This is a collaborative post.
Did you know a dim kitchen can actually make you fat? According to a study by the Journal of Marketing Research, people who eat in bright rooms are 24% more likely to choose healthy and nutritious options like vegetables, grilled fish or salads. In contrast, eating and preparing your food in a dim place means you could be consuming up to 39% more calories!
Admittedly, you may not be counting your calories. However, consuming empty calories can be damaging for your body, creating vitamin deficiencies, putting additional pressure on the metabolism and immune system and, ultimately, affecting your mood.
Bearing this in mind, here are three wonderful ways to brighten up your kitchen:
Add an extension
Available space is often one of the first obstacles you face in any kitchen. While streamlined appliances make the best use of space, they can also reduce light exposure. Kitchen cabinets, fridge units and the like can block the light and make the room feel dark. However, some architects are keen to recommend kitchen extensions to create a bright and healthy cooking environment. An extension can let more light through, while making food preps less stressful.
There are numerous important aspects to consider when planning for an extension, however. Besides considering the cost and logistics of your new extension, you’ll also need to think about how best to remove any waste created during the building process. If you’ve got a large volume of heavy, bulky waste to get rid of, it can help to try and estimate your debris weight so you can work out what size of dumpster would be best to remove it.
More windows
Our kitchen windowsills are often lined with cleaning products or packed with kitchen herbs in pots and small appliances that won’t fit anywhere else. Unfortunately, in a small kitchen area, you need to make the most of every surface. As a result, the window often ends up acting like a shelf in this way.
However, the addition of a kitchen skylight can brighten the space without compromising on your kitchen herbs! With the light coming from above, you’re more likely to find the room brighter, even early in the morning or late at night, as it’s an unrestricted access point.
Be playful with your decor
Does the run-of-the-mill Magnolia paint really do it for you? No? You’re not alone. Kitchens are crucial to keeping our families healthy, often the heart of our households. Paradoxically, however, they’re also one of the least decorated rooms of the house. Due to its function, you need to prioritise purpose over style. You’d be surprised at just how much a simple splash of colour on the wall can transform the space though. Refresh the decor with funky wall art that can add a theme to your kitchen, like perhaps a nautical look, a retro vibe or American diner feel.
If you prefer using kitchen-friendly paint – in other words, a paint that’s designed to resist water and steam – a bright wall can make for a rather attractive focal accent.
Use your appliances as mirrors
Reflective materials can help to maximise light. Use these sporadically though, as you don’t want your kitchen to start looking like a mirrored room. It’s best to stay away from stainless steel units with a mirrored finish. Although brushed finished patterns are not fully reflective, they can enhance the light and make the room appear brighter. Tiled floor and wall areas can also provide a shining element, cutting through dark zones.
Adding new light fixtures to the kitchen is unlikely to create a bright environment. More often than not, a kitchen remodel project can help to inject some new life into your dark kitchen. From making an extension to capture new light to injecting some playful wall colours, there’s a lot you can do to lift the curse of the dark kitchen.
What are your tips for adding light to your kitchen? Share your ideas by commenting below.
This is a collaborative post.