Kitchen lighting ideas

Nov 05, 2023

Kitchen lighting ideas are an important part of any successful design scheme, with functional and aesthetic illumination particularly important in a space that is used increasingly for entertaining as much as cooking.

Apart from its key function, lighting can have a transformative effect on your kitchen ideas from making the space look bigger to highlighting key pieces and creating a specific ambiance.

Kitchens usually need to include task, mood and feature lighting. Task lighting is the most practical and covers hardworking areas like the prep space, cooking area and the sink; mood lighting creates different atmospheres and feature lighting is eye-catching and can simply introduce a bit of character.

A layered approach to lighting will not just set the mood to your kitchen but bring interest and depth. Here are just some of the kitchen lighting ideas that can bring a new dimension to your kitchen.

BY JENNIFER EBERT

The unexpected positioning of these pretty vintage pendants elevates their appeal. It also bears practical benefits, bringing the light source closer to the task in hand. The faded elegance and jewel-like colors of these antique glass pendants are unique, but the shades have been visually united using matching retro fittings. Individually, they may be small and dainty, but worked together they feel far bolder.

'You can easily tire of statement lighting that dominates the kitchen,' says Helen Parker, creative director, deVOL Kitchens. 'Discreet and understated designs still catch our attention, but we don’t get bored of them so easily.'

When planning contemporary kitchen lighting, you may well need to think about covering the room vertically, as well as horizontally. Fitted downlighters will bring widespread light across the kitchen, but lower lighting may well be needed to bring focus into particular parts of the room.

This is especially important if you’re working on a kitchen with high ceilings, where the diminished impact of downlighters mean you may want to add extra lighting closer to eye level. In this kitchen with a double height ceiling, low-hanging pendant lights are used over the island to bring more light into the food preparation area.

One way to give your kitchen lighting ideas real impact is to pick a stand-out centerpiece that can sit over the island or dining table. It needn't provide anything but good ambient lighting, but making it dimmable is a bonus for adjusting the room's atmosphere when you need to.

Black track lights are also becoming increasingly popular, because they can provide plenty of light and add a little 1970s style.

Jamie Blake, Creative Director of Blakes London, says, 'Use them in place of a pendant, or opt instead for a single pendant over the island, rather than a set. One large and spectacular pendant, perhaps suspended over the island to one side or over a breakfast bar, can look like a piece of art.'

‘Often, lighting can be the last thing considered in kitchen design,’ says Andrew Hall, Managing Director of Woodstock Furniture. 'However, for a kitchen to look its best and function well, the space must be lit properly.’

Experts agree that the best time to install a new lighting scheme is way back when you are still planning your kitchen, as you are signing off your kitchen layout ideas and drawings. Leave it until later and it becomes an after-thought with limited possibilities.

However adventurous you would like to be with your scheme, it’s crucial to establish your budget early. As a general rule, John Cullen recommends spending as much on your kitchen’s lighting as you do on the flooring.

Consider practical lighting inside pantries, breakfast dressers and wall cupboards, ideally on switches that automatically turn on the light when the door is opened and off when shut, advises Blake.

Lighting inside glazed cabinets can be used to make a feature of glassware, while a simple table lamp on a console or dresser helps link kitchen with dining or living areas in an open plan room.

'I rarely use plinth- or cornice-level lighting, because it isn’t usually necessary and can make a room look like a spaceship. There are exceptions, such as when a tall run of cabinetry stops short of the ceiling. Here, a soft glow of light could be used to illuminate a dark patch to create a balanced look.'

Industrial styles have become increasingly popular over recent years, with metallic accents and concrete surfaces cropping up more and more. These metal trapeze lights give this classic Tom Howley kitchen an urban edge.

Gold lights have incredible reflective properties and are ideal for bouncing light around the room. They are also a brilliant addition to darker kitchen color schemes, as they help to lift and lighten a room – as seen in this stunning Tom Howley kitchen.

