Guide To Kitchen Lighting | More Kitchens

Published: 10 December 2020

Choosing your kitchen lighting is an essential part of your overall kitchen design. Helping to accentuate certain fixtures and fittings, the right kitchen lighting will showcase your space in its finest light.

Covering how to plan kitchen lighting into your design, the types of kitchen lighting available and the importance of proper installation, our comprehensive guide breaks down all the elements up for consideration.

How To Plan Kitchen Lighting.

When undertaking a kitchen refurbishment, it’s paramount that you consider your preferences and options for kitchen lighting at the start of the process.

This is because your choice or requirement for kitchen lighting may also impact the kitchen units and kitchen worktops you choose, and light - whether natural or artificial - can be absorbed differently on different surfaces depending on their colour, texture and finish.

So, we recommend you ask yourself the following questions before looking at your options for kitchen lighting. Knowing the answers will ensure that once installed, the design and space works for you and the other members of your home:

1. How big is your kitchen space?

2. How much natural light do you have?

3. Aside from cooking, what will you use the space for?

> Dining – both formal and informal

> Hosting, socialising and entertaining

> Working, studying, doing homework

Once you’ve worked out all of the above you can start to look at the types of kitchen lighting that are available to you. Alternatively, if you decide to contact a full kitchen design and fitted kitchen service, when they ask you these questions you’ll be armed and ready with your answers.

Types Of Kitchen Lighting.

There are five main types of kitchen lighting available, with different offerings in terms of illumination:

Task Lighting.

The brightest type of kitchen lighting, task lighting refers to spot lights and focal lighting.

LED spot lights are typically used as your main form of illumination in the ceiling; they can also be used to offer focal lighting, whereby they’re installed under kitchen cabinets to provide focus lighting to key areas, like food preparation surfaces.

Feature And Accent Lighting.

The most exciting of all types of kitchen lighting options, feature and accent lighting really helps set the tone and mode of your kitchen design. Feature lighting could be:

Down Lights.

Down lights are installed in overhanging surfaces, a kitchen worktop or island for example, providing light down to the floor.

Uplighters.

The opposite of down lights, uplighters are installed on top of wall units providing light up to the ceiling.

Recessed Lighting.

Recessed lighting refers to lighting installed in niches or cabinet interiors to highlight and accentuate specific features with a soft and mood enhancing back light.

Low Level Lighting.

Low level lighting, also known as floor lighting, is installed in the plinths that run along the bottom of your base units or island.

Pendant Lighting.

Pendant lighting is a traditional form of illumination that has recently been given a contemporary kick, especially with regards to kitchen design. Installed from the ceiling, the pendant hangs with the light enclosed within a traditional lampshade or modern casing.

Wall Lights.

Another form of traditional lighting, wall lights remain a popular kitchen lighting option as they are a great way to achieve mood lighting.

Affixed to a wall in such a way they only use the wall for support, wall lights are a great option if you’re wanting to create an intimate look and feel, popular in kitchens that feature a traditional dining area.

Natural Light.

Natural light will always be a firm favourite and wherever possible we always look to enhance and maximise the amount of natural light within a kitchen design.

Whether adding or extending a window or incorporating reflective surfaces to really help bounce light around the room, no amount of artificial illumination will quite showcase your space in the same light.

How Do You Want to Control Your Lighting?

As a final consideration, you may wish to review your options for lighting control. This is particularly important if the space is to be used by members of the household for different tasks and activities. Your lighting control options come down to:

- On / Off Switch

- Dimmer

- Sensor

- Timer

- Remote Control

Ultimately, there’s a lighting control for every occasion, so whether you’re looking to dim the lights for an intimate dinner party or install sensors because you’re fed up with the younger generations of your home leaving the lights on when they leave the room, there's a solution available.

Installation Of Kitchen Lighting.

Once you’ve aligned your options for kitchen lighting with your kitchen design and decided on the types of kitchen lighting you want to incorporate, the last remaining element is the installation.

Electrical Compliance And Certification.

It’s paramount that when installing lighting, kitchen or otherwise, you use a qualified electrician that is NICEIC approved. This ensures all works are fully compliant, certified and safe.

This is particularly important when upgrading your existing circuit or adding to the number of lighting arrangements in your home, as this may result in having to update your fuse box. A qualified electrician will RCD protect the circuit and carry out a minor works test to ensure no faults are found.

We hope you found our guide to kitchen lighting both useful and informative. To recap, it’s essential to plan your options for kitchen lighting within the design stage of the kitchen renovation, bearing in mind what the functional space will be used for.

Following this, you are then in a position to consider the types of kitchen lighting available to you that will lend themselves to helping achieve the overall look, feel and flexibility you desire. Finally, it is paramount you use a qualified electrician when carrying out the works to ensure the installation is certified, accredited and safe.

Offering a full kitchen design and fitted kitchen service More Kitchens can help will all aspects of your kitchen lighting as part of full kitchen refurbishment service. To find out more call a friendly member of our team today on 0113 201 5030 or book a design appointment online.

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