Kitchen lighting ideas for a small kitchen

Are you looking for a new way to brighten up your small kitchen? Investing in some interesting lights can really help you add a level of sophistication and visual appeal.

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Whether you decide to use LED strips underneath cabinets to illuminate countertops or ceiling lights with flush mounts, the difference new lighting makes can be huge.

It's important to choose wisely when you have a modestly sized kitchen, as certain types of lighting, like oversized fixtures, for example, can make the space feel crowded.

In this guide, we'll show you which lighting ideas could work in your small kitchen.

Under-cabinet LED lighting

This kind of lighting can give your kitchen a polished, modern look, while also helping you make use of available working space.

Unlike overhead lights, which usually cast shadows beneath cabinets, these lights illuminate the areas, allowing you to use them for food preparation and other activities.

LED lighting is also long-lasting and environmentally friendly, and its minimalistic nature ensures it doesn't interfere with your overall kitchen design, making it a great choice for many people.

Toe-kick lighting

Similar to under-cabinet lighting in that it focuses light in certain areas to give a stylish yet functional glow, toe-kick lighting is another possibility in small kitchens.

Like under-cabinet lighting, this design also involves using LED strips, but on the toe kicks of cabinets and kitchen islands.

It adds a nice modern flair while also creating a floating effect that makes small kitchens look more spacious. Plus, it improves safety in low-light conditions.

You can also combine under-cabinet lighting with toe-kick lighting to achieve a very cool, futuristic effect, such as the one shown in the picture above.

Recessed lighting

Recessed lighting makes it look as though light is shining through a hole in the roof, with the light built into a hollow opening in the ceiling.

This design is perfect for small kitchens where maintaining an uncluttered aesthetic is essential because recessed lights don't take up any additional space.

It acts as a good general light source, ensuring your kitchen is evenly lit. You can also zone your kitchen more easily with these lights, allowing you to illuminate specific sections of the kitchen without saturating it with light.

Small pendant lights

Pendant lights, such as those shown here, can work well in small kitchens if you place them strategically.

Depending on how much space you have to work with, you could hang one or two pendant lights in the centre of the kitchen, or you could position them over key areas, like the sink.

By drawing the eye upward, pendant lights can create the illusion of height and space. If you decide to go with this lighting option, be sure to choose a design that fits with the rest of the kitchen.

Spotlights

Spotlights are good for small kitchens because you can aim them at key areas, such as the sink and countertops, without overwhelming the space with too much light.

They're also versatile because you can adjust the spotlight to aim light elsewhere if you need to, which isn't possible with lights that are fixed in place.

You can also have spotlights recessed, meaning they sit in a hollow cavity in the ceiling, to prevent them from hanging too low and save vertical space.

Lighting inside cabinets

As a complementary lighting solution, you could install some LED strips or another kind of lighting inside cabinets, which looks fantastic and also makes finding items a whole lot easier!

Combine this with some toe-kick and under-cabinet lighting and you could create something highly unique and interesting, as well as energy efficient.

Many appliance garages, which are another space-saving kitchen solution, have lighting on the inside.

Installing one of these could help you kill two birds with one stone, giving you interesting new kitchen lighting and a more efficient way to use your kitchen space.

Bring back candles

Whether real or artificial, adding some candles to your kitchen can help you save on energy costs, make better use of available space, and add an old-fashioned, romantic touch to the space.

If you have any unused corner nooks, you could install a sleek wall mount for the candles, or even a hook for a hanging candle lamp.

It might not be the most practical when you're fumbling around in the dark trying to light the candles, so it's probably best to either use faux candles or pair them with another lighting solution, like a small lamp.

Display lighting

If you have open shelves, display lights can help you turn them into an awesome focal point and highlight your items as if they're in a gallery.

These subtle lights sit above the objects on the shelves to accentuate them, so they're best used when you have some interesting items on display or even some sparkly wine glasses.

Besides creating a sense of depth and dimension in the kitchen, these lights make it easy to grab things off the shelf and create a warm and welcoming ambiance.

Fairy lights

Whether you're looking to do something new and interesting for the holiday season or make a permanent change, fairy lights are an excellent choice for those with small kitchens.

One trend you could try out involves putting battery-powered fairy lights into jars and placing them around the kitchen, or even hanging them.

The trick is to loosely coil the lights into the jar to ensure the light is distributed evenly. These create a warm and almost magical effect, hence the name.