Expert Talk: 10 Reasons to Hang a Chandelier in the Kitchen
Unexpected? Sure. Incongruent? Not at all. Professional designers explain why a chandelier can work in kitchens from traditional to modern
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Once upon a time, the kitchen was the most utilitarian room in the house. Function, of course, is still important. But these days, designer touches don't stop at the kitchen door, and chandeliers aren't just for dining rooms.
| Create a center of attention. "This kitchen was designed to bring a symmetrical balance to the back, windowed wall," says Marlene Wangenheim of Interiors By Design. "All the materials, though rich, were very played down— for example, the white quartz stone countertops and the Calacatta marble brick tile with mother-of-pearl in the backsplash." "The chandelier brings your eye immediately to the center of the room, and then the tour begins," she adds. "The glitz of the chandelier also balances the serene color palette by contrasting it and giving it a wow effect." |
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by Natalie Du Bois
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| Mix soft and hard. "My inspiration for hanging this black antique chandelier was to add a sense of sophistication and elegance to the kitchen space," says New Zealand designer Natalie Du Bois of Du Bois Design. "It also softens and offsets the hard, solid masculine materials used in the kitchen." |
by ABCD Design LLC
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Emphasize repetition and balance. "I decided to do a black Hungarian crystal chandelier in the kitchen because this is a loft, and the dining area was in an 'L' off of the kitchen," says Amy Beth Cupp Dragoo of ABCD Design. "You could see the two smaller clear crystal chandeliers over the dining table from every angle in both areas."
"Repetition, balance and scale are all important elements in a good design, so I felt I was left no choice," she explains. "I had two clear smaller ones on one side, so I had to have a large one on the opposite side. I also wanted the fixture to stand out against the white wood hood and kitchen cabinets, and it needed to play off the black enamel Viking range. We already had black and white happening throughout the kitchen, and I felt the clear crystal wouldn't pop like the black would. It was the obvious choice for the room."
"Repetition, balance and scale are all important elements in a good design, so I felt I was left no choice," she explains. "I had two clear smaller ones on one side, so I had to have a large one on the opposite side. I also wanted the fixture to stand out against the white wood hood and kitchen cabinets, and it needed to play off the black enamel Viking range. We already had black and white happening throughout the kitchen, and I felt the clear crystal wouldn't pop like the black would. It was the obvious choice for the room."
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| Accent the cabinets. "Our homeowners wanted a hint of sophistication yet wanted to play up the farmhouse look in the kitchen," says Amy Krieger of Oakley Home Builders. "The white cabinetry is accentuated with the use of crystal chandeliers. These glamorous fixtures add elegance while keeping with the theme of the kitchen." |
| Add elegance. "The chandelier gives this space a formal, sophisticated ambience," says Grace Kelly, principal at Kitchen Designs by Ken Kelly. "It was designed to bring elegance into a traditional eat-in kitchen and serve as a stylistic focal point." |
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Complement the island. This kitchen is in a stately 1920s mansion. "Kitchens in those types of houses were originally only used by the staff, not by the homeowners, and were therefore dark, tiny, impractical in layout, and the space was broken up by a lot of doors leading to the basement, the servants' quarters, and butler's pantry," says Ines Hanl of The Sky is the Limit Design. Her challenge was to create a space that was in keeping with the grand lines of such a home without making major modifications to the available square footage.
"I had room for a 4-foot by 4-foot island, and the homeowner requested that it be more like a table rather then a typical island with base cabinets. Because of its design, choosing an antique chandelier was very fitting for the island. Although the chandelier isn't really necessary for illuminating the space, it does serve as a beautiful, glowing eye catcher, and it defines the airspace exquisitely. I made sure to put plenty of pot lights and under-cabinet lights into the space, so it would function without the chandelier as well."
"I had room for a 4-foot by 4-foot island, and the homeowner requested that it be more like a table rather then a typical island with base cabinets. Because of its design, choosing an antique chandelier was very fitting for the island. Although the chandelier isn't really necessary for illuminating the space, it does serve as a beautiful, glowing eye catcher, and it defines the airspace exquisitely. I made sure to put plenty of pot lights and under-cabinet lights into the space, so it would function without the chandelier as well."
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| Fit the space. "Because of the size of this kitchen and the height of the ceiling, we needed a fixture that not only had the appropriate width, but also height," says Kristin Petro of Kristin Petro Interiors. "With its tiered design, a chandelier fits the space perfectly. In addition, the white cabinetry and backsplash provide a neutral backdrop, which lets the intricate style of the chandelier really pop." |
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| Highlight historical flair. Charlie Simmons of Charlie & Co. Design says that in this kitchen, "the chandeliers were inspired by the wish of the homeowner to have a traditional kitchen that fit into the fabric of their historically important home, but still have a bit of flair." |
Layer your lighting. "In the last five years we’ve seen a huge change in the way that our clients look at kitchen lighting," notes Heather Moe of Design Moe Kitchen & Bath. "While function is still important, we now layer the lighting to give homeowners an extraordinary flexibility of effect. We routinely have seven levels of illumination: countertop and general lighting, under-cabinet task lighting, over-cabinet up lighting, accent cabinet lighting, some supporting sconce fixtures (mounted on walls or on cabinets), ceiling lighting and — to top it all off — a central accent fixture, usually something pretty and eye catching at the room’s focal point."
"Because the chandelier is not the primary source of illumination, it has instead become the cherry in the sundae. As a result, we've found that we can get a little more whimsical, a little sillier. And in a special, decorative kitchen such as this Rancho Santa Fe interior, there’s nothing like the high-powered bling of a Swarovski crystal chandelier."
"Because the chandelier is not the primary source of illumination, it has instead become the cherry in the sundae. As a result, we've found that we can get a little more whimsical, a little sillier. And in a special, decorative kitchen such as this Rancho Santa Fe interior, there’s nothing like the high-powered bling of a Swarovski crystal chandelier."
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| Play with the unexpected. "I love a little bit of surprise in a room, and of course hanging a chandelier gives me just that," says Robin Denker of Kitchens By Design. "A little bit of bling, something unexpected, like using clear prism lightbulbs in a chandelier." More: How to Get the Pendant Lights Right |
Ideabook published on April 26, 2012.
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I love the idea of chandeliers in the kitchen. I've been trying to figure out how I can incorporate one in my kitchen. We're in the beginning stages of planning our lighting needs in our kitchen when remodel. It's not going to be a total gut, but we're going to be moving things around and adding electrical, which means more light.
marcie
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Chandleries add glitz and glamour, not a fan of having lights shining in our faces. More effective if hung high, or small LED wattages or no lites and install overhead recessed cam ceiling light, to shine thru the diffusion of the hanging enhancement.