I love the look of a soft glow lamp rather than overhead lighting. In fact, I would prefer to leave my table lamps on all day and one of my favorite things in an entryway is a small lamp on a key drop table. So why not extend that look into the kitchen? I think it instantly gives warmth to your guests.
I was inspired by this photo of Ina Garten’s kitchen a few years back. It was the first time I had thought about adding a table lamp somewhere in my kitchen. The kitchen lamps she uses are rather large but also mimic the high vaulted ceilings and fit on the massive kitchen island.
I love this photo…such a soft glow in what would be a rather dark corner.
Here’s a photo of my kitchen after adding a table lamp. I chose to put mine at the end of the countertop by my ‘outgoing’ box. I. LOVE. IT and most days it’s the only light on in our house. My lamp has a burlap shade that goes great with the style of my kitchen and a milk colored base. I found mine at West Elm but they no longer carry the exact one.
Here are a few examples of lamps I think would be a perfect scale for most kitchens. Think about the end of the countertop, by the door, or in a dark corner.
What a nice pop of color this would add to a kitchen and at only 16″ high it would hit under any overhead cabinet.
Cute and modern ones from Ikea…
If you really want to splurge….this is my FAVORITE!
Think about what areas of your house you could add a little unexpected warmth. You won’t regret it!
Yes, your right. The cords can be a problem. I believe Ina has outlets on her island which seems to be common these days.
You can also have the cord shortened. With my lamp I had our local hardware store shorten the cord and placed the lamp right in front of an outlet. It also helps if you switch
out the cord to be clear.
In the second shot you can see the cord dangling over the island. I would use command hooks to hide the cord a bit and tuck it under the island.
I love the look of a lamp in the kitchen too, but what do you do about the electrical cords? Aren’t you forced to choose a spot right next to an outlet? And even then, don’t you have a big cord that you have to try to hide? What do you think Ina did in her kitchen? I don’t see cords in any of those kitchen shots…