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The Lighting Trends to Avoid When Updating Your Kitchen

Accent lighting over a kitchen bar.
Joe Hendrickson/Shutterstock.com

If you’re updating your home to put it on the market, the kitchen is likely on the list. When it comes to the lighting in that particular room, one realtor advises practicality.

According to Ed Deveau, a realtor at Century 21 Mario Real Estate, while grand and/or intricate lighting is nice, everything always comes back to practicality in the kitchen.

While ambient and accent lighting are important, task lighting is a necessity for prepping and cooking food, eating, and washing dishes.

“If you’re slicing an onion on a kitchen counter,” Deveau explained, “having a trendy light fixture with 36 Edison-style light bulbs at your back isn’t really doing you much good.”

Of course, you don’t have to eliminate your trendy lights completely—it’s just important that they’re not the only lighting in the room. Deveau recommends “recessed lighting or under-cabinet lighting,” for everyday tasks.

You also don’t have to give up style for function. Sarah Maguire, a realtor with The Maguire Group, recommends installing two large pendant lights over an island to bring balance to the space.

Painting is another simple update that can potentially add value to your home—especially if you go with this year’s trendiest shade in the bathroom.

[Via The Kitchn]

Shea Simmons Shea Simmons
Shea Simmons is the Editor In Chief of LifeSavvy. Previously, she worked as a freelance writer with a focus on beauty and lifestyle content. Her work has appeared in Bustle, Allure, and Hello Giggles. Read Full Bio »
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