Top Kitchen Lighting Tips

Natural & Task Lighting
Ambient & Feature Lighting

George Clarke, architect and presenter of The Home Show, tells us how to approach the planning of lighting your kitchen.

Fit Task, Ambient & Feature Lights

'In the UK, we have an average of 23 lights per house of which we only use half. The lighting in a kitchen must be really carefully considered to be successful. There are three main types: task; ambient and feature lights - and getting the balance right is important. Good lighting can transform the feel of your kitchen, but be careful - you can spend endless amounts of cash.'

Improve The Natural Lighting

'Natural lighting should be your starting point - and you should use every trick in the book to get as much natural light into the kitchen as possible. This might mean rooflights, or perhaps patio doors that fold right back to flood the room with light. Or, it might just mean keeping windows uncluttered so that daylight can find its way into an otherwise dark space.'

Fit Good Task Lighting

'Good task lighting is a must. You'll need it over the cooker and hob, and over the food preparation areas so that you can see what you're doing. That means having lighting beneath wall units to light the worktops below, lighting within cooker hoods so you can see into saucepans and even a row of spotlights in the ceiling that light your path around the units. Plan your storage at the same time as your lighting so that you can be sure that you can see into drawers and cupboards, too.'

- For more kitchen lighting tips and buys, see our feature