Lighting your kitchen well is the key to showing off your home’s best feature. Dreary lighting doesn’t do shiny new worktops and fabulous flooring any favours at all so it’s worth investigating your lighting options.
There are three main types of kitchen lighting and your choices for each will vary.
Lighting your workspace
The first area that needs attention is where you’ll be working. Illuminating your worktops is easily achieved by installing under-cabinet lighting (which can often be the least expensive option). Alternatively, you can embed spot lights into the ceiling directly above.
Start by identifying the areas in which you plan to do most of your work. These usually include the chopping area and over the cooker.
In these areas, you can use halogen bulbs for a gentle glow instead of a harsh beam of light.
Ambient lighting
A lot of people use ambient lighting as well as more practical approaches. This kind of lighting will usually appear in the centre of the room. Using large fixtures with various bulbs can help you to achieve gentle lighting that reaches into all corners of the kitchen, illuminating darker spots.
Your ambient lighting is best installed with a dimmer switch so that you can control the intensity of the light in the room.
Accent lighting
When you’ve chosen a new kitchen, there may be certain features that you’re keen to show off. If you have a favourite picture or perhaps some exposed brick, fitting bulbs that illuminate these will help draw the eye.
Save energy
When installing new kitchen lighting, it’s a good idea to look into LED lights where possible. If you’re fitting plenty of bulbs, LED alternatives can end up saving you a considerable amount of money. If you’re having your kitchen fitted by a professional, ask them for advice on using LED lighting.