In today’s modern society, the kitchen is undoubtedly the heart and soul of every home. No longer is it the place shut away at the end of the house where one person cooks and cleans while the rest of the family relaxes and watches TV.

The kitchen has morphed into another living area; while clearly, its main purpose is for cooking, it is also for homework, the breakfast bar, or, let’s be honest, the place where our friends and family all congregate for a coffee and chat or a glass of wine or two.

A lot of time goes into kitchen design; you ask yourself, “What am I going to be doing in there” or “How do I want it set up” and then you design your kitchen using tried and tested design principles. What we don’t often ask ourselves is, “How will the lighting that I choose affect the functions that I want to perform in my kitchen?”

The Importance of good lighting in the kitchen

Gone are the days when a big white oyster light placed in the middle of the kitchen ceiling sufficed. Now our kitchen lighting needs to meet the requirements of all of the uses you identified in the design phase, Task Lighting, Ambient Lighting, Natural Lighting, Accent Lighting, Cabinet Lighting, Smart Lighting, Dimmable lighting and if the shopper door opens into your kitchen, maybe sensor lighting.

One of the biggest selling points in any home is a good, functional, well-appointed kitchen with a wow factor. Lighting can have a huge impact on this.

Having good kitchen lighting is essential for homes. One of the main reasons is that it enhances safety whilst cooking, allowing you to see what you’re doing, and reducing the risk of accidents.

We spend a lot of time in our homes, so it’s important that we create an environment in which we enjoy spending our time in. By having good lighting, it can create an inviting ambience, ultimately making time spent in our kitchens an enjoyable experience.

Adequate lighting not only can help with the above but also can add a great deal of value to your home, making it attractive to future potential buyers.

Types of Kitchen Lighting

There are different types of kitchen lighting that we can help with.

Let’s talk about the types of Kitchen Lighting:

Task Lighting – is exactly that, lighting that enhances the tasks that you are doing, whether it is cooking, food preparation or sitting on your laptop on the bench. Think of it like that one oyster light in the middle of the kitchen, so when you cut up food on the bench, all the light is behind you; and you are working in a shadow.

Ambient Lighting – refers to the general illumination in your kitchen. The lights provide the primary source of lighting.

Accent Lighting – This is the best part of your kitchen design, Accent lighting provides the décor, the mood and feel, the style, the soft hues, and the subtle illumination at night.

When considering kitchen lighting, think Pendants, Spots, Linear or Track Lights over the island bench, Cabinet Lighting, Strip Lighting under overhead cabinets, under the bench, or even kickboard strip lighting. Modern wall Sconces are also perfect for accent lighting, removing the need to turn on room lights to see.

Natural Lighting – Refers to using sunlight to generate light into the space. This is typically provided by windows, skylights, or other openings allowing light to pass through the space naturally.

Design Considerations for Kitchen Lighting

When it comes to designing the lighting for the kitchen, there are many factors to consider, like the size and layout of the kitchen, ceiling and or bulkhead height, colour temperature of the lighting and lighting styles to maximise the effectiveness of your requirements (functionality), smart lighting and low glare lighting.

Size and Layout of your Kitchen

The size and layout of your kitchen will not only determine how many lights you will need but also where they should be placed. Work with your designer or electrician to ensure there is enough Ambient Lighting to suit the space, including corners, say into a scullery, then pay special attention to task lighting and accent lighting requirements.

For example:

Ensure there is light in front of you to illuminate the workspace.

If the kitchen is a small space, consider putting an LED strip between the cabinets and the ceiling. This is a wonderful way to enhance size and make the kitchen appear much more grand.

LED Strip as under cabinet lighting has become one of the best forms of task lighting; they not only provide light directly onto your working space, which is functional, but it also doubles as accent lighting and will become part of the décor too. If you have shiny bench tops or a shiny splashback, consider using a diffuser on the LED Strip to prevent any glare off the surfaces.

Consider where you place any pendant or linear lights over island benches; using an odd number of pendants always looks better than an even number, and don’t be scared to offset them rather than have them all lined up. Sometimes placed at one end of the bench rather than central provides a wonderful balance to the space and creates a hub for guests to enjoy. Go back to your planning logic and look at why you need them there, are they accent lighting for decoration, functional for task lighting, or both.

Do you want cabinet lighting or sensor lights in your pantry to come on when you open the door? Do you want them connected to a Smart Home System? Consider using two-way switching if your kitchen has more than one entry point or from the scullery.

