10 Ways To Make A Dark Kitchen Feel Brighter

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There's something uniquely cozy about a dark room. Low lights and dark colors are moody and comfortable, making you want to curl up for a nap or relax with a book and a cup of tea. But not every room in the house is meant to evoke a sense of sleepy dreaminess, least of all the kitchen. A dimly lit kitchen makes cooking a challenge and increases the chance of injury, and it can make the room feel smaller and dingier. When a kitchen is shrouded in darkness, it becomes nearly impossible to spot bits of food, dirt, and dust hiding in crevices, leading to a less-than-sanitary cooking environment.

Maybe you're tired of prepping meals in a shadowy corner, are trying to make your kitchen seem larger, or you're just sick of cooking in a room that feels like a haunted house — whatever the reason may be, it's easier to brighten up a dim, windowless kitchen than you might think. In this list, we'll explore a few tips to add a sense of invigorating light into a dark kitchen. Some of these tips involve reworking your room entirely, so you can start cooking and eating in a bright, fresh space. Other tips are budget-friendly and can be done in a day — no remodeling required. So, let's dive into these tips for the window-deprived among us, and quit cooking in the shadow realm.

The most obvious (and sometimes the easiest) way to brighten up a dim kitchen is to change the room's current lighting situation. Lighting can make or break any room in your house, especially the kitchen, where adequate light isn't just a style choice that keeps a kitchen from looking dated, but also a safety measure. First, check the maximum wattage on your current kitchen lights and make sure that you're using the brightest bulbs possible. If your kitchen still feels too dark and dingy after replacing some bulbs, consider installing pendant lights above an island or pendants as task lights over the area of the counter where you tend to do most of your prepping. Lamps in a breakfast nook, on the shelf of a serving hatch, or even on top of cabinets are a cheaper option compared to pendants or all-new overhead lights.

Instead of opting for a few extra-bright lights that might make your kitchen feel like a fluorescent supermarket, you can keep the mood comfortable while working around bad lighting by stocking up on plenty of lamps, pendants, and overhead lights with soft, warm bulbs. Or, to prevent your kitchen from feeling too bright and cold, you can try baseboard spotlights or LED strip baseboard lighting to create a soft glow at floor level, enhancing safety and giving your kitchen a cozy, ethereal quality. Choose dimmable bulbs for the kitchen, that way you can keep the room bright while cooking and go for a low, romantic mood when sitting down to eat or relaxing at the island or breakfast bar.

You don't often find mirrors in the kitchen, but when the task at hand is to increase brightness, a mirror can be the quickest, simplest, and cheapest way to go about infusing a space with light. The trick is to opt for one large mirror as opposed to multiple smaller ones. Pick out a large round, square, or rectangular mirror — whichever suits your room the best. Most kitchens have a lot of square or rectangular shapes (think cabinets, tables, or an island), so you might want to choose a round mirror to add contrast and not let your kitchen feel too boxy.

Choose an extra-large mirror with either no frame or a simple frame. Ornate frames can distract from the mirror's reflecting abilities and have the opposite effect from what you're trying to achieve. After picking out a large mirror that suits your space, make sure to hang it in a way that it will reflect the minimal natural light in your kitchen, or the artificial light if there are no windows — this is the most important step. If the mirror isn't reflecting the light, it could end up making the room feel even darker. If you aren't getting the amount of reflected brightness that you were hoping for from your mirror, try adding a lamp in front of the mirror to increase the glow in your kitchen.

An excessive amount of dark colors is a one-way ticket to a dark kitchen, and the cabinet color is usually the most prominent color in the kitchen. Dark-colored wood or laminate cabinets can look beautiful in a lot of kitchens, but in a small space with minimal natural light, they may not be the best choice. They can make the room feel small and dark, like you're prepping dinner in a cave that just so happens to smell like a fresh bolognese sauce.

