We are always looking for ways to update different parts of our home. But when it comes to kitchens, sometimes we just don’t know where to start. Here are some great and simple tips from interior designer Marc Thee on what to do when you want to make your kitchen more inviting.

• Replace all fluorescent lighting with incandescent or halogen fixtures.  Ideally, all kitchens should have three levels of lighting: 

1. Overhead task lighting: Recessed cans


2. Under-counter task lighting


3. Decorative lighting: such as pendants or island lighting. 

This example from Better Homes and Gardens gives us an idea on how light works on a kitchen. The yellow colored area are the overhead task lighting, the orange ones at the left are the under counter task light while the pendant above the island are the decorative. The purple area above the paint in the wall (far right) is considered to be an accent light.

Be sure to light your glass front cabinets with small puck lighting, and use glass shelves so the light carries to the bottom of the cabinet. 

• Because kitchens can feel a little utilitarian—especially when the counter tops are granite—add useful accessories that feel a little time-worn or antique.

Candles and antique architectural fragments add softness to this interesting blend of contemporary and traditional styles. The screen can be pushed open if the cook wishes to see the guests in the family room. Note also how the tile backsplash continues along the entire back wall to unify the breakfast room with the kitchen. The shelves in the same stain as the kitchen are an additional unifying element.

• Display in the kitchen an assortment of olive oil, vinegars, and salt and pepper grinders on a big tray.  The tall bottles serve to disguise the electrical outlets, so buy some larger bottles to anchor the back of the grouping.

Following these great tips for your kitchen, here are some excellent examples of modern trays and pendant lamps from… to give that final touches to this space.

  

1. Bamboo Serving Tray 2. Slat Teak Console Tray 3. Swain Large Hammered Bowl

           

1. Pendant Glass Bell Jar 2. Shelton Cylinder Seedy Irregular Glass Pendant 3. Zylinder 5L pendant