Stand at your worktop, look down, and see whether you are chopping in your own shadow. In most British kitchens the answer is yes, and the reason is always the same: the ceiling lights are behind the person using the room rather than in front of them.
A kitchen is the hardest room in a house to light, because it is a workshop that people also eat and sit in. Three layers solve it.
On this page
- The three layers
- Where the ceiling lights actually go
- Task light: under the units
- The island and the table
- The sink, the hob and the corner
- Open-plan kitchens
- Small kitchens and galleys
- Temperature, brightness and switching
- Six mistakes worth avoiding
- In short
- Common questions
The three layers
| Layer | Job | Fitting | Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ambient | General level, safe movement | Downlights, spotlight bar, or a flush fitting | 2700 – 3000K |
| Task | Light on the worktop | Under-cabinet strip, angled spots | 3000 – 4000K, concealed |
| Decorative | Island, table, character | Pendants, linear bar, chandelier | 2700K, dimmable |
Skip the task layer and you will always work in shadow. Skip the decorative layer and the room will never feel like anywhere you want to sit.
Where the ceiling lights actually go
The single most useful measurement in a kitchen: position ceiling spots 75 to 90cm out from the wall, which puts them roughly above the front edge of the worktop rather than above its back.
Most kitchens get this wrong by putting downlights in a neat grid centred on the ceiling. The result is that you stand between the light and the surface, and your own body makes the shadow.
| Measurement | Figure |
|---|---|
| Distance from the wall | 75 – 90cm (above the worktop's front edge) |
| Spacing along the run | 100 – 120cm apart |
| Ceiling height 2.4m, coverage per spot | Roughly 1.2m² |
| Beam angle over a worktop | 60° wide, not narrow |
If you are not rewiring, an adjustable spotlight bar does the same job from an existing ceiling rose, and you can aim each head at the worktop. The 4-Head Foldable Bar at 62cm and the 6-Head Bar at 120cm both take GU10 bulbs, which means you can change the beam and the temperature later without changing the fitting.
In a kitchen with no island and a low ceiling, a single generous flush fitting plus good task light will beat a grid of downlights: the 36W Gold Flush or the Glass LED Flush Mount.
Task light: under the units
The cheapest transformation in any kitchen. A strip under the wall units puts light directly on the surface from in front of you, where no shadow can reach.
- Mount it at the front edge of the underside of the cupboard, not at the back, and add a small baffle or choose a recessed profile so you do not see the source from a seated position.
- 3000K to 4000K is fine here, because the source is concealed. This is the one place in a home where cool white earns its place without anyone noticing.
- Switch it separately. Under-cabinet light alone, in the evening, is one of the nicest settings a kitchen has.
The island and the table
This is the decorative layer, and the part people actually shop for.
Island. Two pendants for an island of 120 to 180cm, three for 180 to 250cm, 75cm between centres, and the bottom of the shade 75 to 90cm above the worktop. The full method, including the pencil-mark trick, is in how many pendants over a kitchen island.
Table. One fitting at half to two thirds of the table's narrow side, hung 70 to 80cm above the table top: see what size pendant light for a dining table.
For a row, the Rattan Boho Pendant at 30cm and the Industrial Glass Globe at 25cm are the right scale. For one fixing instead of three, the Ribbed Glass Linear Bar or the Wood Linear Pendant in 80, 100 or 120cm. For presence, the Wrought Iron 6-Light at 81cm. Everything is in kitchen lighting. For the look as a whole, see industrial lighting ideas.
The sink, the hob and the corner
- The sink. Usually under a window, and therefore dark at night when it is most used. One dedicated spot above it, or a small pendant if there is no wall unit, solves the commonest complaint in any kitchen.
- The hob. Never hang a pendant over it. The extractor needs the space, and heat and grease shorten any fitting's life. Most extractors carry their own task light; if yours does not, angle a ceiling spot at it.
- The dead corner. Every kitchen has one — the end of a run, a larder door, the bit by the bin. A single light there stops the room feeling like it tapers away.
Open-plan kitchens
In a kitchen that runs into a dining or sitting area, the job is zoning: the same room should be able to be a workshop at six and a restaurant at eight. The full method, zone by zone, is in our guide to open-plan lighting.