So, if you're stuck with dark-colored cabinets, try swapping them out for lighter-colored versions, like matte white minimalist cabinets or shaker cabinets in a light color that matches the rest of the room. Or — since replacing cabinets is easily the most expensive part of remodeling a kitchen — simply paint the cabinets that you already have. First, check that your cabinets are made of a material that's paint-friendly, and then choose a color your heart desires — just remember to keep the look light and bright. White is an iconic color for any kitchen, and white cabinets allow room for experimenting with bold color schemes in the walls or decor. Or, pick a light color for your cabinets that works well with the floors, countertops, or backsplash. Make sure to choose a semi-gloss paint, since this will make your cabinets easier to wipe clean when they fall victim to the inevitable sauce splash.

If your kitchen has a window or two, but it doesn't feel like it offers enough natural light to create a bright, airy kitchen, make sure that the lack of light isn't caused by obstructions in front of the windows. This is by far the easiest and most inexpensive way to let more light into your room. Try moving furniture around so that it isn't blocking the windows, or removing large items from windowsills that might be blocking the sun's rays. Even if your kitchen windows are north-facing, moving objects and furniture can still let in a bit more natural light and help your kitchen feel less sad and dark.

You can also maximize natural light by removing any heavy curtains from your kitchen windows. Naturally, a curtain-less window will let in the most light, but if you still want some privacy, opt for sheer or light-colored, macramé-style curtains to let in a bit of light while still obstructing the view of your kitchen from outside. Of course, the best way to maximize bright, natural sunlight in your kitchen is to go for a full remodel and install full-length windows or skylights — but start by making sure your current windows are unobstructed before taking on that pricy and extremely time-consuming project.

One of the best ways to change the entire look of a room — including giving it a brighter appearance — is to paint it. This isn't as expensive as replacing cabinets and furniture, but it can create just as drastic (if not more so) of a difference in style. You can't go wrong with a timeless white kitchen, which instantly brightens up a room and allows for plenty of customization with furniture and decor. If white isn't your style, stick with cool tones for the kitchen walls. Cool colors, like blues and greens, are classic kitchen colors and are known for their receding effect, making the room feel bigger and brighter. Choose light shades of cool colors to give the room a luminous, cozy glow.

Once you pick out a color for the walls, choose the same color in a slightly lighter shade for the ceiling; this also makes the room feel brighter and more expansive by tricking the eye into thinking that the ceiling is higher than it actually is. For the finish, reflective semi-gloss is a must for increasing the brightness in a room. Stick with semi-gloss as opposed to high-gloss for the walls, since high-gloss is more likely to highlight imperfections. If your budget allows, try complementing the fresh coat of paint with matching cabinet hardware or with the backsplash color to tie the new, bright walls into the rest of the kitchen's design.

It certainly isn't as simple as moving a houseplant away from a window or even slapping on a fresh coat of paint, but building a serving hatch (otherwise known as a pass-through) in your kitchen is well worth the effort. A serving hatch is an open area in a wall, usually with a sill or small countertop, that opens out into a dining area or living room. It's designed to pass food and drinks easily from the kitchen to family members or guests in the next room over, but it also serves as a way to allow light from the adjoining room into the kitchen. A large window-like opening also makes the kitchen feel much bigger than it actually is, which in turn leads to a brighter, airier space.

Before you start on your serving hatch project, identify which wall you'll want to build the hatch in. Bonus brightness points if the wall faces a large window in the other room, like a sliding glass door in the dining area or bay windows in the living room. You'll need to make sure that this wall isn't load-bearing before getting to work. Once it's done, you'll have more counter space to cook on or a nice new space for adding kitchen houseplants and other decor. The serving hatch is slowly but surely coming back into style, so don't think of your project as simply a way to let more light in; it's also a great opportunity to keep your kitchen up-to-date with trendy, mid-century modern appeal.

