Kitchen Lighting Ideas and Designs – Tired of the same old recessed lighting and ceiling fixtures? Ready for something with a little more personality? You’ve come to the right place! We’ve found 20 of the most beautiful and stylish kitchen lighting ideas to illuminate everyone’s favorite room.
This collection includes pendant lights, chandeliers, ceiling light fixtures, and gorgeous upgrades for basic track lighting. These lighting concepts are design elements unto themselves. To find the perfect lighting style for your home, you must start by knowing what your decor theme is. Then, take a look around at your colors and available natural light. Darker colors or less natural light means that you’ll need brighter bulbs and probably more of them, too. Lighter colors and more natural light let you get away with more opaque shades and lights that twinkle more than they shine.
To understand just how important lighting is in your kitchen, just imagine your favorite restaurant and how the lighting defines the experience. Lighting can outline each section of your kitchen and make every part – from your cooking prep surfaces to your dining table – more unique and intimate. Let’s fire up those energy efficient light bulbs and brighten up!
Rustic Metal Sifter Pendant Light
Weathered metal is absolutely perfect for rustic decor schemes like farmhouse or warm industrial. This light fixture is made of a distressed metal rim with a wire mesh backing. An antique style lightbulb works perfectly with this pendant light. This fixture would look great over a kitchen island or intimate dining table.
Farmhouse Chic Glass and Wood Pendant Lights
Farmhouse style is so versatile and charming! These beautiful pendant lights are a welcome update to track lighting or recessed lights. These large clear glass vessels are topped with a decorative wooden cap. Unique lightbulbs really set off the look and add an extra splash of character. These neutral fixtures would look great with farmhouse or shabby chic decor.
Traditional Patina Gold Chandelier with Crystal Drops
You can’t go wrong with a good old-fashioned chandelier. The crisp white cabinets and sleek marble tops in this kitchen keep the chandelier from looking dated. The key to making a chandelier look contemporary and fresh is to combine it with modern and/or eclectic decor. Those crystal drops will make the metal and light dance around the kitchen!
Mason Jar Triple Pendant Arrangement
Choosing the perfect kitchen lighting depends on the shape of the room, how much natural light comes in, and the color palette. This Mason Jar triple pendant picture is perfect for those nooks and crannies where you need some extra light without it being too harsh. The design is perfect for rustic, shabby-chic or farmhouse decor.
Industrial Black Wireframe Chandelier with Wooden Base
Who says a chandelier has to be so traditional? Kitchen lighting ideas like this are an interesting take on a classic lighting fixture. The arrangement of pendant lights in a row is great for lighting over a dining table or kitchen island. Rustic black wire frames with antique style bulbs are fresh, modern, and delightfully industrial.
Triple Mason Jar Pendant Cluster Light
Cluster pendants are often found in a lot of modern and industrial design. This fixture borrows from those themes and adds a farmhouse feel with the addition of timeless and oh-so-versatile Mason jars. A Mason jar lit from within is like having a jar full of fireflies flickering through the night.
Antiqued Farmhouse Metal Down Pendant Lights
Farmhouse style makes good use of natural weathering and wear to create an authentic “lived in” feel. These pendant lights certainly fit the bill. The simple shape and worn metal look like it came right off of a country tin roof. Use warm bulbs in fixtures like this for a nice soft glow.
Wood and Mason Jar Linear Light
A linear light has multiple bulbs in a line along a single fixture or panel. This beautiful specimen uses a plank of dark stained rustic wood outfitted with Mason jars. The country feel is completed with rope wrapped around the wires to conceal them and add a little texture. This would be perfect to hang over a dining table.
Shabby Chic Shaded Pendant with Decorative Wire
Of all the kitchen lighting ideas out there, shaded pendants are a favorite choice because they really set the mood in a room. The shade disperses the light and keeps it soft, while also pulling focus to a specific area – like this kitchen island with barstools. The decorative wire adds a little extra softness and style to an otherwise minimalist fixture.
Clear Globe Pendant with Warm Light
Globe pendants make such a lovely statement. A clear globe like this one gives you the volume and gloss of a globe while still blending in with whatever decor is around it. This fixture has brass hardware and a warm bulb which add to its richness and give it a beautiful amber glow.
Wooden Ladder and Mason Jar Chandelier
If there’s one lighting fixture that’s really been transformed by recent design trends it’s got to be the chandelier. Farmhouse style has totally redefined the textures and materials you can get away with.
Warm Linear Globe Pendant Lighting Fixture
Modern and traditional meet up in a winning combination with this fixture. The copper hardware blends beautifully with the dark and rich elements throughout the kitchen. Three globes cast a warm, inviting light. This linear light is equal parts design and function, and it really pulls together the seating area at the island.
Antique Cast Iron Pulley Pendant Light
This fixture has plenty of personality. Repurposing an antique like this pulley is a striking way to make your kitchen lighting a little more interesting. The pulley is painted black and the pendants are housed in black wire frame cages. The design works for a more edgy farmhouse or traditional style, or industrial style decor.
Triple Linear Light with Glass Shades
This lighting idea is a beautiful alternative to recessed or fluorescent lighting in a space that needs plenty of bright light. The wooden base and bronzed hardware are attractive focal points. The frosted glass shades have a pretty shape to them which also helps reflect the light all around the space.
Layered Wall Sconces with Globe Lights
These kitschy sconces are full or personality and fit right in with an eclectic design theme. The gold hardware really pops, and the gold shade with a cutout pattern adds some texture. The 2nd black shade layer makes the look of these really interesting and unique. The final touch is an opaque white globe bulb that is as much a part of the design as it is the source of light.
Textured Blue Glass Pendant with Black Hardware
Blue glass casts such a lovely light when illuminated from within. The texture of this pendant makes an interesting glow pattern that’s perfect for an intimate space like a small dining nook. The black hardware is a nice choice because it’s neutral and blends nicely with the dark wood on the ceiling. Silver could work as well.
Mismatched Cake Tin Shades for Linear Pendant
Give your linear pendant fixture a shabby chic upgrade with tastefully mismatched cake tins! This is one of the most creative kitchen lighting ideas we’ve seen, and it works so well. The antique cake tins are the perfect shape for a pendant light shade, and the simple designs are already “baked in”!
Metal Pipe Linear Pendant with Decorative Wire
Industrial meets country chic in this linear pendant fixture. The metal pipe base is very simple, but also visually unique. The shades on each bulb are a simple metal wire in a geometric pattern. Since the shades are see-through, use a bulb with visual appeal to create a warm ambiance and cast light that’s not too glaringly bright.wire in a geometric pattern. Since the shades are see-through, use a bulb with visual appeal to create a warm ambiance and cast light that’s not too glaringly bright.