- Separate switches for each zone. Non-negotiable. Worktop lights, island pendants and the seating area should never share a switch.
- One colour temperature across everything you can see at once. 2700K for all the visible fittings, with cooler light only under the units where the source is hidden.
- Drop the light level as you move away from the work. Bright at the worktop, softer at the table, softest in the seating area — the same layering as in how to light a living room.
Small kitchens and galleys
In a galley under about 2.5m wide, a central row of ceiling lights will always put you in your own shadow on at least one side. Two things fix it:
- Under-cabinet light on both runs. It matters more here than in any large kitchen.
- Light the far end wall. A lit end makes a narrow kitchen read as longer, exactly as in a hallway — see hallway lighting for low ceilings.
And go wider rather than deeper with any ceiling fitting: width costs no headroom.
Temperature, brightness and switching
Temperature. 2700K for everything you can see, 3000 to 4000K only for concealed task light. A kitchen lit entirely at 4000K feels like a staff canteen, and it is the most common lighting mistake in new British kitchens.
Brightness. 3,000 to 4,000 lumens in total for an average kitchen — more than any other room in the house, because it is a workroom. Split it across the layers rather than loading it onto the ceiling.
Switching. Three circuits if you can: ceiling, under-cabinet, decorative. If you can only have two, put the pendants on their own. That one change gives you an evening setting. If dimming your existing LEDs causes flicker, the causes are in why do LED lights flicker.
Six mistakes worth avoiding
- Downlights in a grid centred on the ceiling. They light the back of the worktop and your own shadow lands on the front.
- No task light. The layer that decides whether the kitchen works.
- Cool white everywhere. Keep 4000K concealed.
- A pendant over the hob. Heat, grease, and the extractor wants the space.
- One switch for the room. An open-plan kitchen with one setting has one use.
- Nothing over the sink. The darkest task position in most kitchens.
In short
- Ceiling spots: 75 – 90cm from the wall, 100 – 120cm apart.
- Under-cabinet strip at the front edge of the cupboard underside.
- Island pendants: 75cm apart, 75 – 90cm above the worktop.
- Dining fitting: 70 – 80cm above the table.
- Total: 3,000 – 4,000 lumens, the brightest room in the house.
- 2700K for everything visible; cooler only where hidden.
- Three switched circuits: ceiling, task, decorative.
Common questions
Where should kitchen ceiling spotlights be placed ?
75 to 90cm out from the wall, so they sit above the front edge of the worktop rather than above its back, and 100 to 120cm apart along the run. Lights centred on the ceiling put your own shadow on the surface you are working at.
How far apart should kitchen downlights be ?
Around 100 to 120cm on a standard 2.4 metre ceiling. Closer spacing over a worktop is fine; wider than 150cm leaves scalloped dark patches between them.
How many lumens does a kitchen need ?
3,000 to 4,000 lumens in total for an average kitchen, more than any other room, split across ceiling, under-cabinet and decorative lighting rather than concentrated in one fitting.
What colour temperature is best for a kitchen ?
2700K for every fitting you can see, including the island pendants. 3000K to 4000K is acceptable for under-cabinet task light, because the source is concealed and it is only on while you cook.
Can you put a pendant light over a hob ?
No. Heat, steam and grease shorten the life of any fitting, and the extractor usually needs that space. Use the extractor's own task light, or angle a ceiling spot at the hob.
How do I light a kitchen without downlights ?
An adjustable spotlight bar on the existing ceiling rose, aimed at the worktops, plus under-cabinet strip light. Together they do the same job as recessed downlights with no rewiring and no plasterboard cut.
Should kitchen lights be on separate switches ?
Yes, ideally three circuits: ceiling, under-cabinet and decorative. If only two are possible, put the island or table pendants on their own — that alone gives the room an evening setting.
Stand where you chop
Before planning anything, stand at your worktop in the evening with the lights on and look at your hands. If they are in shadow, no amount of extra ceiling light will fix it — the fix is light in front of you, not above you.
Send us a plan or a photo of your kitchen at contact@thelightheritage.com and we will mark up where the lights should go. We answer every message ourselves.
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