Got a kitchen that doesn’t get enough natural light and is too dark for comfort? Wondering how to brighten a dark kitchen without windows or how to brighten up a small dark kitchen?
Take inspiration from these brilliant ideas to make up for the lack of natural light in your kitchen. You may not have the option of rebuilding your kitchen to let in more light – but you could try these super cool ideas to brighten up a dark kitchen.
- Add Glass or Metallic Backsplash to Brighten up a Dark Kitchen
- Use Metallic Accent Pieces
- Mount a Mirror
- Avoid Dark Cabinets
- Whitewash the Kitchen
- Brighten up a Dark Kitchen with Overhead Lighting
- Brighter Lamps for a Brighter Kitchen
- Add Bright Pops of Colour
- Opt for Open Shelving to Brighten up a Dark Kitchen
- Add a Light-Coloured Kitchen Island
How to Brighten up a Dark Kitchen: 10 Effective Tips
Add Glass or Metallic Backsplash to Brighten up a Dark Kitchen
A basic solution to the question of how to lighten up a dark kitchen is to pick glass tiles or metallic ones for your kitchen backsplash. These will reflect light and add a glow to your kitchen while looking stylish.
Install a clear glass backsplash, or get a coloured backsplash done by painting the section of the wall and covering it with glass.
Metal backsplashes come in stainless steel, copper, and brass. Go for a hammered metal one for a more artisanal appeal.
Use Metallic Accent Pieces
Reflective surfaces are the best hacks to increase the feeling of brightness in any room. You could get appliances with a metallic finish – a fridge, cooking range, teapot, toaster, coffee maker or any other device that comes in steel or metallic finishes.
You could even go a step further and install good quality, stainless steel kitchen countertop that is easy to maintain to brighten up a dark kitchen in the most basic way.
Mount a Mirror
Try the oldest decorating trick any designer would swear by to brighten up a dark kitchen – using a mirror to reflect light and create an illusion of more light and space.
Pick a modern, sleek one, a vintage metallic framed one, or a distressed wood framed mirror, depending on the rest of your kitchen décor. Or get a statement piece like the one above.
Try to mount it opposite, near a window, or the biggest source of light in the kitchen, so it can reflect the maximum light.
Avoid Dark Cabinets
Dark cabinets can be a stunning style statement in some kitchens – but stay away from them if your main problem in the kitchen is low light.
Get lighter-shaded cabinets – in whites or pastels – or paint them in lighter shades. You could even go for brighter, bolder hues like a yellow and white cabinet. We guarantee it will do wonders to brighten up a dark kitchen.
Whitewash the Kitchen
Another option is to white out the entire kitchen; white walls, ceilings, cabinets, tiles, countertops, and appliances. This will need some extra maintenance to keep it shiny and clean all the time – but it’s ideal if you can go the mile to keep it clean.
It will help create a fresh-looking space and effectively brighten up a dark kitchen.
Will it look too whitewashed?
Add some pops of colour in the form of accents – colourful cabinet door knobs, lampshades, flowers, rustic wood elements, and so on. You’ll have a lovely, bright kitchen which is in no way plain white or boring.
Brighten up a Dark Kitchen with Overhead Lighting
Besides proper lighting fixtures on the walls, it is important to have overhead ones to spread the light better in your kitchen.
Install a couple of pendant lamps, flush-mount ceiling lamps, or a decorative semi-flush-mount chandelier. You can even try recessed lighting or elegant track lights.
Overhead lighting could also come in the form of under-the-cabinet track lights – choose fluorescent tube lights or LED lights.
Surf the internet for kitchen lighting ideas for small kitchens. This can be a flashy and effective way to brighten up a dark kitchen.
Brighter Lamps for a Brighter Kitchen
An obvious one, right? This could be your simplest trick to add more light. Buy bulbs and tube lights with more wattage – as much as you are comfortable with but enough that they brighten up a dark kitchen.
You can take inspiration for small kitchen lighting ideas online and decorate your kitchen so it looks welcoming.
Add Bright Pops of Colour
If you’ve ever wondered how to brighten a dark kitchen without painting, this idea is for you!
Bright hues can add vibrancy to a dark kitchen simply by lifting the overall vibe of the space.
Bring in your choice of visual distraction with a bright-hued vase, ceramics, or a stunning piece of art. You could also add brighter-coloured cabinets, a vibrantly patterned backsplash, or even a designer ceramic sink!
Just make sure to choose the right colours to brighten a dark kitchen.
Opt for Open Shelving to Brighten up a Dark Kitchen
You would need closed cupboards in your kitchen to store things, but try to reduce the amount of closed shelving. Let your kitchen walls breathe with some open shelving on the top.
Display your cool china, cookware, ceramics, and recipe books on them. This will also ensure that your personality is reflected in the kitchen.
Add a Light-Coloured Kitchen Island
If you have dark flooring and can’t change it, go for a light-coloured kitchen island to brighten things up. Distract the eye by making the island centre-stage and brighten a dark kitchen. 
Conclusion
Don Your Chef Hat in a Brighter Kitchen! These cool ideas will not only help you brighten up a dark kitchen but will also help you inject some personality to make your kitchen feel like home.
Get help from the HomeLane experts with years of experience transforming kitchens. We can help with:
- L shaped modular kitchen
- U shaped modular kitchen
- Straight modular kitchen
- Parallel modular kitchen
- Island modular kitchen
- PVC modular kitchen
- Low-budget modular kitchen
- Acrylic modular kitchen
- Semi modular kitchen
Talk to us today to know more!
FAQs
1. What Is the Best Lighting for a Dark Kitchen?
If you have a small modular kitchen that is dark, then the best way to light it up is to use under-the-cabinet lighting. You can choose from fluorescent light bars, puck lights, or LED light bars for brightness.
2. How Can I Lighten a Dark Countertop?
One simple solution to the question of how to brighten up a kitchen with dark countertops is to have all-new white cabinets installed! You can also get recessed lighting fixtures installed for a serene ambience.
3. How Can I Brighten My Kitchen on a Budget?
Replace the blinds with lighter, more translucent curtains to allow natural sunlight into the kitchen. You can replace your light bulbs with brighter ones for a very nominal price.
4. How Can I Make My Kitchen Look Bigger and Brighter?
An effective way to make your kitchen look bigger is to hang mirrors! Mirrors create an illusion of more space and light and are quite economical too.
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