Expert Tips To Help Choose Kitchen Lighting For Your Home

If you’re anything like us, kitchen design is very important to you. If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve worked hard to design the perfect kitchen. And now you want the finishing touches to really make it pop. Well, you’ve come to the right place. We love designing kitchens, and we believe the process has finished until you’re in there cooking the first meal! One of the most powerful ways to tie all your kitchen design features together is with kitchen lighting. So how do you choose the right type of kitchen lighting? We have a few tips below to start you off.

Think of your kitchen lighting as a spectrum of light – the perfect solutions involves a few fittings

Before we go any further, let’s reframe the way we approach kitchen lighting. Kitchen lighting, like almost all lighting, isn’t about finding the one silver bullet solution. It’s more about combining the right kitchen lighting solutions. In that regard, we like to think of lighting as a spectrum – and we will talk more about that in our next tip.

Distinguish between ambient kitchen lighting and practical kitchen lighting – both are useful

If kitchen lighting is a spectrum, then you have practical lights, and ambient lights at either end. And both are just as important as each other. Practical lights are there for a purpose, but they mightn’t always look the best. So we suggest placing them discreetly where you need them most – we’ll talk more about that later. Then, for looks and ambience, you have ambient kitchen lighting. This lighting works to fill the room, using softer tones and more gentle light refraction. By combining practical and ambient kitchen lighting, you get the best of both worlds.

Make sure that there is kitchen lighting where you need it most – for example above the bench

When it comes to practical lighting, there are a few places that need it most. To work out where these places are in your kitchen, think about where you need to see the most importantly. One place that immediately comes to mind is the kitchen bench. You will need good lighting there, because that’s where you’re most likely to use knives. Similarly, you will need good lighting over your stove – but most range hoods come with inbuilt lighting options.

If you have an open plan kitchen, your kitchen lighting will need to work with your other lighting

Increasingly, kitchens are becoming open plan. And we think that’s terrific; open plan kitchens encourage social cooking and make your home seem more spacious. However, it does mean that your kitchen lighting will need to go well with the lighting in your dining and living rooms. Without any walls separating them, the lights in these rooms will inevitable mix. So that’s something to keep in mind when choosing your kitchen lighting.

Don’t be afraid to get creative with your kitchen lighting – under-counter lights work great

Finally, as with all design projects, don’t be afraid to give it some creative spice. Take the time to look at a broad range of light fitting for your kitchen lighting. And also spend some time thinking about interesting places you could position them. One of our favourite lighting trends is under-counter lighting. They make for an interesting ambience, and they give you great lighting when you open drawers. Under-counter lights are a great example of lights that combine practicality with design. So give some thought to other solutions that have a similar effect.

Of course, if you need some help with your kitchen lighting – get in touch with our experts!