Kitchen Lighting Ideas: We are here to help
Ahh, the humble kitchen! Once a room reserved purely for food preparation, the kitchen is now the hub of our homes and an integral space for our day-to-day lives. The kitchen is now the place for socialising over a glass of wine, supervising homework, eating meals, working from home, relaxing with a coffee, and of course cooking! With the changing times, our kitchens are having to work much harder to serve our busy lives and be adaptable and intuitive to how we use them. Your kitchen's lighting is central to this! In choosing to incorporate different lighting styles into our kitchens, such as a mixture of spotlights, feature pendant lighting, and under-cabinet lighting, your kitchen can be adapted to suit everything from an impromptu instagram photo shoot, to cosy low-level lighting for a glass of red in the evening.
Not only do our kitchens now need carefully thought through lighting to help us to use the space for any number of activities, but the aesthetics of our kitchens have also changed. The rise of the kitchen island is a perfect example of how our lighting requirements have altered regarding aesthetics. Where a set of spotlights may have done the job smartly 10 years ago, now, feature lighting above a kitchen island is a design must and serves as the centrepiece of the modern desirable kitchen!
Scroll to the bottom of this page for further advice and kitchen lighting tips.
Recessed Adjustable MR16 Spotlight - 4 Finishes
4 Options£6.50
Low-Profile Fire-Rated Downlight for GU10 Bulbs with Depth of 70mm
13 Options£7.00
- Sale
- 33% OFF
Adjustable Downlight with Low Glare Baffle For GU10 Mains Lamps
£9.00
Braided Wire Suspension for Track Lighting Systems - Easy-To-Install - Adjust In-Situ
£9.00
Easy-Install LED Downlight - Tool-Free Relamping for GU10 Mains LED Lamps
4 Options£9.10
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- 66% OFF
Brushed Stainless Steel Ultra Thin LED Downlight - Use Under Cabinets, Shelves or in Niches
£9.50
Deep GU10 Recessed Mains Spot Light - 4 Finishes
4 Options£10.00
Twist Lock Fixed Diecast 230v LED Kit with 6 Watt Lamp
10 Options£10.20
Dimmable LED Recessed Downlight Kit: A Blend of Functionality and Style
15 Options£11.20
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- 60% OFF
Ultra Slim Profile Round LED White Downlight 225mm - 4000K Neutral White, IP23
£11.50
Shallow IP65 Fire Rated GU10 Downlight - Round or Square
7 Options£11.90
Fixed COB LED Downlights – Remote Driver for Shallow Voids
4 Options£13.20
Dark Light Gold Recessed Mains Spot - White or Black Bezel
2 Options£13.40
Twist Lock Tilt Diecast 12v Kit - 3 Finishes
3 Options£13.80
12v Undercabinet Light - Brushed Chrome
2 Options£14.00
Single Recessed Adjustable Spotlight For GU10 Lamps
£14.00
Surface Mounted Slim LED Under Cabinet Light - Black or Brushed Nickel
7 Options£15.40
Trimless Plaster-In Recessed Downlight For GU10 Mains Lamps
£15.50
Adjustable Modular Box Downlight - White or Black
5 Options£15.80
Kitchen lighting - Advice and Guidance
Let us set the scene...
You've dreamt of your perfect kitchen, you've thought about everything from your dream cabinets to your dream kitchen surfaces. But alas, what about lighting? Lighting is a commonly overlooked element of a kitchen's design, however, it is truly essential for completing both the aesthetic, as well as the functionality of your kitchen.
Perhaps you're at the start of a kitchen project and considering feature lighting above your kitchen island. Or perhaps, you've had your dream kitchen fitted and you're struggling with shadows from overhead lighting. Whatever your situation and whatever your kitchen lighting project there are some basic rules which can help you to maximise style and functionality, and minimise potential lighting issues.
There are three main categories of lighting requirements that, when all are considered together, provide the perfect combination of both style and function for your kitchen. These three categories are laid out below and we would always recommend considering mixing more than one lighting type together for your project. Believe us, when your kitchen is finished, you'll be more than glad that you didn't scrimp on just one lighting type and considered all three categories of lighting requirements before jumping in and ordering.
Ambient Kitchen Lighting
Ambient lighting is general lighting that is designed to bathe your entire kitchen space in light. This category includes single or multiple pendant lights over a kitchen island or breakfast bar, which is the kind of lighting that many of us do consider (and dream about) when thinking about our kitchen's design. Ambient lighting also includes using spotlights evenly distributed across your ceiling to create a general cast of light reaching across the entire kitchen.
Top Tip! Ambient lighting works best when installed with a dimmer switch to enable you to choose the light level the occasion requires, such as full brightness for cooking, and low-level for a relaxed glass of wine in the evening.
Kitchen Task Lighting
Task lighting is the category of lighting focused on helping you to function in the space. This type of lighting helps you to see when completing tasks and is often incorporated over your sink, cooker, or areas where you will be food prepping and therefore require extra light. Examples of kitchen task lighting that we'd recommend include down lights, under cabinet lighting, and track lighting.
Accent Kitchen Lighting
Accent lighting is used to highlight the most beautiful parts of your kitchen, the things you want to show off and that bring you joy. Whether you're thinking of highlighting beautiful cabinetry, a stunning range or AGA, a favourite piece of artwork, or a sculpture poised on open shelves, accent lighting is here to help it shine. This category is vast and can include shelf lights, under-cabinet lighting, kitchen island lighting, pendant lighting, the list goes on!
As always, if you'd like any help or advice on your kitchen lighting needs, please do get in touch via phone, email, or our online chat function. We love to hear from you!