Help Me Pick A Kitchen Ceiling Light!

[The Hin]

My wife and I own a charming 1920's bungalow that had been somewhat updated before we bought it in 2015 (most of that renovation was not well-done, however). The kitchen features a ceiling fan that appears to be from the 1990s or so, is not aesthetically pleasing and the light bulbs we've put in it (mostly CFLs) tend to burn out quite quickly - my guess is that fixture is not wired up very well. At any rate, we're currently down to 1 working bulb out of 4 and I am frankly just ready to get rid of the fan and put in a good-looking fixture that fits the space well. 

So here's the question: what would you put here if you were me? FYI - I'd describe the lighting in the rest of the house as "eclectic", nothing is nice or grand and much of it is new-ish. No need to worry about considerations of continuity with other light fixtures in the house.

[Sibley]

I have no idea. I also need to pick a new kitchen light, and my searches have been fruitless. Bathroom lighting isn't much better but I did have to just pick something recently. It's blah but will be ok.

Factors to consider:
-Amount of light
-Do you want a fan?
-Dust/grease collection points
-Built in LED or bulbs?  <--- if the built in LEd dies, then pretty sure you're replacing the light fixture.

[Archipelago]

Primary consideration is whether you want a fan to be there. Fans are ugly IMO, but people like them for their purpose. Do you use/like the fan? A Mustachian suggestion is to take the fan down, spray paint it silver, and change out the glass bulb fixtures to something a little more modern looking.

Is the fan wired to a switch? That's an important question too. If you can only turn it on via pull chain, you'll need another pull chain fixture (or rig up a non-pull chain fixture to use a pull chain).

Ditch CFLs and just go for LED bulbs these days.

[Archipelago]

Here's an idea for a fixture to get some ideas churning. It's called a 'sputnik' design. Search in Google images. There are many colors, variations, and # of arms. I'm a fan of the Edison light bulb look (where you can see the coils inside the bulbs). It looks kind of vintage for an older house.

Kinda cool? You mentioned the house being eclectic and this design fits the bill.

I like it in your kitchen because you have high ceilings, and this fixture would fill up that space with light and some character.

[Archipelago]

Other Mustachian (unsolicited) suggestions:

1. Redo your cabinet hardware and get some hardware on those lower cabinets to make them more functional. Whatever color you choose, match the light fixture. That way you don't have a gold fixture and silver cabinet hardware. I'm partial to silver, it's all personal preference.

2. Add an island to your kitchen center. Purchase an XL kitchen cabinet at a scratch & dent cabinet outlet that matches your other cabinetry the best you can, then paint it to match them. That way you pick up extra lower cabinet space for storage, and lots more counter space. Can never have too much of either of those!

Options for countertop:
a) Butcher's block from IKEA
b) Granite or quartz to match your other countertops and floors ($$$ though)
c) Build a concrete countertop (little more involved)

3. Get a new kitchen faucet fixture. One, because you don't have to use 2 hands to adjust the water temperature. And two, because that window above your sink is old and pretty cool looking. There's some space that could be filled up there and bring in some character. I like this faucet design, though I'm not crazy about the brown, it's just an example. If you like more of a vintage look, go with brass or cast-iron look. If you like more modern, go with silver or brushed nickel.

Cheers!

[JLee]

I love recessed lighting - I removed our ceiling fan and went all in on recessed (and under cabinet) lighting when we redid the kitchen.

https://imgur.com/a/A5RJ6Uh

[SunnyDays]

I would try to match the age of the house.

Do you remember those white glass pendant lights that used to be in schools?  I would go with that.  It’s both vintage-y and back in style.  Anytime you need/want to replace anything in the house, just look at what would have been original to it and look for the updated version.

(The kitchen cabinets would look good with those little glass knobs, maybe in green.  Subtle but would revamp the ‘80’s vibe and go with that small window, which I love.  You could paint the window frame to match the knobs.)

If you check out Home Town on HGTV, they do their houses in similar styles, kind of 1920/1930 decor.  That will give you ideas.

