Be Inspired – Kitchen Lighting Ideas

How you light your kitchen can make a big difference to the way it looks and performs.

For maximum impact – both in appearance and function, combine different types of lighting. By mixing spotlights, wall lights and ambient illumination, you can add depth and dimension to your kitchen design.

And for the ultimate convenience, use wi-fi to control your lights via your laptop or mobile device. This allows you to adjust the brightness from the comfort of your chair.

Functional task lighting

It’s essential for task zones to be well lit. These include worktops and food preparation areas – plus additional lights for cooking, which could be inbuilt into the cooker hood.

Try combining focus spotlights with under-cabinet lighting to ensure worksurfaces, cookers and hobs are fully illuminated. You should fit slim fluorescent or LED lights at the front underside of cabinets, not the back.

Ceiling or wall spotlights can be adjusted to focus on the right place at the right time. Or you could install a track light, with multiple spotlights fitted along a central track, giving you the flexibility to direct individual lights to different areas.

These lights can be switched off when you’ve finished preparing and cooking food, and more ambient lighting used for relaxing and dining.

Relaxing ambient lighting

While you need strong illumination for food preparation zones – a warmer, more ambient light is more suitable for relaxing and dining.

A central single large pendant light or a series of pendant lights across a dining table offers stylish, adjustable illumination. These lights can be pulled down to hang low over the table or island and pushed back up when not in use.

Dimmer switches are a simple way to adjust the level of lighting to soft or full. Dimmable wall lamps will also provide subtle background illumination.

Space changing lighting

Clever lighting can also be used to make small spaces look bigger. Directional spotlights directed at cabinets or walls will give the illusion of extra space. By reflecting the light back into the room instead of aiming it downwards, you create a sense of space.

Specific features can be highlighted by directional lighting. And for an atmospheric floating effect, try placing lighting below an island.

For a cosier feel to a kitchen with high ceilings, position uplighters on the top of cabinets to provide ambient light that won’t overpower the room. You could also place lights at the foot of floor-based cabinets and inside glass-fronted cabinets to give hidden sources of light that bring a mood-enhancing glow to the kitchen.

Statement lighting

If you have an industrial-style kitchen, exposed wire lighting adds to the stripped-back feel and provides a statement lighting feature. This stark effect is achieved by wrapping bulbs attached to a cord around a pole fitted to the ceiling.

An oversized pendant lampshade, particularly in metal, such as stainless steel, makes a stunning centrepiece if you have a spacious kitchen. This is particularly effective pulled low over a central dining table or kitchen island.

In a smaller sized kitchen, you could use circular LEDs as an alternative to strip LED lights to give a softer ambient feel. This is used to stunning effect by diffusing illumination over reflective surfaces, including high gloss worktops and cabinets.

Light up your new German kitchen

German Kitchen Store provides high-quality German kitchens at trade prices with an easy online ordering system.

The beauty of our ordering system is its simplicity. Choose the range, door style and colour – the process is easy. Carcases, accessories and appliance package options are clearly displayed, allowing you to build a kitchen designed to your specifications.

Our customer service team is on hand to help with any questions or queries regarding your order and delivery.

Call us on 01525 851 642 or email hello@germankitchenstore.co.uk