The kitchen is the home environment where adequate lighting is essential, because it is the space where we work most at home and where we spend a lot of time.
This is why we want to provide you with some ideas and ideas to copy to illuminate your kitchen and make it functional according to your needs.
If you too are looking for the ideal lighting for your kitchen , then follow all the suggestions we will give you below!
Kitchen lighting: how to choose
Let’s start from a very important point: always take into account the natural light coming from windows, balconies and doors, the position of the furniture and worktops.
Try to exploit the natural light coming from outside as much as possible and calibrate the light points to be placed in the kitchen according to this indication.
Choose lighting systems that do not require maintenance or periodic cleaning, highly energy-saving lights such as LED lights with a long lifespan.
Always remember that the area of the worktop and hob is where you may strain your eyes the most and activities such as chopping, cutting and decorating require adequate lighting.
First of all, pay attention to the functionality of the light points and their arrangement and don’t forget the possibility of being able to manage the light from multiple points and not from a single switch.
Yes to LED lights and all those solutions that allow you to choose the type of light, color, amount of brightness and control the switching on.
Thanks to ” dimmable ” lights , i.e. those equipped with a dimmer, you can adjust the electrical power of the lights.
An innovative and trendy idea is to also illuminate the inside of shelves, wall units and the most “hidden” places where, for example, we store kitchen utensils, cutlery, glasses and plates with LED strips.
Types of lighting
To give you the most practical guide possible, we will give you advice depending on the area of the kitchen you intend to illuminate.
For greater clarity we will distinguish three types of light in the kitchen:
- ambient lighting , which allows you to illuminate the entire room in a balanced way;
- the functional one , which is the fundamental one for illuminating the worktop and cooking area;
- finally the decorative one to characterize specific areas of your kitchen with contour solutions and highlight them.
Now that you have a clear idea of what types of lighting exist, let’s look together at which lighting to choose and where to place it.
Pendant chandeliers and ceiling lighting
Correct lighting of your modern kitchen certainly involves perfect lighting of the dining table. Choose a pendant lamp to be placed in a central position in relation to the table so as to perfectly illuminate the surface for those who are sitting. The light can be direct if you intend to illuminate only the table or diffused light if you want the light to also spread to the rest of the room.
There are many proposals for a modern kitchen: from industrial style pendant lamps, to simple lamps with colored cable, to sphere lamps with a modern and designer taste in a hemispherical shape, to directional and adjustable spotlights, strictly LED.
If you intend to illuminate your kitchen with a pendant lamp providing diffused light, we recommend a large modern ring chandelier with natural light.
Play with colors by choosing contrasting shades. For a light kitchen, opt for dark pendant lamps and, on the contrary, white or light lamps for a dark-toned kitchen.
If you have a central island or a snack area, illuminate the surfaces in a targeted way but maintain an orderly and clean style.
Illuminate with pendant lamps with multiple conical-shaped elements or with LED strips if you have a false ceiling.
Spotlights and LEDs
After having illuminated the kitchen table or island, we move on to the worktop and the cooking area , the most important place where it is necessary to have well-lit surfaces to prepare chef-proof dishes.
Illuminate with classic or directional spotlights or under-cabinet LED bars: this way you will have direct light in the areas where you need it most.
For the fire area, generally, the area is quite illuminated thanks to the light from the hood; if this is not the case, choose a well-protected watertight roll and install a LED bar with a track right above the stove.
In this area of the kitchen, to encourage greater attention, choose bulbs with cold or natural light that allow greater concentration.
Indirect light and wall lamps
If you want indirect light on some areas of the kitchen, as we have recommended, choose solutions such as diffused light lamps that allow you to illuminate the area below but also the rest of the room.
Choose a wall light if you want the light to be concentrated on very specific points. There are different types and the most suitable ones for a modern kitchen are those in metal with a refined taste but simple and clean in shape.
A gallery to inspire you
Mistakes not to make
Now that you have learned all our tips for lighting your kitchen, it is important that you take these mistakes into consideration:
- No to a single chandelier in the center of the room: the choice of kitchen lighting must be studied with precision, keeping in mind all the points that require adequate and correct lighting
- Put aside the old halogen bulbs: the choice and insertion of the brand new LED bulbs will allow you a wide choice of colors and types of light and considerable energy savings.
- Don’t leave out the area under the wall units: enhance this area used for cooking, cutting and decorating activities. Your eyes will thank you.
Now that kitchen lighting has no more secrets for you, start applying all our advice. Remember that we are next to you to give you all the style advice you need!