[sonofsven]

Check out Schoolhouse Electric and Rejuvenation, both in Portland, OR, actually, to get period correct ideas.
They are spendy, but if you see something you like maybe you can find a cheaper alternative.

[uniwelder]

Other Mustachian (unsolicited) suggestions:

1. Redo your cabinet hardware and get some hardware on those lower cabinets to make them more functional. Whatever color you choose, match the light fixture. That way you don't have a gold fixture and silver cabinet hardware. I'm partial to silver, it's all personal preference...

+1 Cabinet door knobs or handles would really help.  I can't imagine trying to keep those white cabinets clean otherwise.

I have no suggestions about your actual question-- the ceiling fan.  I like it as-is.

[AccidentialMustache]

You are probably losing CFLs to heat death due to the small size of the glass (?) shades limiting airflow (eg, heat rises and they are aimed down, so they bake in their own waste heat). LEDs in your existing fixture will likely have similar issues - perhaps not the edison style LEDs, though? Those I've looked at don't seem to have the standard electronic ballast to overheat and die prematurely.

Combo led-fixtures are great for svelte surface mounts, but when it dies you get to replace the whole thing, which sucks the first time you painted around but not under the led-fixture. Also, it is wasteful (trash the whole fixture instead of just the bulb).

Recessed is bad for air sealing and thus inefficient if you have an attic above you, unless you do the work to seal them properly. They're a huge pain to put in if you don't have an attic above.

If part of the problem is lack of light, do you have any ability to get some basic LED strip lights on top of the cabinets, firing up to bounce indirectly off the ceiling? You'd probably also want under-cabinet LED strips, lest that become a cave, but it looks like you've got unused space up there so it is worth asking.

Similar non-standard ideas -- DIY your own fixture with a wide lower lip overhang (you'd probably have to use wood) there. It doesn't need to be very deep, just a few inches, then upwards-firing LED strips and use indirect off the ceiling above. Depending on your lines of sight, you could also do horizontal-firing strips, but mind you can't see them from afar because that looks ugly. That might be far too modern for the space though.

[Sandi_k]

We had a 1923 bungalow, and went with white cabinets too. We decided on a more modern light fixture, with 1950's barkcloth curtains to spiff up the space.

The light was bright enough for good kitchen work; was out of the way; was relatively easy to clean. And cost ~ $200 or so.

[BudgetSlasher]

I cannot recommend a specific fixture. Anything that is a focal point, light fixtures included, are such a matter of personal taste that an individual's taste is the biggest thing at play.

A few things I can tell you.

Lowes/HD have a okay-ish in store selection, but you can get much better from them online, and free returns in store.

I have had good light with build.com.

Contractor stores have good prices.

Lighting specialty stores have some good options (my experience is they look at you funny if you do not have a designer that sent you ... and funnier if you are doing the work yourself).

Price doesn't mean much. In the past 5 years I have bought 25 dollar light fixtures that are much better quality and materials than the 300 dollar light fixture that was "just perfect for the space"

[zolotiyeruki]

I have a couple of suggestions:

1) Get a light fixture that has bulbs spread out, so you don't cast so much of a shadow wherever you are.  It's annoying to be shading the vegetables you're trying to chop
2) When picking out hardware for your lower cabinets, DO NOT GET KNOBS.  Knobs have a tendency to snag on things like pockets.  Get handles.  Your pants will thank you.  Knobs on uppers are fine, though.

[PMG]

Did I miss where OP asked for design advice beyond the light?!

I’m just commenting because I’ve been enjoying the ideas. We recently replaced the horrible Sputnik fixture in our 1920s recently remodeled, very builder grade cheap little house. That Sputnik was too big. An eyesore. Easy for a short person to reach and bump and just ridiculously oversized and out of place in our little kitchen. YMMV. We replaced it with a boring but much more right sized fixture from goodwill.

I liked PP comment about contemporary versions of fixtures from the houses era. That seems to like a good starting point. I also like the utility of ceiling fans and wouldn’t mind having one in the kitchen. I believe you can get some that a fairly low profile, especially if you go for the led lights.

