A well-illuminated kitchen looks very attractive and is comfortable to work in. Natural light can illuminate your kitchen and make it look big and brighter. If your kitchen does not have many avenues to bring in natural light, Dr Prem Jagyasi shares some tips given below to let in natural light into your kitchen.
Add windows
The most obvious way to bring in natural light is wide window. If your kitchen does not have big windows, try to widen the existing one. Add a few more windows to the kitchen if the architecture permits you to do so. Although adding artificial lights is much cheaper than adding windows, but the natural light will bring a very positive effect into your kitchen, and it will be a worthwhile investment.
Have skylights
You can add skylights to your kitchen, if widening of windows is not possible. Skylights are windows on the roof that bring tremendous amount of natural light into your kitchen. The north or east-facing skylight is considered good, as it brings large amount of light into the kitchen throughout the day. South facing skylight brings in a lot of heat, which may not be a good idea in summers. West facing skylights bring too much glare into the kitchen and make the kitchen hot too. You can install solar tubes that reflect sunlight into your kitchen through a tube.
Add glass doors
Using glass doors instead of wooden ones is a good option. These doors let in a lot of sunlight and act as extended windows. If privacy is an issue, use frosted glass, which will maintain privacy and let in light as well.
Remove the separating wall
If the room adjoining kitchen is well lit, you can consider removing the wall separating the room to let in some light from that room. The open floor plan opens the things up tremendously.
Remove drapery
If you have dark drapery on the window, consider replacing it with sheer or lighter material. Heavy materials and dark fabric absorb much of the natural light and make the space look dark and heavy. If privacy is not an issue, remove the drapery altogether.
Consider other options
Paint your kitchen cabinets white or lighter shade. Dark colors absorb more light than lighter colors. Instead of using one central light, use task lights wherever needed. Task lighting is built into the kitchen appliances such as chimney and refrigerator. Lights can be mounted over the stove, over the sink, eat at counters, and will illuminate the specific area whenever needed.
Summary:
If you are looking to brighten your gloomy kitchen, you should try to make use of natural light as much as possible, as it not just illuminates your cooking space but also helps in sustaining the environment.
