Top Tips For Successful Kitchen Lighting

Today's kitchens increasingly function on two levels: as a place to prepare food and also as a place where people seem to congregate and entertain informally. The key to effective kitchen lighting thus lies in echoing that balance between form and function so as to offer a warm inviting ambience yet also create brightly lit task areas.

Resolving this dichotomy is not actually as difficult as many people imagine. The simplest solution is to totally avoid trying to meet these various competing demands with one set of lights. Instead, use multiple sets of lights each designed for a specific purpose and assigned to its own switch.

Even more effective is to fit dimmer switches to finely control the balance between the various lighting circuits. Now if you need to prepare food you can wash the work surfaces with bright task lighting. But if you're intending a relaxed meal at the kitchen table then you can dim the under-cabinet lights and throw a pool of light just on the table. Height adjustable pendant lights are ideal for this since you can eliminate glare from the light source itself.

There are three main categories of kitchen lighting: ambient, task and accent/decorative lighting. These should be familiar to anyone with a basic understanding of home lighting design. Ideally you should aim to assign each of these groups to its own circuit so the various elements can be individually controlled and blended with each other as required. But if you find that you need task lighting in say two separate zones then further subdivide your task lighting onto two switches.

Let's examine each of these categories in turn, beginning with ambient lighting. Ambient light sets the overall background lighting level. Without it any other lights would stand out too prominently and cast pools of bright illumination contrasting heavily with surrounding dark areas. The best form of ambient light for a kitchen is typically found in recessed down lights and like all ambient lighting these should always be assigned to dimmer switches to control the background level.

Kitchens are naturally home to sharp knives, hot substances and food whose quality needs to be inspected and so bright, focused task lighting that doesn't create shadows is crucial. The best form of task lighting is slightly in front of you and directly above where you are working and doesn't shine in your eyes. In most kitchens the ideal answer is therefore under cabinet lighting (and these days LED under cabinet lighting as this runs cool and costs very little even if left on for extended periods).

Accent and decorative and lights are used to add interest and highlight off particular features. Low heat LED strip lights and spot lights are made for this since they are easy to install pretty much anywhere and can be set very close to objects or even into surfaces. An obvious area to really go to town is with kitchen island lighting since this usually forms the central feature in the kitchen.

Finally a few expert kitchen lighting ideas... Cluster down lights around particular areas and/or above materials that will reflect the light well. Hang pendant lights fairly low over tables and kitchen islands to focus the light pool (for maximum flexibility use a height adjustable fitting). Consider lighting at all the levels typically found in a kitchen, not just the ceiling or just beneath wall units. Lastly, don't forget the floor - plinth lights and LED kitchen lighting set into to the toe kick board will bathe the floor with light, enhance the impression of space and make the units appear to float.