Guide to Kitchen Lights & Lighting Requirements

Guide to Kitchen Lights & Lighting Requirements

These days, families spend a lot of their time together in the kitchen. Therefore, kitchens are now designed as the ultimate area for families to relax, enjoy drinks, prepare meals, or even play board games. However, for your kitchen to serve its purpose, lighting is one of the most important kitchen design aspects you need to get right. This involves more than just picking stylish kitchen lighting fixtures. A proper kitchen lighting plan should blend lighting into the decorative and architectural details of the room. Below is a guide for some kitchen lighting basics that you need to have in mind for you to improve the utility and the beauty of your kitchen.

Develop a Kitchen Lighting Plan

As mentioned above, modern kitchens are multifunctional, and therefore, you need to invest time thinking through a solid lighting plan. When planning on how to light up your kitchen, you can think of the plan the same way you think of adding ingredients to a meal. For instance, you first need to think of task lighting. In this regard, you have to consider what you need a particular space for and where the beams of light should focus to help you accomplish that particular task.

Next, you have to think of adding an accent in order to highlight important decorative and architectural elements in your kitchen. For instance, accent lighting can help with highlighting a piece of art, a vaulted ceiling, or even a stone fireplace. Lastly, you need to consider general lighting to fill the gaps in areas where more light is needed. If you do not know where to start insofar as creating a kitchen lighting plan is concerned, we at Woo Lighting & Lifestyle can provide you with some practical kitchen lighting plan examples.

Kitchen Lighting Tips

Of course, every kitchen and family is unique in some ways, and therefore, kitchen lighting needs can vary widely from one home to another. However, there are some basic kitchen lighting requirements that every kitchen has to meet. Below are some general tips that you can rely on to light up your kitchen in the most efficient and effective way.

Over-Cabinet Lights

These lights are more about mood and style and less about function. They are mounted on the top kitchen cabinets with the aim of illuminating the displays and spreading a warm light to the ceilings and walls. If you use highly efficient LED lights for this purpose, you can leave them on all night.

Under-Cabinet Lights

Under-cabinet lights were once considered a luxury kitchen lighting option. However, they are now a must-have task lighting option that helps homeowners illuminate countertops with bright light. For best results, you need to ensure that the lights are hidden behind the edges of wall cabinets. This will ensure that you only see the light; not the lighting fixture. Some types of bulbs you can use for this purpose include fluorescent fixtures or strips of LED lights.

Pendant Lights

Pendants are an excellent kitchen lighting option, particularly for kitchens with high ceilings. You can pick a pendant that spread light in all directions to enhance ambiance lighting. Alternatively, you can go of a pendant with a shade to focus downwards for task lighting over a work table or a kitchen island. Furthermore, pendant lighting fixtures are attractive and can create a visual interest in your kitchen.

Recessed Lights

In simple terms, these are lights that are recessed into the ceilings. They are meant to cast light onto countertops, sinks, and kitchen islands. By installing them around your kitchen's perimeter, you can avoid creating shadows when standing at islands and counters. Recessed lights can also be effective when it comes to illuminating dark corners and highlighting your stylish kitchen cabinetry.

Ceiling Fixtures

Ceiling fixtures are lights that are usually installed onto the ceilings or close to the ceilings. They are meant to provide general lighting, and they are a perfect choice for small kitchens. Since ceiling lights are going to remain on for several hours every day, it is imperative for you to go for energy-efficient fixtures, such as LED lamps.

Toe-Kick Lights

Toe-kick lights are basically meant to illuminate the floor. They can be installed under the base of cabinets. In addition to working as night lights, these lights can be a great way of adding texture to your kitchen. Toe-kick lights can then be connected to a motion sensor to ensure that you get a warm glow every time you walk into your kitchen.

.

Day Light

During the day, you need to take advantage of the free light from the sun to illuminate your kitchen and bring out the true colors of your stylish countertops and cabinetry. Therefore, if your kitchen does not get enough sunlight during the day, you can trade some cabinets for windows to illuminate the countertops and other bright surfaces, which will then brighten the kitchen further by reflecting the light from the sun. Alternatively, you can install solar tubes or skylights to achieve almost similar results.

The Bottom Line

Overall, it is apparent that the modern kitchen is one of the busiest areas in a home. It hosts several activities, and therefore, families spend a lot of time in the kitchen these days. It is also clear that kitchen lighting is an integral component of the overall kitchen design. As such, for your kitchen to serve its purpose, you have to get its lighting design right. In addition to allowing in enough natural light during the day, you need to install the appropriate lighting fixtures to adequately light your kitchen at the lowest cost possible. If you do not know what you need to do to light up your kitchen properly, you can seek the assistance of an expert, such as Woo Lighting and Lifestyle.

Contact Woo Lighting and Lifestyle today for more information about what you need to do to ensure that your kitchen is well lit.

Emma WONG
Emma WONG

Emma WONG, lives in Hong Kong, I'm a blog author working in the lighting industry for the 15 years.
I have worked with a diverse range of clients, from architects and interior designers to homeowners and business owners. I'm committed to providing exceptional service and delivering solutions that meet the unique needs and goals of each client.

In addition to my love of home decoration, I enjoy spending time with my family, traveling to new places, and trying out new recipes in the kitchen, photographing and enjoys capturing the beauty of natural and built environments through my lens. I'm excited to share my insights and ideas with you, and I hope you'll find my blog helpful and inspiring.

Thanks for stopping by!