Fitted Kitchen Design Tool John Lewis

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In need of some kitchen lighting ideas to transform your space, brighten your mood and increase levels of productivity? From ceiling lights, to practical under-cabinet lighting, to must-have pendant lighting, there are plenty of options to help you illuminate the hardest-working room in your home.

As a key component of your kitchen design, when choosing kitchen light fittings, you need to ensure it will fulfil your functional needs. If you have an open-plan kitchen/diner, it's likely this space is used for more than just cooking meals. However, if you're a city-dweller with a smaller kitchen, you may want to think about smart lighting tricks to make the space feel bigger.

There are three types of lighting you will want to consider: ambient lighting, task lighting and accent lighting. The first, ambient lighting, is essentially the main, general lighting in the kitchen. The second, task lighting, is used to brighten up the areas where you're cooking or preparing food (such as under a cabinet or on the worktop), thereby where you are performing a particular task. The latter, accent lighting, is a concentrated light that will add style and drama to your home, creating atmosphere in the kitchen. This is usually to highlight specific parts for aesthetic purposes.

Abbey Smooth Shaker Style Fitted Kitchen at Hammonds

Hammonds

With these three types of lighting in mind, ask yourself these questions to ensure you choose the right kitchen lights...

• Think about what kind of lighting you are after. Do you want a pendant feature light or LED spotlights? Deciding what style you want early on will help to narrow down your choice.

• Think about where these lights will be positioned based on how you use your kitchen. Whether it's kitchen island pendant lighting, kitchen led strip lights or kitchen under cabinet lighting, these light fixtures will contribute to the functionality of your kitchen.

• Consider how you are going to control your lighting – do you want a flick-switch or a dimmer light?

• Take into account your natural light sources in the kitchen. You might not need a spotlight close to a window.

• Consider your budget, too. Some kitchen light fittings are more expensive than others, so before you start looking around, make sure you know what your price point is.

Whether you're in the middle of a kitchen renovation or want to improve your current kitchen design, these kitchen lighting ideas will help you consider all the essentials...

1. KITCHEN PENDANT LIGHTING

Pendant lighting hangs over a kitchen island or breakfast bar. Also referred to as drop or suspender lights, they usually suspend from a cord to bring light to the island or table below (perfect if children are sat drawing here).

'A beautiful pendant can look striking suspended over an island, for example, or in the corner of a kitchen to accentuate a zone. Great for food prep, reading recipes and enjoying a family meal seated at an island, task lighting will prove to be a valuable aspect of your kitchen's design,' Daniela Condo, Kitchen Designer at Life Kitchens tells House Beautiful.

Chris Jordan, Managing Director at Christopher Wray, adds: 'A series of pendants above a breakfast bar or a modern chandelier over a kitchen table can add a touch of style to a room that is typically very functional.

'As well as serving its function of providing illumination, a light fitting can also be a beautiful feature that decorates a room.'

Before you rush to buy one, it's always best to measure the height of your space first — you don't want something hanging too low that acts as a distraction – and then check this against the length of the pendant light.

5 kitchen pendant lights to buy now

Stylish buy

Copper Brushed Metal Ceiling Light With White Interior

In a brushed copper, this hanging pendant light from Habitat is sure to create a statement in your kitchen. It's also available in mustard and grey hues too.

Habitat

Great bargain buy

Freya 3 Light Kitchen Island Pendant

Zipcode Design wayfair.co.uk

£61.99

With a geometric design and sleek black finish, this set of three kitchen pendants is a simple way to spruce up your space. They're at the top of our wish list...

Wayfair

Insta-worthy style

Hanging glass pendant

This jewel-shaped pendant has been hand-blown by Portuguese master craftsmen and is a real scene-stealing style.

Swoon Editions

Classic style

Brass Ceiling Light, Ink

Anglepoise johnlewis.com

£80.00

Create a statement in your kitchen with this inky-blue hanging pendant light. Made from brass and hanging from a twisted woven cable, it's both stable and stylish.

John Lewis & Partners

Great set of three

John Lewis & Partners Ezra 3 Pendant Prismatic Glass Ceiling Light, Pewter

John Lewis & Partners johnlewis.com

£145.00

These three pendants are a smart upgrade in any kitchen space. Perfect if you're looking for something classic.

John Lewis & Partners

Ceiling spotlights, also known as down lights, are firm favourites in the kitchen and bathroom. As well as looking sharp, these particular kitchen ceiling lights enable us to focus the light exactly where it needs to be.

