With the kitchen often considered one of the hubs of every home, it’s a great place to invest and plan out a kitchen lighting scheme to do the room justice. Our lighting guides aren’t just about the technical stuff surrounding your lighting questions, and it’s also a chance for us to share our passion for creating beautiful lighting schemes that will really help bring your home to life.
Read on for our top tips on how to choose the correct kitchen lighting that is as practical and useful as it is beautiful.
The Overlooked Room
It’s pretty easy to forget about kitchen lighting and install a few spotlights – but given the importance of the kitchen to most homes, it’s an area where a considered kitchen lighting scheme can really make all the difference – and even update an existing kitchen to bring it bang up to date.
Most people simply haven’t given much thought to the importance of lighting in the kitchen. That’s a bit of a shame, as with the right lighting, you can really transform the look of your kitchen.
The best lighting for the kitchen should be simple, unobtrusive, and well placed – with the ultimate goal to provide good lighting for cooking and having dinner.
What Type of Light
As a starting point, it’s really important to look at the three types of lighting – task, ambient, and feature lighting. Kitchen lighting schemes are quite unique, in that you can use a combination of all three to achieve something really special for your kitchen.
You’ll need task lighting in abundance – to help you see the food you prepare and work efficiently. Ambient lighting will help to create the right atmosphere for your kitchen, and this has as much to do with natural light as it does with kitchen lighting.
Finally, consider feature lights to add character and a flair to your room that is as individual as you are.
Vary Your Options
Like most rooms, you’ll probably want to fit pendant or ceiling lighting. The type you choose will depend on the balance of your other lighting sources. For example, if you fancy adding strip lighting under the cupboards and other task lighting, you will have more room to play with a feature pendant light.
Used in the right context of your room, this can look stunning, and if you add a dimmer switch, it can really alter the mood of your kitchen throughout the day. If you prefer to keep things simple, consider a directional ceiling lamp, with angled spots that you can adjust to shine light right where you need it.
Task Lighting Is Key
It really is important to install task lighting in the kitchen. Be it a low-hanging pendant over an island unit or breakfast bar, strips lights underneath cupboards or angled spotlights, it’s always a good idea to have plenty of options – especially if you want to avoid eye strain from a single dull pendant lamp.
But task lighting can also come in surprising forms. Consider strip lighting around the skirting of cupboards, or even cupboard lights inside glass-fronted units to display your best china – or just to help you navigate around your kitchen efficiently.
A Few More Practical Tips
- Where possible, look for adjustable head fittings you can angle to the right direction. Track lighting kits can also look fantastic in a kitchen setting, and will provide the flexibility you need.
- Don’t forget about under cabinet lighting, particularly for your wall cupboards. Warm white bulbs will provide you with bright – but never harsh – light.
- Use a motion sensor light switch to free your hands in the kitchen
- Clip lamps can also provide multipurpose lights.
- Consider using recessed lamps and spotlights in areas susceptible to dirt – for example, near your cooker or extractor.
The best kitchen lighting for your home will depend on your personal preferences and budget. If you are looking for something that is going to add a touch of style to your kitchen, there are always multiple ways available for you on the market.
