Lighting Tips for Your Kitchen
By Sally Storey, Creative Director of John Cullen Lighting.
Sally Storey reveals her top lighting tips to make the most of your kitchen and ensure you get your lighting design right.
Kitchen lighting design needs to have the most flexible interior lighting scheme in the home in order to reflect the wide range of functions kitchens are now used for. Kitchen lighting needs to adapt from a bright, general light during the day, to an intimate light for dining in the evening. The right positioning of light fittings is key to achieve this.
Top of my kitchen lighting ideas is to ensure great task lighting. This is key to achieve the best shadow-free light is provided. Under cupboard lighting is ideal for lighting work surfaces, either with our Etta or Etta Eyelid fittings.
An alternative way of lighting a work surface below cabinets is to use a linear light source such as the LED Contour strip. This provides a continuous lighting effect which is ideal for today’s contemporary kitchens. Unusual solutions can involve back-lighting a glass splash back which could change colour.
Always light the centre of an island either with LED recessed downlights or simple decorative pendants so you can see to work by and put these on a separate circuit to you perimeter lights.
Often for added impact a pair of Polespring LEDs look good or consider the Square Double LED.
In a kitchen with a high ceiling, use the top of kitchen cabinets as uplighters for general light. This will also reduce the number of downlights required. Consider adding Contour LED HD27 strips above light to reflect light into the space above.
Another great tip for kitchens with high ceilings is to visually lower the sense of scale by adding low hanging pendants over the island. This can also help delineate the space in an open plan kitchen.
Add Polespring LED downlights in between the pendants to ensure that you have good task lighting on the work surface below. Consider adding Contour LED HD27 strips above light to reflect light into the space above.
For mood kitchen lighting, consider LED Cazalla lights built in the plinth of the central island to light the floor. If your central island is on legs, use LED Contour HD27 underneath to create a magical floating effect.
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9 years agoWall mounted lights are becoming popular.....
The home of Karianne · More Info- PRO9 years ago
Yes we would suggest using wall mounted lights or spotlights for highlighting features or contour strips for behind the shelves.
On our website we have a whole selection of other kitchen and room ideas that you can take a look at: http://www.johncullenlighting.com/portfolio/project-showcase/kitchen-lighting/.
PRO9 years ago
Caroline Keeble