How to Turn Your Kitchen into The Ultimate Entertainment Hub

There’s a reason why every one of our favorite family sitcoms from the 80s and 90s was usually focused around the kitchen. 

The kitchen is the center of the home and the place likely to incur the most foot traffic. Whether those feet belong to snacking types or stay-at-home parents with a lot to do every day, the kitchen is always humming with activity. That doesn’t even consider the many families that prefer to gather at the kitchen table to eat dinner every day!

As is fitting for a place where there is usually a lot of activity, the kitchen is built around utility as its main function. Aesthetic and accents are usually left to the wayside, often to make sure that when your cooking or cleaning that such activities are made to be as safe as possible. Kitchens, unfortunately, haven’t really changed much in the past twenty years as a result of this need to have function over form, with a lot of the same design choices being made, often under the mantra that “if it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it.”

While that’s all well and good, the problem lies in the fact that the average kitchen serves a lot more function than simply being a place to make some grub. Kitchens have become social spaces and the need to execute on that idea is more apparent with every awkward housewarming and dinner party. 

So while others may be content to stick with what they have and choose to persevere with a kitchen that makes everyone want to leave early, we at Steel Lighting Co. are adamant to change the fortunes of house-party throwers that know there is surely a better way. 

So read on, fair reader, and see for yourself what can be done to turn a kitchen from drab to fab!

Island Living

If you watch any home renovation shows, you’ll notice pretty quickly that, when it comes to the kitchen, there’s a pretty dominant theme happening – kitchen islands. 

Man, kitchen islands are popular these days. It’s pretty obvious why that is though. For one, kitchen islands open up the space of a kitchen massively and create a more three-dimensional experience for hosts and guests. Seating arrangements can be more malleable while open-plan living can be enhanced greatly. 

The advent of kitchen islands means that a certain style of lighting has made a triumphant comeback of sorts to the home – ceiling lightings! While down-lights may still be super popular, more conventional ceiling lights have returned in a big way and are perfect for providing an excellent source of light for kitchen owners looking to expand their horizons. 

Highlight Fixtures

One of the biggest strengths of ceiling lights compared to down-lights is their ability to become a feature in themselves. 

Pendant fixtures have become increasingly complex as a result, with all manner of designs and styles growing in popularity to make up for increasing demand. One of the most enduring styles has, of course, been the mighty farmhouse light. 

Steel Lighting Co.’s collection of farmhouse and barn-style fixtures are perfect as additions to just about any style of kitchen, from Hilton to industrial. In particular, we wholly recommend the Carson or Rose Bowl ceiling fixtures. Both lights are great examples of what a large and straightforward design can achieve. Both lights thrive in modern kitchen environments and make themselves the perfect addition to an island. 

Ceiling lights themselves can be customized to a much greater degree than simple downlights, allowing a lot more of your personality and style to show through their design. Details, such as the fixture style and the color, are perfect ways to bring a pop of personality to the home and create a stunning centerpiece for the rest of the house. 

Green Thumb

Houseplants are one of the most underrated tools in any interior decorator’s collection. Humans love being outside; it’s a simple fact. Studies show that humans generally live happier and healthier lives when surrounded by the outdoors; simply standing barefoot on a patch of grass for 20 minutes every day is enough to boost your life expectancy by a few years!

To that end, adding a few bits of domesticated flora to your kitchen can be a smart move and create the perfect atmosphere for entertaining. Guests want to relax and feel at ease in your home, and having a few houseplants on the counters or your island is a perfect way to put everyone at ease subtly. 

If that isn’t enough, houseplants are great at reducing the presence of prevalent odors in any room they’re in, something a kitchen might have if the dishes haven’t been done soon enough!

Bring In the Color

People are visual creatures; it’s something you become achingly aware of in the lighting business. If there’s one thing that humans respond to visually, other than light, it’s color. Color is a massive influence on how people perceive their surroundings, and light has a significant impact on how those colors are seen. 

The most significant way to influence color in your home, other than breaking out the paint can and brush, is to start thinking about the type of light you’re creating with your light fixtures. 

Generally speaking, light color is measured as “color temperature” and is typically measured in Kelvins (K). The higher the temperature, the more intense and colorless the light will be. Conversely, the lower the temperature, the warmer and more “orange” the light will be perceived. 

Warmer light is more closely associated with the later afternoon or twilight conditions, creating a response in most humans of relaxation and ease. The body signals to the brain that it’s time to start thinking about going to bed. Conversely, brighter light with a higher color temperature is closer in appearance to daylight, which stimulates the body, potentially creating a sense of restlessness and tension in the brain. 

Kitchens are task heavy spaces, generally speaking. This means they typically need lights that are as bright and color neutral as possible. However, it might be worth considering adding some additional fixtures that can be adjusted to create a warmer light if you’re entertaining. 

And that’s it for this edition of the Steel Lighting Co. Blog!

If you need help making the right choice of lighting for your home or business, then contact our friendly team at Steel Lighting Co.,  our friendly team of experts would be more than happy to give some advice and recommendations on what kind of steel barn light can best suit your home or business needs.