6 on-trend kitchen wall lighting ideas to add ambience

Kitchen wall lighting ideas are the cherry on top for an ambient cooking environment. Adding illumination to a kitchen is vital for ensuring you can prep food and cook with ease, but kitchen lighting is also essential for creating a certain mood, whether cosy or bright and light, in your space.

Wall lighting is an underrated light source that we’ve seen popping up more frequently in kitchen ideas. From traditional styles with fabric lampshades that are easy to customise to brass shades that add an on-trend touch, there are many wall lights to suit specific schemes.

It’s not just about different styles either – where you position a kitchen wall light can have a big impact on how your kitchen design looks and performs, so we’ve spoken to experts for the smartest tips.

1. Match metals

Cabinet handles have a big impact on the overall appearance of your kitchen. They can dictate whether your scheme is more industrial, modern, classic or on-trend, so it’s an important choice.

To make your metal of choice stand out even further, match the tone of your wall lights to handles, taps and light switches. Creating a cohesive scheme, even with tiny details, will result in a cooking space that looks professionally designed.

2. Create a cosy traditional look

A simple way of warming up a kitchen is through soft furnishings – and this doesn’t have to mean cushions and sofas. Window treatments and lamp shades are a great way of bringing pattern and colour into a space, and you can coordinate these with one another or mix and match for a more eclectic look.

A wall light with a fabric shade lends itself perfectly to a more traditional kitchen scheme, particularly a pleated Ikat style. You can even match the pattern to fabric used in your living room for a subtle way of tying the two rooms together.

3. Position above open shelving

Open shelving is one of our favourite ways to add character to a kitchen. It provides the perfect place to showcase family photographs, cookbooks and your favourite pieces of crockery.

To take it to the next level, consider positioning kitchen wall lights in incremental gaps above the shelves. This will create a warm downcast light in evenings which will showcase your artfully placed knick-knacks.

‘Kitchens need to work as a multifunctional space. To achieve both functionality and style, kitchen lighting should be layered at different levels to support the variety of activities that take place, whilst also creating a lovely, cosy atmosphere when it gets dark,’ explains Mary Buchanan, creative director for Laura Ashley Lighting.

‘Wall lights can be positioned to throw beams of light around corners and shelving, helping to illuminate darker areas without taking up space. However, where space is at a premium, wall lights can also throw light upwards creating decorative beams of light that provide ambience,’ she adds.

4. Go for glass

Glass lamp shades are one of the best choices for small kitchen ideas, so if your cooking space feels cramped, opting for glass wall lights might be smart.

Wall space can often feel visually intrusive if it’s too crowded, so keeping the top half of the layout pared-back, bright and subtle will ensure it feels more airy. Plus, a glass shade means that more light is filtered outwards which is great if you have a north-faced kitchen or a space that lacks natural light.

‘Use lights that coordinate with your kitchen aesthetic, and choose designs that are as functional as they are good to look at. Bevelled glass can add a luxurious touch, as it refracts the light along your wall, whilst velvet shades on an armed wall light can be unashamedly luxurious,’ Mary explains.

5. Keep it classic with candlelight

While kitchen wall lighting can provide much-needed brightness for dark corners and areas that need more accessibility, they’re also a great option for a style-first update.

A traditional wall sconce with room for pillar candles will be the perfect touch to a country kitchen. It can be used purely for decorative purposes but if you’re looking to add a warm glow to your evening routine, lighting the candles will create a super snug feel. You could even opt for battery-operated candlesticks to make life simpler. We love these remote-controlled pillar candles from Amazon.

6. Add a rustic touch

Rattan has been all the rage in recent years, so why not incorporate this kitchen trend into your light fittings? For a rustic kitchen design, layering natural materials will made a design feel organic, homely and welcoming.

Different wood tones are key to making a countryside scheme look natural, so contrast rattan lampshades with wooden chopping boards and handmade pottery in ochre shades to add dimension.

This raffia wall light from Laredoute has an on-trend scallop edge and will sit flush to a wall, emitting a warm light from the natural weave.

FAQs

What light looks best in a kitchen?

Getting kitchen lighting right relies on balancing both style and practicality. Of course, the fitting should be a style that suits your space but it’s also important to consider the bulb brightness, positioning and bulb colour too.

‘The number of lumens you need for your lighting will depend on the particular space in question and what you are lighting. As a general rule, a kitchen wall lighting which needs more task lighting can require around 70-80 lumens,’ explains Ian Cameron, founder and creative director at Cameron Design House.

‘For accent lighting like illuminating an artwork in the kitchen, I’d avoid opting for a light with a high measurement of lumens as you generally want to softly showcase something. Installing zoned lighting with variable brightness in an open plan kitchen will bring versatility to the space which can be lit to fit different moods and uses,’ he adds.

Focusing warm ambient lighting around decorative areas like open shelving or dining spaces will help to create a cosy and homely aesthetic. Alternatively, having bright white bulbs located above a work surface will make it a practical space for food prep and cooking.

Have you been convinced to give kitchen wall lighting a try? Combined with the right ceiling lights, your cooking space will be ambient and perfectly illuminated in all the right places.