[iris lily]

I have been buying vintage lights for my 1920’s condo, and I wanted a vintage kitchen ceiling light for our 1941 cottage.

But .DH rebelled and said “no” because he had already re wired a coupla oldies, one from France. But my heart yearns for the vintage.

So, go authentic vintage or reproduction.

I will come back later with a couple of photos.

[uniwelder]

Did I miss where OP asked for design advice beyond the light?!

Definitely wasn't asked, but its kinda like someone walking up to you and asking about changing their hairstyle, and you notice a blob of mustard on their chin.  I'm just not sure how someone can function in a white kitchen with no handles or knobs on their cabinets.

[The Hin]

Thanks everyone for the feedback! I don't at all mind the unsolicited advice regarding cabinets, sink and center island... after all I did e-invite you all to give interior design ideas for the kitchen, why stop with the light fixture?

Reading through the replies I'm struck by the variety of different light fixture styles suggested - which I take to mean that there's not any one (or two) clearly best solutions. All I know at this point is that I would like to get rid of the fan and get some a fixture that works there. Our ceilings are 10 feet high which suggests (to me) that a ceiling flush mount wouldn't really have enough presence and I need something with some height to it like the Sputnik and white glass pendant lights mentioned. Other lighting thoughts:

- Can lights would be a viable solution but the kitchen is below a second floor bedroom so wiring cans might be a lot of work, I dunno. We don't have any recessed fixtures elsewhere and the simple answer here is to replace the fan with another fixture in the existing spot.

- LED strip lights above/below the glass-front upper cabinets would actually be nice for night time kitchen prowling. I might be able to handle that myself without any electrical work.

- I've definitely seen the white glass pendants in kitchen reno photos in recent years, but usually (IIRC) as a string of them mounted above a kitchen island. You don't usually see just a single one.

- speaking of kitchen islands, our current setup is a cart on wheels with a bamboo wood top (about 1.5 x 2 feet). Works well, has some open storage below. However, the prep space is really too small, I'd love to have a bit more elbow room, so @Archipelago 's suggestion "Add an island to your kitchen center. Purchase an XL kitchen cabinet at a scratch & dent cabinet outlet that matches your other cabinetry the best you can, then paint it to match them." is... intriguing. I just walked around my kitchen and I think I could put in an island with a top more like 3 x 3.5 or 4 feet (as long as some of the top is overhang). Plus I could run some electrical through the floor into the island to have an outlet or two in the island for blender or toaster or whatever.
 
- Also, I agree that our cabinets could use some hardware to make them easier to open and that if I go that route, it should not clash with the new light. Cabinet hardware hasn't really been a priority but I'm sure it'd improve the look.

- Getting a new kitchen sink wouldn't be out of the question but probably something I'd only do if a decent used (upgrade to me) fixture fell into my lap.

All in all, our kitchen is a pretty good space - usable, decently large, and the glass cabinets framing the little window over the sink *is* pretty cool looking. It's also separated from our dining room by a dual-action swinging door, which is old school and nice (my wife vastly prefers this to the open plan arrangement where the kitchen is open to the rest of the floor).

All in all, I hope to absorb all of these suggestions as inspiration for a cost-effective and classy sprucing-up of our kitchen. TBD!

[elaine amj]

Definitely consider ease of cleaning. We are heavy cooks and our fixtures get greasy easily. I would hate a bowl fixture for dead bugs to collect in lol. Also, don’t clear bulbs like sputnik lights show dust easily (never had them so don’t know).

I personally must have a ceiling fan in the kitchen - we avoid using the AC when possible so it can get pretty hot when cooking.

If you don’t want a ceiling fan though, I’d go for a more substantial island and then a set of pendant lights.

We went cheap and practical for counter space and purchased stainless steel commercial worktables for my kitchen and we love them. Of course, I’d prefer to install regular cabinets with quartz countertops - but two 4ft stainless steel work tables cost me under $400.  I use totes as my “poor man’s drawers” although eventually I’d like to upgrade to crates.


