Why kitchen lighting is so important to good kitchen design

Kitchen lighting is so important to good kitchen design, and yet many people forget to include it in the design process early on.

Lighting should be a key factor in the planning of your new kitchen, and should be given the same amount of thought as plumbing and your electrics, and should be consider at the start of your planning stage.

Kitchen pictured: Mayland

There are now so many options when it comes to kitchen lighting and it is worth considering adding at least two, if not three variations – task, ambient and accent lighting. This requires some thought and consideration as to where they will be placed. Once you have considered this, you’ll need to spend time choosing the style that you want and what will work with the rest of your kitchen.

As a minimum, you’ll need task lighting – which is your typical spotlights – which should be placed over functional areas such as sinks and hobs to ensure they are well light.

Kitchen pictured: Mersea

Next comes ambient lighting which is what you use to create the general mood of the room, as well being visually appealing as statement lighting is often used. If you have a kitchen island, pendant lighting is how you’ll typically create it. However, even if you don’t have a kitchen island, it doesn’t mean you can’t use pendant lighting in other areas in your kitchen; from over worktops to seating areas. As your kitchen is often both a functional and entertaining space, dimmer switches can help to create the mood lighting you are after.

Top tip: If you decide to add in pendant lighting, work with the rule of three as odd numbers tend to feel naturalistic compared to even numbers which can feel artificial.

Kitchen pictured: Shoreditch

Accent lighting can be the final addition and is used to bring attention to areas of your kitchen such as shelves, cupboards and under countertops.

By choosing different variations of lights, it creates a layered approach to lighting, allowing you to be playful and create a design statement along the way.

Style-wise, it is a personal choice and will be dependent on the overall look you are wanting to achieve with the rest of your kitchen, though try and aim for cool white lights as this provides better lighting in areas where you need to concentrate.

One of the best things about lighting is that it is an area you can update, without needing to undertake a whole kitchen renovation project, and is something that can be done relatively cheaply. However, you’ll want to consider how each of your style and type of lighting works with other lighting in your kitchen, as well as whether it is in-keeping with the aesthetic look you are wanting to achieve.