Colour Scheme:

Let’s talk about light temperature. This refers to the colour of the light, Warm White (or more yellow light) is 3000 Kelvin, and Neutral White or Cool White (whiter light) is 4000 Kelvin. Both are fine to use in homes and traditionally, 3000k is more popular. When planning your light colour, here are some tips to consider:

The lighting colour temperature in the home is not only for lighting it is also responsible for the mood and feel of the home; it compliments your décor and adds to the overall enjoyment of the space. It can make a huge difference.

Does the kitchen form part of the open-plan living space? If it does, you should choose one colour temperature and carry it through the design. Mixing colour temperatures is not advised.

Don’t be fooled by thinking that if you choose warm white, you won’t get the power of a cool white light; the light colour differs from the light output. LED light is measured in Lumens. The higher the Lumen, the greater the output of light so that you can choose warm white for your home and then simply select larger or lower lumen output where you want to create ambience (lower) or more output for cooking (larger). The same applies to 4000k.

Have you heard of CRI? Colour Rendering Index. Most LEDs on the market have a CRI of 80. The higher the CRI, the clearer and sharper colours become. Consider choosing the highest CRI you can find.

When choosing pendant lights, try not to use the logic that the kitchen is white, so I need white pendants; they get “lost in translation”. Think about the whole living area, can you tie the décor together with your pendants, what will complement the dining room lighting? Is there a secondary colour in the kitchen that we can highlight in our pendant choice? Be brave; your pendants are there as a feature as well as to be functional.

Style of the kitchen: The style of your kitchen can influence the lighting you use. For example, modern kitchens typically use sleek, minimalist features such as pendants or track lighting. In contrast, traditional or rustic kitchens will aim for a different look and feel, heavier and more robust with more natural materials.

Ceiling height: The height and dimensions of a ceiling play a big role in ensuring that you choose the correct lighting for your kitchen space. Depending on your ceiling height, the type of lighting you use can impact the look and feel of your kitchen. Traditional LED downlights have a 90-degree or above flood of light, which emits a lot of light towards the ceiling. Try and look for downlights with a narrower beam, 60 degrees or less. These aim the light where you need it, downward.

Electrical outlets and switches: Wiring, switch, and outlet placement are important when choosing the appropriate lighting for your kitchen.

Safety Considerations for Kitchen Lighting

Electrical safety
Fire safety
Avoiding glare and eyestrain
Choosing safe light bulbs

Kitchen Lighting and Energy Efficiency

In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of the need to conserve energy and reduce carbon emissions. One area where individuals can make a significant impact is in their choice of kitchen lighting. Energy-efficient lighting options have become more widely available and affordable, making it easier for individuals to switch. LED Lighting, CFL Lighting, and Halogen Lighting are all formidable choices when scouting for alternative options.

Reduced energy bills, improved product lifespan, and other rebates and incentives are just some benefits of switching to energy-efficient lighting.

The environmental impact of choosing energy-efficient lighting options cannot be ignored. By making the switch, you can expect to reduce carbon emissions and wastage, making a big step towards being more environmentally friendly.

How much should I budget for kitchen lighting?

While preparing a budget for your kitchen lighting, you need to consider all the things that were determined in your planning phase. The kitchen is the heart of the home, so putting a dollar value or percentage on a budget without that consideration is a bit like putting the cart before the horse.

Determine your kitchen requirements, speak to your electrician/designer, and get some idea of pricing; then, you can accurately determine what a decent budget for kitchen lighting is.

How can I reduce glare in my kitchen lighting?

There are a few ways of reducing glare from your kitchen lighting.

Choose downlights that have a recessed luminaire, so the luminaire is set further back from the fascia of the light fitting; this reduces glare significantly.

Where you have LED Strip lighting, include the use of diffusers.

Use Dimmers: Installing dimmers can alter the brightness of your lights as needed.

Select lights with a LOW UGR. UGR, better known as Unified Glare Rating, is an objective measure of glare used by lighting designers to help control the risk that building occupants will experience glare from artificial lighting. UGR values range from 40 (extremely high glare) to 5 (very low glare)

How can I improve the energy efficiency of my kitchen lighting?

You can improve the energy efficiency of your kitchen lighting by switching to LED bulbs, using timers or motion sensors and opting for high energy-rated fixtures. This will help in reducing the carbon footprint of your kitchen lighting.