an intimate atmosphere during meals, choose lamps with such a shape of the shade that will direct the light downward. These will be lamps with inverted bowl-shaped shades, shades that expand downward, in the shape of a hemisphere, cone or tube. You are wondering at what height above the table top to hang the lamp? It is said that the height of 50 cm is optimal for a table with a width of 120 cm. With a wider countertop, increase the height to 70-80 cm.

An excellent idea, which on the one hand will promote a slightly more intimate atmosphere and conversations into the night, as well as long board games, working on the laptop or doing homework, would be to install a lamps with dimmer or one in which only half the bulbs. After all, you need a different light intensity for reading and another for playing cards or eating a romantic dinner.

If your dining room is connected to the living room and flows seamlessly into the lounge area, also make sure that the lamp in the dining room and in the living room have elements in common - in addition to their style (which is obvious), it can be the shape of the shade or the color of the finish.

One more thing! Choosing bulbs for the lamp, which you hang over the table at which you eat your meals, remember to about the warm color of the light. It's true that everything looks truer in cold light - including colors and food, but we believe that the atmosphere in which we eat - and this warms in direct proportion to the decreasing Kelvin number - is nevertheless more important than the exact shade of the food served. Therefore, we recommend choosing bulbs with a color of approximately 3000K.

Our advice, which may surprise you, but which may also... completely transform your kitchen!

If you want a cozy atmosphere in your kitchen, you want to break its sterility or emphasize its rustic, homely character and you have enough space on the countertop, put on it a.. table lamp! Even a small lamp - preferably with a fabric lampshade and in a color scheme that matches the kitchen arrangement, will completely change the interior and make both morning coffee and evening cup of tea taste even better.

We hope that our suggestions will help you decide and make it easier to choose the right, yet stylish and beautiful lamp for the kitchen. Remember that, in addition to the size and the right type and intensity of light to suit your needs, it is important to match the lamp as closely as possible to the style of the entire house, apartment or condo. With lighting, as in the kitchen. Each ingredient must fit together!