Lamps Plus Designers Identify Top Kitchen Lighting Trends for Home Improvement

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Lighting can transform the kitchen

Kitchen lighting projects can be fun and easy – Find your style and run with it!

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) June 29, 2012

Homeowners are increasingly looking for low-cost, low-labor projects such as a kitchen lighting makeover to spruce up their spaces. Most experts will agree: in good markets and bad, improvements add to the resale value of a home. Minor improvements can often promise the most return on investment. In light of this, the design team at Lamps Plus has identified a handful of easy-to-install ideas, from the hottest new trends to lasting classics, to revamp the kitchen well in advance of the holiday entertaining season.
Large pendant lights are a bright new style for the kitchen. “Oversized pendants add a dramatic look. Line them up in a row over the island or try an industrial style to give your kitchen a modern restaurant feel,” explains Lamps Plus blogger and designer Marcia Prentice. “If you want an extra personal look, design your own lamp shade with Lamps Plus’ custom giclee art shades.”

For an equally dramatic focal point to the room, mini pendant lights can be just as effective as large ones. Lesley Myrick, designer and writer for the Lamps Plus blog, explains how: “I love clusters of mini-pendants in the kitchen and dining room. You can hang them precisely for a refined look, or better yet, mix and match colors and styles and hang them at varying heights for an eclectic aesthetic. No longer relegated to neat little rows above the bar or island, these fun lights can put a personal stamp on your space.”

Perhaps the hottest trend in home interiors right now is the cage light, a design most consumers associate more with the garage than the kitchen. “Despite their industrial history, modern cage lights can actually create an intimate feel in the home,” says Lamps Plus designer Michael Murphy. “With beautiful new designs in attractive finishes like bronze, chrome and deep rust patinas, these interior ‘work lights’ are a stylish reminder of the kitchen’s central role in home living.”

Track lighting has long been the standard bearer in versatile kitchen lighting. Modern track lights, such as monorail lighting kits which can curve and snake to fit virtually any ceiling, offer even more flexibility. “These kits are a great long-term solution for the style savvy home decorator. You can easily adjust your lights at any time for perfect lighting,” says Murphy, “and when you’re ready to redo your kitchen years from now, you can simply swap out the pendants for a brand new look.”

The finishing touch on a well-lit kitchen is the piece that goes unseen: the under cabinet light. “Just because you can’t see the fixtures, don’t underestimate the effect these lights can have on a kitchen remodel,” explains Myrick. “Tucked-away discreetly, they add a sense of depth and texture to the kitchen that can be the difference between blasé and beautiful,” says Myrick. “Try using an LED under cabinet light fixture for an energy efficient light that’s bright and easy to work beneath.” Battery powered puck lights offer consumers an easy-to-install option for small spaces that can’t support an entire fixture.

“Kitchen lighting projects can be fun and easy - Find your style and run with it,” encourages Myrick. “If you like the results, you can apply what you learned to any other room in the house.”

About Lamps Plus
For more than 30 years, Lamps Plus has been synonymous with excellence in the lighting retail industry. Established in 1976, Lamps Plus is the nation's largest specialty online lighting store with more than 40 superstores throughout the western United States. Together with their retail lighting stores and online business, Lamps Plus serves customers nationwide with the largest selection of functional and decorative lighting fixtures, accessories, furniture and home décor. This selection includes hundreds of products available exclusively from Lamps Plus. Services include in-home lighting consultations, in-store lighting workshops and installation from expert, licensed electricians. American Lighting Association certified lighting designers are available to offer product recommendations and lighting advice in all our stores, by phone or online at LampsPlus.com.

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