How To Light A Kitchen

Planning a long-overdue kitchen refresh, you turn your attention to the lighting. Whether it’s statement kitchen island lighting to illuminate tasks like meal prep or warm under-cabinet strips to add a cosy feel to the space, the right design choices will transform your kitchen into a space that’s both practical and inviting.

Discover how to light a kitchen and create a beautifully lit space fit for any occasion.

How should you light a kitchen?

The kitchen is one of the most multifunctional spaces in our homes, so including both practical and flexible lighting is key to ensuring it meets all your needs. The best kitchen lighting schemes include a variety of different lighting types, making it easy to switch seamlessly between practical everyday tasks and creating a warm, inviting ambience for relaxing or entertaining.

To ensure you have the right type of lighting for every occasion, experts recommend layering your lighting:

“Layered lighting in a kitchen isn’t just about style — it’s about making the space work for how you live. You need bright task lighting for cooking, but softer wall or pendant lights help shift the mood when it’s time to relax or entertain,” says Ally Dowsing-Reynolds.

How to layer your kitchen lighting

For a well-lit, multifunctional kitchen, it’s important to include a combination of ambient, task, and accent lighting.

Ambient lighting: This is the general lighting in a room that provides overall illumination. In the kitchen, it will typically include the main ceiling lights, as well as windows and any other light sources used to brighten up the space.

Task lighting: This is stronger, more targeted lighting that enables you to focus on daily tasks like preparing and cooking meals or doing the washing up. It could consist of under-cabinet lighting to illuminate work surfaces, or pendant lights suspended over your kitchen island.

Accent lighting: This is used to highlight specific areas or features within a room. It could include above-cabinet lighting that adds height and dimension to your kitchen, or wall lights angled towards pieces of artwork.

See our blog on how to create a layered lighting scheme for more guidance.

Image courtesy @thehouseofdan

How much light do you need in a kitchen?

Because tasks like cooking, preparing food, and washing up take place in the kitchen, you’ll generally need more light in this room than in spaces like the living room or bedroom.

The exact amount of light required will depend on the size and layout of your space, but as a general rule of thumb, kitchens typically need around 70-80 lumens per square foot.

To work out roughly how much light you need in your kitchen:

• Multiply the length and width of the room to get the square footage
• Multiply the square footage by the recommended lumens per square foot

For more information on how much light you need in your kitchen, see our guide: How Many Lumens Do You Need In A Room?

Tips for creating mood and atmosphere in your kitchen

While bright, strong lighting is a must for kitchens, you also need to be able to create a relaxing, cosy atmosphere when the occasion demands. The best way to do this is by putting your kitchen lights on dimmer switches – this gives you full control over the intensity of your lighting and means you can set the right mood for any time of day with ease.

Wall lights are also a great lighting choice for creating a relaxing ambience: opt for uplighters in small kitchens to make the space feel more open, and downlighters in larger kitchens to make the space feel more cosy and intimate.

Kitchen island lighting tips

If you’re lucky enough to have a kitchen island, getting the lighting right here is crucial for creating a balanced and well-lit space. Pendant lights are the best lighting choice for kitchen islands, brightly illuminating the area while also serving as an attractive focal point.

Kitchen island pendant lights are especially great for open plan living rooms as they help to divide the space into different zones, providing a clear boundary between the living area and the kitchen.

Aim to space your pendant lights evenly so that the light is cast evenly across the island and hang them around 30 to 36 inches above the countertop for the ideal level of illumination.

Image courtesy of @callertonkitchens

Other tips for brightening up your kitchen

1. Choose a light colour palette

If your kitchen is on the smaller side, opt for a light colour scheme to make the space feel much brighter. Shades like white, cream, and pastel tones reflect light, helping to open up the space and create an airy atmosphere. Consider swapping out dark cabinet fronts or walls with lighter hues to instantly transform your kitchen and make it feel more inviting.

2. Opt for reflective handles and hardware

Although it seems like a small detail, choosing kitchen handles with reflective metallic finishes can have a huge impact on the brightness of your space. Metallic finishes like chrome, polished brass, and brushed nickel are great for catching and bouncing light around the room, giving the illusion of a larger, more radiant kitchen.

When choosing a metallic finish for your handles and hardware, try to match it to the finish of your lighting fixtures. For example, gold lights should be paired with gold kitchen handles. This will ensure a cohesive design scheme and make your kitchen feel effortlessly polished and put together.

Image courtesy of @our_greenhouse_reno @studio.maple

3. Place mirrors strategically

Another great way to maximise the available light in your kitchen is to strategically place mirrors. Consider positioning mirrors next to or opposite your windows or light sources to help bounce the light around the space and make it feel larger than it really is. In narrow kitchens, a mirrored backsplash can create the illusion of depth, making the space feel wider and more open.

Show us your beautifully lit kitchens

We’d love to see how you’ve used these tips for how to light a kitchen to transform the heart of your home. Tag us on Instagram @dowsingandreynolds – we can’t wait to see what you’ve come up with!

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Feature image courtesy of @callertonkitchens