A backsplash can make or break a kitchen, and it can also be the reason that your kitchen feels bright and spacious. If you don't want to paint your dark-colored cabinets or paint the walls white or another light color, you can infuse your space with light by choosing a bright backsplash for visual contrast. First, choose what material you'd like for your backsplash. Something pale in color and reflective works best for making a space feel bright. Opt for glass to achieve a shiny, reflective look, or pick metal, which may not be as light in color but will still reflect natural and artificial light. Or, to really enhance the brightness and spaciousness of your kitchen, go big with a classy (and ultra-reflective) mirrored backsplash.

If your budget won't allow for a pricy reflective material in the backsplash, anything in a light color works almost as well. Go for a bright, patterned wallpaper or use budget-friendly tiles for a white subway tile or chevron pattern. You can even try out a vinyl, peel-and-stick adhesive backsplash in white, beige, cream, or a pale grey. These are generally inexpensive and easy to clean, and if you don't like the look of the backsplash, they're easy to swap out for something new.

Under-cabinet lighting typically functions as task lights, shining down on the countertops where you'll likely be prepping meals so you can see everything you're doing and mitigate the chance of injury. But they're also one of the cheapest ways to make a kitchen look bougie, adding layered light to make a dark kitchen feel brighter. Pair them with baseboard bulbs for a particularly classy look that also functions as night lights. Some are motion-activated, so you don't have to worry about fumbling for a switch when you come into the kitchen in the dead of night for a glass of water or a midnight snack.

When picking out under-cabinet lights, aim for dimmable LEDs so that you can leave them on all the time but still have the freedom to adjust the color temperature and brightness to fit the mood. Use a brighter, cooler setting when using under-cabinet lights as task lighting and a dimmer, warmer setting to help your kitchen feel airy while keeping the comfy atmosphere of a warm, dimly-lit room. These subtle, innocuous lights can also function as accent lighting. They can draw attention to functional decor on your countertops or even the countertops themselves, if you're trying to show off a unique countertop material or color.

The kitchen floor doesn't have to just be the material you trudge around on as you prepare dinner, make your morning smoothie, or arrange your spice rack in alphabetical order (don't worry, we don't judge). The floor can be a canvas to express your creative identity — and it can be an unlikely place to infuse your kitchen with brightness. If you can't bear to part with your dark cabinets or walls, then the flooring is the next best place to add light colors into the kitchen.

Choose light-colored hardwood like white oak or ash (or vinyl that mimics these woods) to give your kitchen a more spacious, bright feel — especially when contrasted with dark walls, furniture, and cabinets. Or, add style and personality with patterned ceramic tile floors in a pale color. Chevron floors add a touch of whimsy to the kitchen, while a light-colored, intricate botanical design is right at home in a colorful, maximalist kitchen. Marble floors are light, bright, and reflective, and give the kitchen a classy, luminous vibe.

Completely redoing the floor is an expensive, tedious task, so consider refinishing or resurfacing instead to save money on kitchen flooring and still wind up with floors that feel fresh and new. Choose a semi-gloss finish on your current wood floors to allow them to reflect the overhead lights, creating a brighter room. If you have a tiled kitchen floor, you can resurface the tile for a fresh, shiny look that's reflective and bright.

One of the more unconventional ways to make a kitchen feel brighter is to get creative with color. Adding vivid colors around the room adds visual interest that makes a room feel more spacious and lively. Pick out ceramic cookware — especially if you have a hanging pot rack where the cookware can be easily displayed — in bold, whimsical colors. Add multiple colorful decor items to floating or open shelves in the kitchen to keep the space feeling fresh and funky. Or — if they'll fit with the vibe and style of your kitchen — choose fun-colored vintage appliances to add a creative touch to your kitchen, making it feel both bright and cozy.

Even if you have dark colored cabinets or furniture in your kitchen, you can prevent them from making the space feel dim and drab by contrasting them with playful colors in the backsplash or on the floor. Consider painting an accent wall or hanging a beautiful, colorful work of art in the kitchen to break up some of the monotony of dark colors and add some contrast. Or, choose bold, bright furniture to pop against dark walls. A colorful countertop with plenty of movement can breathe life into a room, tricking the eye into thinking the space is full of more sunlight than the minimal windows actually provide.