How To Achieve The Perfect Kitchen Lighting

A multifunctional space like the kitchen requires lighting that can accommodate a wide variety of activities from hosting dinner parties to doing homework. However, successful kitchen lighting doesn’t just provide a practical solution to everyday tasks, it can elevate your interior to the next level, accentuating design features and creating a simply stunning ambience. To get the most from your kitchen lighting, you should begin considering your options as soon as possible. Think about how you intend to zone the space functionally so you can plan lighting that perfectly complements your lifestyle and design rather than becoming an afterthought with limited choices. Our guide should help you to understand the different types of lighting available and should give you some inspiration on how you can transform your kitchen into a spectacular and versatile space.

Three Main Lighting Types

Ambient

Ambient lighting should provide your main source of light, illuminating your whole room evenly throughout.

Task

Task lighting is designed with clear visibility in mind, it should allow you to carry out tasks such as food prep, finding ingredients and reading recipes.

Accent

Accent lighting is the final flourish that accentuates your favourite kitchen elements, it can even be used to create a standalone feature in itself.

Used in combination, these three types of lighting should provide everything you need to achieve the perfect kitchen lighting design.

Ceiling Downlights

Ceiling downlights are one of the most popular choices of ambient lighting. Positioning them across your kitchen ceiling is the most sleek and minimal way to achieve an even level of bright light. Their sleek design seamlessly complements many forms of additional lighting including pendant lights. They provide a more contemporary alternative to track lights and spotlights and adding a dimmer switch or opting for smart lighting allows you to tone down the brightness in the evening to create a more intimate and relaxing mood.

Pendant Lights

Pendant lights are a wonderfully versatile and stylish kitchen design staple. They can cross the boundaries of all three types of lighting depending on how they are used. The clear pendant lights below help to illuminate the whole room, however, they also cast light directly onto the kitchen island creating the effect of task lighting. In addition to this, the arrangement draws attention to the kitchen island, particularly accentuating the beautiful wood breakfast bar making them fantastic accent lights. Their glass droplet design makes them a stunning feature, their use in this kitchen represents the full range of capabilities that pendant lighting can offer.

Alternatively, these black pendant lights function purely as accent lighting. Their dramatic black silhouette establishes an aesthetic connection between the kitchen and dining area while illuminating the table draws guests towards it. With an impressive variety of designs to explore, pendant lights offer amazing potential to enhance your lighting scheme however you intend to use your kitchen.

Under Cabinet Lights

Under cabinet lights are considered task lighting. Their primary purpose is to cast light over worksurfaces so you can see clearly and perform your tasks safely. However, though they are designed with practicality in mind, they can also bring a sophisticated and stylish edge to your interior. When your ambient lighting is dimmed, under cabinet task lights can produce a soft background glow creating a cosy and inviting atmosphere. Under cabinet lights certainly offer much more than simple task lighting.

Internal Cupboard Lights

Like under cabinet lights, internal cupboard lights would be considered task lighting as they give clear visibility for you to find what you’re looking for whether that’s a recipe book, ingredient or a piece of crockery. However, when combined with our sleek pocket door system, internal cabinet lights can make an undeniably stylish design feature. Our pocket doors allow you to choose whether you hide or display your shelving, perfect for a secret cocktail bar or morning breakfast station. Combine this with internal lighting and you have the opportunity to add a real touch of luxury. Internal cupboard lighting also creates a similar effect when paired with more traditional glass-fronted cabinetry. Again, this lighting type crosses the boundaries, sitting somewhere between task and accent lighting.

Cupboard Front Lighting

Lighting the front of your kitchen cabinets is a great way to accentuate their luxurious surface quality, beautifully picking out the grain of a natural wood or the soft sheen of a smooth satin finish. When the door is open, cupboard front lighting serves as task lighting to help you see the contents of your cupboard more clearly. This extra level of detail is a wonderful way to highlight the gorgeous quality of your new kitchen.

Over Cabinet Lighting

Over cabinet lighting is one of the few predominantly stylistic choices of lighting that you might introduce to your kitchen. Situated between the top of your kitchen units and the ceiling, it can be used to emphasise architectural features such as exposed walls or high ceilings and will create an exceptionally opulent and refined feel. Over cabinet lighting is ideal for adding a touch of drama to your kitchen.

Lighting is undeniably one of the best ways to elevate and enhance your kitchen design, adding real luxury and atmosphere to the space. With so many different options available, planning your kitchen lighting ahead of time is essential to achieve the look and finish you desire. If you would like to find out more about how you can use lighting to transform your interior, please get in touch with the expert team at Kreativ Kitchens. You can call us on 0113 436 0630 or email [email protected]