I Asked Two Designers How to Brighten My Kitchen, and the Results Are Life-Changing

As someone who loves to entertain and cook healthy meals for my family, I spend more time in the kitchen than anywhere else in the house. Unfortunately, our kitchen tends to feel dark, which is surprising considering it has a lot of windows. Even with the overhead lights on, I often struggle to see the food I’m preparing. I find myself lifting produce to the window to examine for bruises, so how to brighten a dark room is top of mind for me. 

It doesn’t help that the rattan shades that came with the house are also dark brown and depressing. Additionally, our overhead lighting is insufficient, and the countertops, backsplash, and floors are all deep in color, lending an overall darkness to the kitchen. Over the years, my dimly lit kitchen has really begun to bug me. 

Recently, the time came to remedy the problem. Realizing I would need an expert eye to help brighten up my dark room, I sought out two professional interior designers to get their input. I could never have imagined what a big difference their suggestions would make. Each of their design tricks are exactly how to brighten a dark room — and might work in your space, too.

For starters, the rattan shades had to go. Brittny Button, founder and principal designer of Button Atelier, suggested installing lighter shades straight out of the gates. I went with these gorgeous Roman shades from TWOPAGES.

Additionally, Button suggested elegant drapes for the adjoining dining space. “The idea is to layer Roman blinds with the drapes,” she said. This was surprising to me, as I had always imagined plantation shutters for my kitchen windows. Button explained plantation shutters give off a more casual vibe “rather than elevate the feel of the space that drapes or Romans can.” I had never considered this. “Today, kitchens are treated with the same kind of ‘design feel’ as the rest of the home to ensure cohesion!” she assured me. And it’s true: The rest of my house isn’t exactly formal, but I do love a more polished look.

To continue dressing up the space, Button suggested replacing my existing splashy, contemporary artwork with something more pastoral and subdued. I opted for an oversized canvas print of Monet’s The Seine at Giverny from Desenio. This classic painting is perfectly serene and sets off the space beautifully.

As it happened, both of the designers I consulted were on the same page when it came to color scheme. “I would recommend introducing a light yet visually interesting color palette (think: soft, warm whites, muted beiges, or subtle grays),” said Monica Reese, my second decorator source and the design and trends expert at Lowe’s. “These tones reflect light beautifully and provide a versatile backdrop.” After hearing this advice, I made a point to check that every choice I made in my kitchen would work within this chosen palette.

Both designers noted lighter floors would also help to brighten my kitchen. This wasn’t going to happen for timing and budget reasons, though, so I had to pivot here. “If replacing the floor isn’t an option, consider large, neutral area rugs to soften the dark color visually,” Reese said. That I could do. 

I went straight to Ruggable and landed on this rug for the dining area and this one for the cooking space. They did as Reese promised — the whole room instantly felt lighter as soon as I laid them down, and I love that they’re machine-washable, since the kitchen is a high-traffic area where making cooking messes is par for the course.

In keeping with the brightening theme, Button recommended painting the dining table white or replacing it entirely with a brighter table. As an extremely busy person with zero painting skills, painting was out of the question for me. So I began my search for the perfect white table and landed on the Aria Table from Room & Board. This table is not only exceedingly chic, but it’s way less clunky than my former table. The design provides more legroom than my last table, and there’s additional space to navigate around it, thanks to its slightly more streamlined silhouette. 

To finish off the look, I opted for a pair of Upholstered Swivel Dining Chairs from CHITA. Not only are these chairs super-comfortable and inviting, but they also fit perfectly under the table and blend nicely with the window treatments and rug. While both designers recommended swapping the built-in L-shaped bench with chairs, this was not in the cards for me at the moment. They also suggested lightening and brightening the upholstery fabric here, but I wanted to stick with what was existing for budget reasons.

Then came the backsplash. Why anyone paired that dark blue tile with the multicolor granite countertops in the first place was beyond me, but I had always disliked the combo. Reese suggested a “light, glossy tile” for “texture and brightness.” So I went straight to Fireclay Tile for the Pearl Gloss backsplash tile of my dreams. I knew this gorgeous tile would complement and enhance the countertops themselves, while helping to throw light around the whole space. 

As a finishing touch, Button suggested swapping out my door pulls and hardware with something more elevated. These cast almond pewter knobs from Lo & Co dress up the space. Somehow, something as seemingly small as drawer knobs and cabinet handles have the power to change the entire vibe of my kitchen. 

And last — but certainly not least — came the lighting fixtures. Both Button and Reese recommended installing new overhead lighting in the kitchen and the dining areas as well as getting rid of the center floating cabinet altogether to allow for pendant lighting. While I could not remove the floating cabinet, the new ceiling light fixtures have made a marked difference in the brightness of my kitchen, too. They’re just a bit more reflective in terms of finishes, which again, can send light bouncing around the space when it comes in through the windows.  

For the kitchen area, I opted for the elegant and timeless Eloise Scallop Milk Glass Flush Mount Ceiling Light from Anthropologie. And for the dining area, this inexpensive flush mount chandelier from Lowe’s introduced a bit of sophistication and shine. Not only are both of these ceiling fixtures more eye-catching and stylish than their predecessors, they give off bountiful light that drenches the kitchen and countertops. 

With these changes now implemented, I eagerly enter the kitchen to dive into dinner prep. I don’t have to strain my eyes to see what I’m preparing, as light generously floods my kitchen, both from the windows and from the fixtures above — all while reflecting off of the multiple lighter surfaces. Even on the grayest of mornings, I flip on the overhead light switch in my kitchen, and the entire space is suddenly cheery and welcoming. 

Our dining nook has become my favorite place in the house. My daughter has also adopted it as her homework spot. She drops her backpack on the bench after school and sets up shop in the nook now after ignoring it for years. It has become the go-to spot for meals, grocery list making, video calls, and journaling. 

My life is much improved by just brightening up this one area in our home, and I owe that to my two inspired designers and their keen, trained eyes. It’s all about bringing in lighter and brighter finishes — and pairing that with hits of shine in key areas. Now that my kitchen and I have been led down this path of enlightenment, I can’t imagine ever going back.