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[Archipelago]

Because this is the MMM DIY forum, I have to show off a little kitchen island mini project :)

This is a kitchen cabinet base that I got for $80 at a local cabinet store in the 'leftover' section. The 2 lower doors have large slide out drawers we use for storing pots & pans. I painted the frame + doors graphite (Ben Moore Advanced). The sides are reclaimed wood from pallets from the local recycling plant. I stained them a darker color and fastened them to the cabinet sides with a nail gun.

The top is 2 stacked sheets of plywood cut to whatever size plus 3 layers of feather finish concrete, followed by coats of polyurethane and beeswax. It's 4 years old and showing very little signs of wear! The counter is 42"x40" which added much needed prep and dining space. All in materials cost ~$250.

[The Hin]

That's really cool @Archipelago !

I measured out the kitchen real estate that I think we could devote to a kitchen island and marked it out in tape on the floor to help visualize it. Here's a photo showing the space (viewing the kitchen from roughly the opposite side of the photo I included in the first post). Width is 44 inches, depth 37 inches.

[Archipelago]

That's really cool @Archipelago !

I measured out the kitchen real estate that I think we could devote to a kitchen island and marked it out in tape on the floor to help visualize it. Here's a photo showing the space (viewing the kitchen from roughly the opposite side of the photo I included in the first post). Width is 44 inches, depth 37 inches.

Nicely done! That's exactly the approach you want to take and will use this tape template for framing 2x4s into the floor. This way you can fasten the base cabinet to the floor/attach to 2x4s and it won't move around.

Make sure you account for some counter overhang on each side. 1" is a good rule of thumb and is comfortable for drawers. You'll also have to account for the size of the lower cabinet, though these generally come in standard sizes. Mine is 30" wide by 24" deep, but you can see my countertop was sized so that barstools fit under 2 sides (it's an eat-in kitchen). So you may have to resize the countertop slightly to accommodate the base cabinet. Depends what you find.

Your next question is which side you'd want the lower cabinet doors/drawers to face. Towards the exterior door or refrigerator/stove sides don't make much sense IMO. Having it face your swinging door side or kitchen sink side seems more practical.

Flat or square paneled cabinet bases are fairly standard so shouldn't be difficult to find. A lot of them come in white or off white so no painting necessary either :)

If you're going to commit to building an island like that, I'd also suggest holding on the light fixture so that you can properly position it over an island.

Keep us posted on where you get with this! Love to see Mustachian DIY projects come to life!

[onward19]

  We bought a house that came with a fan in the kitchen. It was also probably from the 90s remodel, and not only was it ugly but it was incredibly filthy. Covered in grease, dust, and then grease again. Revolting to have in a room where one prepares food!
  We wanted to replace it without having much money to spend, so went to Habitat for Humanity Restore and found one of the boring every day 5-bulb light fixtures. Pretty much the same thing as the fan, but without the fan, and more modern looking. They happened to have two of the same style which worked well because the dining room also had a hideous light fixture (literally one bulb hanging low over the table area!).
  Anyway, the new fixture is an improvement over the fan, but it is also a pain to clean. I hope to replace with recessed lighting someday, and that isn't because I care about the modern look of recessed - it's purely for ease of use. Recessed lighting is easy to clean and has the added advantage of putting lights just where you want them to be.
 However if you're not ready for recessed lighting, then I'd get a fixture with several lights aimed in several directions, or you are going to end up blocking the light while you're working at counters. Of course under-cabinet lighting is fairly cheap and easy these days with LED strips and that helps immensely too!

[Archipelago]

  We bought a house that came with a fan in the kitchen. It was also probably from the 90s remodel, and not only was it ugly but it was incredibly filthy. Covered in grease, dust, and then grease again. Revolting to have in a room where one prepares food!
  We wanted to replace it without having much money to spend, so went to Habitat for Humanity Restore and found one of the boring every day 5-bulb light fixtures. Pretty much the same thing as the fan, but without the fan, and more modern looking. They happened to have two of the same style which worked well because the dining room also had a hideous light fixture (literally one bulb hanging low over the table area!).
  Anyway, the new fixture is an improvement over the fan, but it is also a pain to clean. I hope to replace with recessed lighting someday, and that isn't because I care about the modern look of recessed - it's purely for ease of use. Recessed lighting is easy to clean and has the added advantage of putting lights just where you want them to be.
 However if you're not ready for recessed lighting, then I'd get a fixture with several lights aimed in several directions, or you are going to end up blocking the light while you're working at counters. Of course under-cabinet lighting is fairly cheap and easy these days with LED strips and that helps immensely too!

