Kitchen lighting: what to decide before the ceiling is finished

A kitchen can look bright in a photograph and still leave you chopping vegetables in your own shadow. Before choosing a row of ceiling spots or a statement pendant, work out where you will actually stand, prepare food and sit down.

For a kitchen refurbishment in South West London, that lighting conversation belongs alongside the cabinet plan. It is easier to agree positions while the room is being planned than after the ceiling has been finished.

Start with the worktop, not the ceiling pattern

Mark the sink, hob and main preparation space on the proposed layout. Then ask the designer or electrician to show how each area will be lit when someone is standing in front of it. A neat grid on a ceiling drawing is not enough on its own.

IKEA’s kitchen lighting guidance explains that lights positioned behind the person working can miss the surface they need to illuminate. It also distinguishes worktop lighting from cabinet lighting used for atmosphere. Use those as separate decisions in your brief.

If you are replacing wall cupboards with open shelves, revisit the lighting at the same time. The old under-cupboard fittings may no longer have anywhere to go. Ask for the proposed alternative to be shown on the drawing before ordering.

Think about the room after dark

Walk through your existing kitchen in the evening and write down what bothers you: a dark corner by the kettle, reflections in a glossy splashback, or a bright ceiling light shining into the adjoining sitting room.

In a hypothetical open-plan Battersea flat, the cooking area might need useful working light while someone watches television a few metres away. In a separate Streatham kitchen, the priority might be reaching a switch easily when entering with shopping. Those are different briefs, even if the two rooms have similar floor areas.

Tell the installer which groups of lights you would like to operate separately. Do not assume every fitting needs to come on together, or that an app will be convenient for everyone using the room.

Choose brightness and colour deliberately

Energy Saving Trust’s lighting advice recommends comparing lumens for brightness rather than using wattage as a guide. It also explains colour temperature and warns that not every LED works with every dimmer. Ask your electrician to confirm compatibility before you buy the fittings and controls.

Bring a cabinet-door sample and a worktop sample when looking at lighting options. Decide whether you want the same light colour across the room, and check how it feels beside lighting in an adjoining space. Avoid ordering by a product photograph alone.

Agree what the fitting price includes

Put the lighting schedule next to the kitchen order, with product references rather than “LED strips” written as a single line. Ask who supplies each item, whether the necessary drivers and controls are included, and how components can be reached for maintenance.

Also settle who makes good any disturbed ceiling or wall finishes. If the kitchen is part of a full refurbishment, include that work in the room-by-room scope so it does not fall between separate packages.

Electrical design and installation should be assessed by a suitable electrician. This is a planning checklist, not a wiring specification; the existing installation and chosen products need checking together.

Take this list to your kitchen appointment

• A cabinet layout showing the main preparation area, sink and hob.
• Notes on shadows, glare and awkward switches in the existing room.
• Details of open shelving, wall cupboards and any island or dining table.
• The light groups you want to control separately.
• Fitting references and confirmation of compatible controls.
• A clear allowance for installation, access for maintenance and making good.

Planning a new kitchen in South West London? Tell OSPM about your project, including your postcode, proposed layout and whether you are keeping or replacing the existing lighting. That gives us a useful starting point for discussing the fitting scope.