Designing a new kitchen or hoping to update your existing kitchen? Learn the designer’s secrets to a perfectly lit kitchen that is not only functional but appealing. Sharing all of the details to achieve the perfect kitchen illumination.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
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Kitchen Lighting Design Rules of Thumb
When designing a kitchen there are a few things to consider when choosing the perfect lighting for the space. When lighting any space you should ensure you have at least three out of four of the following types of lighting: ambient light, accent lighting, task lighting, mood/decorative lighting.
In a kitchen you would have ambient lighting such as pot lights, task lighting like under cabinet lights, and one other type such as pendant lights over an island or a wall sconce.
Want to learn more about the different types of lighting and how to use them in your entire home? Read more here.
Overhead Lighting
There are 4 key types of lighting and overhead is the most important type for a space with cooking and food prep. This is considered “ambient lighting” and is the type that provides illumination to the entire space.
Under Cabinet Lighting
Under cabinet lighting is a type of task lighting that is important in a kitchen. The goal of task lighting is to provide illumination to a specific task such as cooking or food prep. LED under cabinet lighting is becoming very popular as it is easy to install and relatively inexpensive. There are some types that run on battery, or plug in and can be installed quickly with adhesive tape or a few screws. Read more about how I installed IKEA under cabinet lighting in my home.
Pendant Lighting
Pendant lights are similar to chandeliers but only have one light source and are usually smaller and used over peninsulas and islands. Pendants are often a design “moment” but also provide task lighting for cooking prep and dishes.
Lighting Warmth
A very important thing to consider is the warmth and the brightness. For cooking and food prep it is important to have cooler lights than you would want for another space such as a living room, ideally you would pick 4000-4500K. In terms of brightness, kitchens need around 75 lumens per square foot.
Looking for more details about my kitchen? Read more about the renovation here.
Types of Kitchen Lighting
FAQs
The most important type of lighting for a kitchen is ambient light, which provides lighting over the entire kitchen.
Yes, because the brightness of LED makes it safer to perform usual kitchen tasks that need more focus such as chopping vegetables.
The biggest priority for a kitchen should be ambient lighting such as pot lights, or flush mount lighting.
LED strip lights are becoming very popular, especially for under cabinet lighting due to the ease of installation. In modern design, they are also used at the kickboards of kitchens.
More home decor ideas
- Battery-Powered Sconces & Picture Lights
- Paint Colours in my Home
- Mixing Metals
- IKEA Smart Under Cabinet Lighting
- Types of Lighting and Designer Rules