Second this - A+++ for Habitat for Humanity Restore. Found so much stuff there for the house and for great prices.

[The Hin]

I visited the Habitat for Humanity Restore in my 'hood yesterday, actually, to see if anything struck my fancy re: lighting or cabinetry. Nothing of note this time.

Here are some vintage-style pendant lights that I found via quick Google searching yesterday to start my rudimentary vision-boarding:

- https://www.wayfair.com/Trent-Austin-Design%C2%AE--Keech-3-Light-Kitchen-Island-Bell-Pendant-X112485070-L6087-K~W001374969.html
- https://www.wayfair.com/lighting/pdp/wade-logan-odeza-3-light-kitchen-island-dome-pendant-w007882181.html
- https://www.overstock.com/Lighting-Ceiling-Fans/KAWOTI-3-Light-Kitchen-Island-Linear-Pendant-with-Glass-Shade-Adjustable-up-to-84/35228201/product.html

I think I like the idea of having either a single central light fixture or one fixture with three pendants, for purposes of symmetry. The white glass schoolhouse style looks cool to me but I can only find those as single pendants (see, e.g., https://www.lowes.com/pl/Schoolhouse-White-glass--Pendant-lighting-Ceiling-lights-Lighting-ceiling-fans/4294687723?refinement=4294387692,4052166177)

Side note - how do you embed an HTML link into text in these posts without displaying the entire HTML address? I am used to using a href="url">link text</a> but that doesn't appear to work here.

[iris lily]

Did I miss where OP asked for design advice beyond the light?!

Definitely wasn't asked, but its kinda like someone walking up to you and asking about changing their hairstyle, and you notice a blob of mustard on their chin.  I'm just not sure how someone can function in a white kitchen with no handles or knobs on their cabinets.

My custom made white kitchen cabinetry  that I’ve had for 25 years has pulls carved into each drawer and cabinet door,

It’s not too bad if you clean them every few years. I suspect it’s cleaner than having a knob that is an easy place for greasy grime to accumulate. At least I’ll see. In my new kitchens I have I have

1) Same set up. My Amish cabinet makers in styled carved pulls. I don’t plan to do a lot of cooking there. I also have a marble countertop. So yeah it’s not a heavy duty kitchen.

2) Main house will have knobs and drawer handles in kitchen. We’ll see how that works as far as accumulating grime.



 underneath

[Archipelago]

I visited the Habitat for Humanity Restore in my 'hood yesterday, actually, to see if anything struck my fancy re: lighting or cabinetry. Nothing of note this time.

Here are some vintage-style pendant lights that I found via quick Google searching yesterday to start my rudimentary vision-boarding:

- https://www.wayfair.com/Trent-Austin-Design%C2%AE--Keech-3-Light-Kitchen-Island-Bell-Pendant-X112485070-L6087-K~W001374969.html
- https://www.wayfair.com/lighting/pdp/wade-logan-odeza-3-light-kitchen-island-dome-pendant-w007882181.html
- https://www.overstock.com/Lighting-Ceiling-Fans/KAWOTI-3-Light-Kitchen-Island-Linear-Pendant-with-Glass-Shade-Adjustable-up-to-84/35228201/product.html

I think I like the idea of having either a single central light fixture or one fixture with three pendants, for purposes of symmetry. The white glass schoolhouse style looks cool to me but I can only find those as single pendants (see, e.g., https://www.lowes.com/pl/Schoolhouse-White-glass--Pendant-lighting-Ceiling-lights-Lighting-ceiling-fans/4294687723?refinement=4294387692,4052166177)

Side note - how do you embed an HTML link into text in these posts without displaying the entire HTML address? I am used to using a href="url">link text</a> but that doesn't appear to work here.