'Lighting schemes are an essential part of kitchen planning as there is nothing worse than a dimly lit work area. Position spotlights directly above key areas to ensure the light isn't blocked while you stand at the sink, hob or work top,' says Melissa Klink, Head of Design at Harvey Jones.

lochanna kitchens, lastra fjord grey grained oak

Something you will also want to consider is the colour temperature of your spotlights. Do you want a warm white hue? Or a cool white glow?

When choosing kitchen spotlights, it's also worth considering whether you want to opt for a dimmer switch. This will give you the option to control the mood of the room; you may need a brighter space when cooking dinner but prefer a glow in the evening when dining — brilliant for entertaining.

5 kitchen ceiling spotlights to buy now

Ideal for contemporary settings

John Lewis & Partners Thea GU10 LED 6 Spotlight Ceiling Plate, Chrome

John Lewis & Partners johnlewis.com

£85.00

Looking for a six-light spotlight plate? Then this classic white chrome style from John Lewis & Partners is just for you.

John Lewis & Partners

Scandi-style ceiling spotlight

Five-bulb wooden LED ceiling spotlight

Lights.co.uk lights.co.uk

£93.90

We've got our eye on this stylish five-bulb wooden ceiling spotlight, which is perfect if you have a large space to brighten.

lights.co.uk

Great singular ceiling spotlight

John Lewis & Partners Otis LED Single Ceiling Spotlight, White

John Lewis & Partners johnlewis.com

£30.00

This simple single ceiling spotlight is functional and smart. Thanks to its adjustable head, you can direct the light exactly where needed.

John Lewis & Partners

Best bargain spotlight buy

John Lewis & Partners Thea GU10 LED 3 Spotlight Ceiling Plate, Chrome

John Lewis & Partners johnlewis.com

£49.00

Looking for an affordable buy for your kitchen? This three-spotlight ceiling plate in chrome is a purse-friendly purchase that will brighten your space in an instant.

John Lewis & Partners

Best stylish ceiling spotlight

Eglo Barnham Spotlight - Black and Copper

In a sleek black and copper, this three-light ceiling spotlight from Argos is great for adding a contemporary, stylish touch to your home.

Argos

3. KITCHEN UNDER-CABINET LIGHTING

Under-cabinet lighting is great for illuminating the functional spaces where you prepare food, providing light in all the right places.

LED under cabinet lighting and fluorescent lights are probably the most popular, as these emit very little heat — but provide plenty of brightness.

While you can utilise under-cabinet lighting to illuminate work surfaces, a lit extractor can provide lighting for your cooking area, and, as Melissa explains: 'Lights can also be fitted within drawers and pantry units to switch on when a cupboard or drawer is opened.'

David Conlon, head designer and founder at En Masse kitchens, tells us: 'Under-cabinet lights are always a good choice in order to "buy back" surface light from protruding wall cabinet and shelving.

'One continuous strip here is more effective than spotlights. Be careful with LED strip lighting if you have a highly reflective work surface or backsplash such as stainless steel or glass, as this will reflect the individual diodes within the lighting strip. The LED will need to be recessed and you may also need to use a diffuser.'

4. OVER-THE-SINK LIGHTING

If your sink isn't situated by a window and flooded with natural light, you may need to think about lighting the space above. Recessed ceiling lights are popular when it comes to over-the-sink lighting choices, however, pendant lighting can work well too — so long as they don't hang too low.

shaker fossil grey this hardwearing kitchen features luxury laminate worktops in dreamy galaxy dove combined with a smooth composite sink and a feature gold swan neck tap

Decorative lighting in a kitchen adds atmosphere, impact and visual interest. Instead of having a functional purpose, it is predominately used for aesthetic purposes and can help to set the mood.

fairy lights strung around trailing plant in the kitchen

For example, you might like to hang soft warm fairy lights above cabinets or around open shelving. Best of all, it's cost-effective options and often adds the perfect finishing touch.

Natural lighting will make your space inviting and dynamic. Some of the ways to utilise natural light is to consider fitting skylights, large windows or doors with glass panelling. These are more costly than other kitchen lighting, but it will naturally enhance your space — particularly when the sun is shining.

Get the look at Velux

Velux

'It's important for all of us to re-think the way we live indoors,' says Grant Sneddon, VELUX Daylight expert. 'Daylight is a powerful mood booster and good for our health and wellbeing, helping to create a positive atmosphere at home. Bringing light in from above with roof windows is the perfect solution for achieving daylight for longer throughout the day.'

If you're planning a kitchen renovation project in the near future, think about the placement of both windows and ceiling lights. If you have a pitched roof or a flat roof, consider getting a skylight fitted. Modular skylights are designed to bring natural light into the home, however they are among the more expensive options.

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Anthropologie anthropologie.com

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