A few years back, I bought a thrifted lamp and I had the idea to use it on my kitchen countertops. I don't know exactly how it came to be, and it wasn't necessarily something I've seen before, but it felt right. In the evening, I love turning off the overhead lights and turning on all the accent lighting I have–hello lamp o'clock 👋. It's become my favorite time of the day and now it's even more magical with a kitchen countertop lamp.
Task Lamp | Wood Bowl | Cabinet Knobs | Cabinet Pulls | Sconce
I first bought this cutie red lamp with a pleated shade from Amazon and I love love it but the shade felt too white for this space. Also it came with an LED bulb with 3 different temperatures and I tend to be really picky about my light bulb temperature and brightness.
Pleated Lamp | Marble Utensil Holder | Marble Spoon Rest | Vintage Green Glasses | Rubbermaid
And so! I went on a hunt for the perfect kitchen countertop lamp for this little nook. I wanted something brass to compliment the warmth of the hardware in the kitchen and when I found this designer lamp, I just knew.
Full transparency: this lamp cost $479 and it was a total splurge for me. I'm not typically the type of person to spend money on designer purses or designer shoes, but a designer lamp? Sign me up.
We did do a double take of our brass lamp and saved a bunch of similar ones here as well!
Bring Some Ambiance into the Kitchen
Back in our Modern Cottage Kitchen I placed this thrifted lamp in the corner and it totally worked. I didn't put it under any upper cabinets so there was room for it to be a bit larger in scale.
Cutting Board | Runner | Dish Brush Set
At one point I ended up stealing this pleated lamp to put in our basement family room, and swapped in this smaller, squatty-er lamp.
Art | Lamp | Cutting Board | Vase | Faux Lavender | Runner
I would say that most people need a kitchen countertop lamp that isn't going to take up a lot of precious countertop space, and will be short enough to fit beneath the upper cabinets.
The space between our countertops and upper cabinets is about 21" and so we figured the 11" lamp height is the perfect scale. I'm not a huge fan of under cabinet lighting, but it's still nice to give your countertops a little glow with a kitchen countertop lamp. I love the warmth that the brass adds, even when the light's not on.
See more of our kitchen and sources here!
This little corner is unexpectedly becoming one of my favorite moments in the kitchen. I love the way the lamp compliments the kitchen art, and honestly this whole scene feels like a little art gallery with the bowl of fruit and water pitcher with flowers. Can't handle it.
How to Shorten Your Lamp Cords
Are you ready for the hottest tip I've ever given? For a countertop lamp, oftentimes you end up with a bundle of messy, extra cord. Rather than cutting it off and swapping for a magic bulb, did you know there's another way to shorten your lamp cord? Run to see the reel for the full tutorial, but basically you're going to peel off the bottom felt and stuff the excess cord back into the base, and re-cover with the felt. Who knew?? We did this with ours and now it's the perfect length. PLUS, if we decide to move this lamp elsewhere down the road, we can always extend the cord length if we need.
We put together a round-up with a bunch of darling kitchen countertop lamps at every price point with countertop friendly dimensions. I'm completely obsessed with the mix of materials curated here.
Kitchen Countertop Lamp Round-up
1. Mini Ceramic Globe $13
2. Pleated Table Lamp $32
3. Rechargeable Modern Lamp $34
4. Polished Brass Table Lamp $79
5. Marnie Table Lamp $99
6. Swing Arm Desk Lamp $102
7. Britta Metal Table Lamp $119
8. Edie Prismatic Table Lamp $159
9. Wood and Ceramic Table Lamp $159
10. Eclipse Table Lamp $174
11. Montie Mini Accent Lamp $193
12. Formosa Stone Lamp $199
13. Larkspur Petite Table Lamp $218
14. Veneto Table Lamp $279
15. Sutton Rattan Table Lamp $298
16. Como Bedside Lamp $298
17. Thomas O'Brien Tiny Bedside $360
18. Totie Task Lamp $479
19. Terri Cube Lamp $480
20. Wildwood Table Lamp $544
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Nice site!
I love the coziness of a kitchen lamp. My sister them and since then, I've kept a lamp in my kitchen too. It might be time for a swap, though, as I love your round-up of lights!
I just saw a house staging article that mentioned to take off any lamps you might have on your kitchen counter to make sure potential buyers don’t think you need additional lighting!!
Such a cutie little lamp, I have to say I probably wouldn't even bother with plugging it in and have it be a nonfunctional lamp for styling only, but I also realize I'm total sociopath too so there's that haha!
This is great in a larger kitchen, but in a tiny kitchen in the city this doesn’t work.
I have gotten those inexpensive small Target lamps, cut the cord completely off and put a puck light in there. You can even get the puck lights with remotes. I first thought of this for our camper, saved on using the camper battery up, added some fun ambiance, and so cute. Used museum putty to hold the lamps onto the bedside stands and to hold the puck lights in place. Recently, I used this hack for an easy bedroom/bathroom nightlight. Adds just enough light to help out my disabled husband when he needs it, not always on like a regular night-light, and still looks really cute (used small brass one for this).
So smart!
I have always loved a kitchen lamp and get more compliments on it than I do on my renov kitchen