Kitchen Lighting Ideas

Kitchen lighting ideas for the hardest working room in your house

In need of some kitchen lighting ideas to transform your space, brighten your mood & increase levels of productivity?
From ceiling lights to practical under cabinet lighting to must have pendant lighting, there are plenty of options to help you illuminate the hardest working room in your home.

As a key component of your kitchen design when choosing kitchen light fittings, you need to ensure it will fulfil your functional needs. If you have an open-plan kitchen/diner, it’s likely this space is used for more than just cooking meals. However, if you’re a city-dweller with a smaller kitchen, you may want to think about smart lighting tricks to make the space feel bigger.

There are three types of lighting you will want to consider: ambient lighting, task lighting and accent lighting. The first, ambient lighting, is essentially the main, general lighting in the kitchen. The second, task lighting, is used to brighten up the areas where you’re cooking or preparing food (such as under a cabinet or on the worktop), thereby where you are performing a particular task. The latter, accent lighting, is a concentrated light that will add style and drama to your home, creating atmosphere in the kitchen. This is usually to highlight specific parts for aesthetic purposes. contact ‘My Style Interiors’.

With these three types of lighting in mind, ask yourself these questions to ensure you choose the right kitchen lights…

1. Think about what kind of lighting you are after. Do you want a pendant feature light or LED spotlights? Deciding what style you want early on will help to narrow down your choice.
2. Think about where these lights will be positioned based on how you use your kitchen. Whether it’s kitchen island pendant lighting, kitchen led strip lights or kitchen under cabinet lighting, these light fixtures will contribute to the functionality of your kitchen
3. Consider how you are going to control your lighting – do you want a flick-switch or a dimmer light?
4. Take into account your natural light sources in the kitchen. You might not need a spotlight close to a window.
5. Consider your budget, too. Some kitchen light fittings are more expensive than others, so before you start looking around, make sure you know what your price point is.

Whether you’re in the middle of a kitchen renovation or want to improve your current kitchen design, these kitchen lighting ideas will help you consider all the essentials…

Kitchen Pendant Lighting

Pendant lighting hangs over a kitchen island or breakfast bar. Also referred to as drop or suspender lights, they usually suspend from a cord to bring light to the island or table below (perfect if children are sat drawing here).

‘A beautiful pendant can look striking suspended over an island, for example, or in the corner of a kitchen to accentuate a zone. Great for food prep, reading recipes and enjoying a family meal seated at an island, task lighting will prove to be a valuable aspect of your kitchen’s design, Raquel Abbott at My Style Interiors Brisbane can help you.

Kitchen Spotlights

Ceiling spotlights, also known as down lights, are firm favourites in the kitchen and bathroom. As well as looking sharp, these particular kitchen ceiling lights enable us to focus the light exactly where it needs to be.

‘Lighting schemes are an essential part of kitchen planning as there is nothing worse than a dimly lit work area. Position spotlights directly above key areas to ensure the light isn’t blocked while you stand at the sink, hob or work top,’ says, Raquel Abbott from My Style Interiors Brisbane

Under Cabinet Lighting

Under-cabinet lighting is great for illuminating the functional spaces where you prepare food, providing light in all the right places.

LED under cabinet lighting and fluorescent lights are probably the most popular, as these emit very little heat — but provide plenty of brightness.

While you can utilise under-cabinet lighting to illuminate work surfaces, a lit extractor can provide lighting for your cooking area and to highlight feature tiles where necessary.

Decorative Lighting

Decorative lighting in a kitchen adds atmosphere, impact and visual interest. Instead of having a functional purpose, it is predominately used for aesthetic purposes and can help to set the mood.For example, you might like to hang soft warm fairy lights above cabinets or around open shelving. Best of all, it’s a cost-effective option and often adds the perfect finishing touch.

Natural Lighting

Natural lighting will make your space inviting and dynamic. Some of the ways to utilise natural light is to consider fitting skylights, large windows or doors with glass panelling. These are more costly than other kitchen lighting, but it will naturally enhance your space — particularly when the sun is shining. See what other services we offer OR See our Design Gallery Page

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