How To Use Layered Lighting In Your Kitchen Design

Your kitchen is more than just a place to cook. It’s the heart of your home; and should be treated as such. But to make it truly feel like the warm, welcoming space you desire, lighting is key. 

Lighting is like the secret ingredient in kitchen design. it can make your kitchen look bigger, brighter, and more inviting. 

Gone are the days of one-size-fits-all lighting. Today’s kitchens are making use of layered lighting. This includes a strategic approach: task lights for focused activities, ambient lights for that warm glow, and accent lights to highlight your style.

 

Layered Lighting In Kitchens

Amberth: Modern Kitchen In Central London

 

Don’t know where to start? This guide will help you discover how to optimise each lighting type, so you can have a kitchen that’s both stylish and practical.

 

Ambient Lighting: Illuminating Your Space

MoonBeam Lighting - Layered Lighting In Kitchens
MoonBeam Lighting

 

Ambient lighting is the main source of light for your kitchen. It should provide a gentle, diffused glow that fills the space without creating harsh shadows or overwhelming brightness. This type of lighting typically comes from recessed downlights or flush-mounted fixtures spread evenly across the ceiling.

Although Ambient lighting is your main light source, it doesn’t need to be overpowering; dimmers can transform your kitchen’s ambience to suit any occasion, from a bright and energetic space for morning coffee to a soft and intimate setting for a dinner party.

Lighting designs available today are far from mediocre. By choosing the right type of ambient lighting, you can create a foundation that sets the perfect stage for your kitchen’s overall design.

 

 Task Lighting: Where Function Meets Beauty

Amberth: Kitchen & Living Fusion - Task Lighting
Amberth: Kitchen & Living Fusion

Practical and essential. Task lighting provides bright, targeted illumination for the areas where you perform most of your culinary tasks. It eliminates pesky shadows by bathing your countertops in a bright, targeted light. 

 

Task lighting is all about placing light where you need it most. Under cabinet lights with motion sensors are a fantastic option, providing targeted brightness with a sustainable solution. Pendant lights hung over your island or sink are also popular choices, adding a stylish statement to your kitchen decor.

 

Accent  Lighting: Creating The Mood

Kestrel Kitchens - Accent Lighting
Kestrel Kitchens

 

While task lighting ensures you can see what you’re doing and ambient lighting sets the overall mood, accent lighting is the magic ingredient that lifts your kitchen design. This lighting is all about highlighting your kitchen’s best features. Creating a unique look. And adding a touch of finesse.

There are many ways to use ambient lighting. Where you place them depends on the features you want to highlight in your kitchen. Button lights are perfect for cabinets. LED strips create diffused, moody lighting when placed on the underside of your cabinets. They’re also energy efficient; so you can save on your electricity bill and reduce your environmental footprint.

Dimmers offer ultimate control over the atmosphere, allowing you to adjust the brightness to match any occasion. But don’t forget to consider the colour temperature of your bulbs – it affects the entire ambience.

 

 Amberth Tip: Add A Decorative Touch with Wall Sconces

Heals - Wall Sconces in layered kitchen lighting
Heals

 

Wall sconces are design statements. They come in various styles and match any kitchen design – from vintage to rustic, to sleek modern minimalist. If your kitchen walls feel dull, wall sconces can transform their blank spaces into visual focal points. 

They can serve a dual function, too. Place them in sections where they highlight decor to double as accent lighting. Or on large bare walls that sit above your task areas. Style and purpose? Check.  

 

 

No matter your kitchen style, lighting is your mood-setter. And layered lighting specifically pulls everything together. It brings balance, interest, and warmth to your kitchen. Once you know how to use it, the power is in your hands. If you’re looking for more layered lighting inspiration, just browse Amberth’s kitchen designs – we use this technique often. And it comes out beautifully. Every time.

 

 
Amberth: Creating Experiences.

Our team is dedicated to one thing: YOU. Together, we can make your kitchen the heart of your home; and a place where every light tells a story.

Contact us to receive our latest brochure for more inspiration.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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