Those all seem fine; it really comes down to personal preference at the end of the day. Whichever you choose though, make sure those glass coverings can be taken down easily. Dust and grime show up on glass in no time. It's like holding up a wine glass and seeing all those 'imperfections' after sitting in a cabinet for a week.

[Archipelago]

Side note - how do you embed an HTML link into text in these posts without displaying the entire HTML address? I am used to using a href="url">link text</a> but that doesn't appear to work here.

1. Press the 'Toggle View' button in the Post Reply box.
2. Highlight the text you want to hyperlink to, then click 'Insert Hyperlink' button.
3. A dialogue box will appear, enter the desired source link. Then click OK.

[elaine amj]

Those all seem fine; it really comes down to personal preference at the end of the day. Whichever you choose though, make sure those glass coverings can be taken down easily. Dust and grime show up on glass in no time. It's like holding up a wine glass and seeing all those 'imperfections' after sitting in a cabinet for a week.

White glass won’t be as bad as clear glass though but yeah it does show grime. I have thick clear glass shades on my 90s ceiling fan in my kitchen because it was cheap lol. It’s not too bad to keep clean (although I should do it more often!)

I ended up choosing inexpensive cage lights for my foyer and bathroom because I figured way fewer surfaces to collect dust and grime lol. I had originally purchased (used) a cool Tiffany style pendant lamp for my foyer but it had wiring issues that my electrician didn’t want to deal with so I sold it on.


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[SunnyDays]

There are a few double and triple schoolhouse lights on Etsy.com.

There’s a triple one called Bauhaus Light from toopolite (my favourite) and a double one from Olde Brick Lighting and another double from Urban Design Lights.  The metal colour varies and they’re not cheap - between $440 and $752 CAD, so less in USD.  But if you really like them, it might be worth the splurge.

[Morning Glory]

  We bought a house that came with a fan in the kitchen. It was also probably from the 90s remodel, and not only was it ugly but it was incredibly filthy. Covered in grease, dust, and then grease again. Revolting to have in a room where one prepares food!

  Anyway, the new fixture is an improvement over the fan, but it is also a pain to clean. I hope to replace with recessed lighting someday, and that isn't because I care about the modern look of recessed - it's purely for ease of use. Recessed lighting is easy to clean and has the added advantage of putting lights just where you want them to be.

Hahahahaha

Yes fans have to be cleaned every few months,  as does any light fixture in a kitchen.  I'm laughing because I remember having to periodically take the ladder around and remove all the glass things from the can lights to dump out the dead bugs. I was very thankful to not have to do that any more after we sold that house. There were nine of them plus two pendants in the kitchen, and another four in one of the bathrooms.  There would be hundreds of those not-ladybugs in them.  Such a colossal
waste of time.   The pendants would accumulate grease and dust but I could at least reach them without a ladder. 

OP if you use the fan then just spray paint it a more modern color and get some LED bulbs. The basic design hasn't changed. If you don't use it then get whatever you think looks good.

[lutorm]

I'm a big fan of the flush-mount LED panels at HD. They exist in 1x1, 1x2, 2x2, or 1x4 combinations. I like their minimalistic appearance and I dislike the glare you get from point-source lights. We put a 1x4 in the middle of the kitchen and 3 1x1's above the counters and it's like night and day.

[BlueHouse]

Have you gone a few days of cooking but without turning the fan on?  See how warm the kitchen gets. 
I had never actually seen a kitchen with a ceiling fan until a friend of mine installed one a few years ago, and boy do I wish I had one.  (I would if I cooked a lot).  As it is, I just don't use the oven in the summer. 

If you want to stay with a fan, yours looks like someone used a bedroom fan and it's really not right in a kitchen.  I like sleek fans with integrated lights that match the ceiling color, rendering them almost invisible.  I have Minka Aire koa fans in a few places in my home and I think they just disappear into the ceilings and are exceptionally easy to clean, which I like.  They're not really period correct. 

If you can live without a fan, then I'd definitely go with a white glass dome shape