This classic English kitchen by deVOL uses mismatching vintage-style pendants to create a totally unique lighting solution. Sometimes venturing back to previous eras works well – even in more contemporary kitchens.

Chandelier lights are brilliant for adding a sense of occasion to an entertaining space.

What's more, not only do chandelier crystal droplets look visually pleasing, but they also shimmer and reflect light, casting it around the room – ideal if you're thinking of going bigger and bolder with your space, like in this gorgeous Tom Howley kitchen extension.

Linear lights can be a great modern kitchen idea, as they are in-keeping with the streamline nature and clean lines typically found in them.

Whether it's a strip light or a parallel rows of spotlights, there are so many ways this linear look can be achieved - as seen in this gorgeous Sebastian Cox Kitchen by deVOL. It's also a great solution for kitchen island lighting.

One idea to add a little more drama to a kitchen is to showcase your island. A way to do this is to have pendant drop-down lights solely over your kitchen island and ceiling spotlights throughout the rest of the room. This means all the attention will be on this central hub - where you're most likely to be cooking and entertaining anyway.

This classic English kitchen by deVOL does exactly that.

Exposed bulb lights have been everywhere the past few years and give an industrial look to a space. We love these bulb pendant lights in this deVOL real shaker kitchen.

Incorporate LEDs at multiple levels to flood your kitchen in light, without costing the earth. LEDs are by far the most energy-efficient option, lasting at least 20,000 hours or ten years – they are a great way to incorporate more sustainable kitchen ideas into your space.

Look for those with warm color rendition to avoid a clinical feel. A 12W cluster LED spotlight compares in warmth and brightness to a 50W halogen spotlight.

Boost the impact of statement pendants by arranging them in a row along the length of an island or table. As we said above, odd numbers work best; opt for three or five depending on the area.

In a room with a high ceiling, lower-level pendants work especially well above an island or dining table, where they won’t cause an obstruction.

'Never feel too compelled to have a light in the centre of a ceiling. Install several lights and ensure they are given specific tasks. If the dining table is likely to be in the corner of the kitchen, hang a pendant over there. It’s more functional and looks more considered,' says Busola Evans, Homes & Gardens' kitchen and bathroom Supplement Editor.

Kitchen lighting should not just be thought of as purely practical. It can also be used to add a dynamic look to your kitchen. Contemporary fittings like these striking pendants in mismatched styles, provide a design feature that captures the imagination, a great option for kitchen ceiling ideas.

'The perfect height of lights depends on two factors: the height of the people living in the house and the height of the ceilings. Wall lights work well in a small kitchen, especially ones with little natural light,' says Kenny Collins, chairman of The Lighting Store.

The saying 'go big or go home' might be the mantra of youth, but it certainly rings true for the kitchen.

'There’s a real trend for architectural lighting in kitchens right now, like big pendants with several arms, and they make a real statement. Ensure that they hang at least 2m above the island or table,' explains Sarah Spiteri, Editorial Director of Homes & Gardens.

A good, well-thought-out lighting scheme can make all the difference in a kitchen. 'Match the style of your light fittings to your kitchen – interesting light fittings will stop your kitchen looking overly clinical.

'Prismatic glass and bone china work wonderfully in country style kitchens, metallic pendants give an industrial flavor, and brightly-painted pendants bring an often-needed pop of color,' enthuses Peter Bowles, Managing Director of Original BTC and Davey Lighting.

Dimmable ceiling downlights are a popular solution for general lighting in a modern kitchen, says Jamie Blake, Creative Director of Blakes London.

'Turn them right up when you want to clean the room, dim them right down when you want a softer mood.

'While it may help to start by drawing up a grid of downlights to create an even spread of light, remember that you may need to adjust it to accommodate things like steel joists, skylights, TV screens and so on. Nor do you want to put a downlight right next to a pendant or hard up against a wall cabinet. Use the grid merely as a starting point that you can modify to suit your space.'

Our kitchen lighting ideas and expert advice offer cleverly planned illumination inspiration that will bring your room out of the shadows.