9 Easy Ways to Brighten a Dark Kitchen

Is your kitchen dark and dreary? Even if it’s low in natural light, there are ways to make your space feel lighter and brighter. From simple changes, like adding more lighting and repainting cabinets, to more dramatic moves, like replacing countertops and appliances, you can achieve the look and feel you’re after.

1. Enhance Lighting

First, check the maximum recommended wattage for your fixtures, and make sure that you’re using the strongest possible bulbs. For slightly more cash and effort, hire a local electrician to install additional lighting sources, like recessed lights, lighting underneath overhanging cabinets, and pendants.

2. Change the Look of Your Cabinets

Especially if you have dark wooden or laminate cabinets, painting them white or another light color will go far toward brightening up a dark kitchen. Just clean, sand, prime, and paint. 

Choose a semi-gloss paint, so your cabinets will be easier to clean. Another option is to reface your cabinets, replacing solid-core doors with glass-fronted doors. This strategy will give your kitchen an airier feel (just remember to keep those shelves neat!).

3. Lighten Up Your Floor

Since flooring takes up so much space, its appearance has a major impact on the look of your kitchen. If it’s dark, consider adding some brightness. 

Here are a few ways to brighten up a dark kitchen by updating your flooring:

• If you have wood flooring in good condition, refinish it, especially if it’s in a dark cherry or espresso stain. Choose a light-colored stain, such as natural, white, or light walnut. 

• If replacing flooring, try a material in a light color. From vinyl and laminate on the lower end, to mid-range cork or bamboo, to pricier tile or hardwood, you have lots of options. 

• If you aren’t able to redo your flooring, opt for a light-colored area rug, such as one in a natural fiber, like sisal.

4. Paint the Walls

Since walls take up so much space in your kitchen, changing the color with a lighter shade will work wonders. While white kitchens are always in style, off-white, blue, gray, and green are also on-trend. 

In fact, according to 2021 Design Trends Research from the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA), after white, gray is the second most popular color designers are using in kitchens. Beige, bone, and blue follow close behind.

5. Purchase White or Stainless Steel Appliances

If you have black appliances that need to be replaced, opt for white or stainless steel models to help brighten up a dark kitchen. With white, look for a fingerprint-resistant finish, so your appliances will stay looking clean. 

Meanwhile, stainless steel is bright and neutral, meshing well with all color schemes and styles and adding value and a high-end look to kitchens. If you have a large budget, you can even consider appliances in a light color (like sky blue), from companies, such as Viking, KitchenAid, BlueStar, SMEG, and La Cornue.

6. Get New Countertops

So many kitchens have dark countertops, like black, brown, or green granite. Lighten them up by replacing them with a material in a white, bone, or beige shade. For a budget kitchen, try laminate or a solid surface material (like Corian). 

For more luxurious remodels, go for quartz, marble, or granite. In addition to lightening things up, you’ll have the opportunity to transition to a more current material.

7. Replace Your Door

If your kitchen has a solid core door that opens onto a light-flooded space, try replacing it with a glass-paneled alternative. Or, if you can, convert your traditional door to a sliding door, ideally a pocket door. This way, you’ll save space and allow some of that natural light from the adjoining room to make its way into your kitchen.

8. Put in a Pass-Through

To let in light from an adjoining space, add a pass-through with a breakfast bar. Of course, you’ll first need to make sure that the wall you’ll be breaking into is not load-bearing. In addition to adding light, you’ll be gaining counter space, for cooking and entertaining.

9. Add a Window or Skylights

To literally let in more light, think about adding a window. If your home is a ranch or your kitchen is on the top level, you can even add dormer windows or skylights. Of course, the larger the windows, the more light that will enter. So, if you can, opt for larger windows.

With a few changes and upgrades, you can easily brighten up a dark kitchen. Not too into DIY projects? Hire a kitchen remodeler in your area. Even small changes can make a big difference toward creating the kitchen of your dreams.