Kitchen lighting?

[dinobum]

We're planning our extension which will be one room - about 5m by 6m kitchen with island and then a dining table and if we can squeeze it in maybe a corner with a small sofa/floor cushions so DH can watch the football and all be in one room as a family on a Saturday.

We've been asked to think about lighting options but we have no idea. We've seen people have pendant lights above islands but we're not keen on the way they cut across your eye line. I also grew up in a house that had these and everyone always hit their heads on them!

Are spotlights the way to go or are they old fashioned? Any tips or suggestions would be valuably received!

[Glitterspy]

We are planning LED spots in the ceiling (6 in a 4m by 5m room) and a pendant over the dining table and a pendant over the island, they'll be positioned above head height so won't cause the issues you've described.

[didireallysaythat]

Do you have a sink or hob on the island ? We have a hob so have a ceiling extractor and led spots around it. If you've a sink you'd want light directly above it (probably not a pendant)?

Nearly every kitchen picture you see has the compulsory three pendants over the island so it must work.

[dinobum]

I think we were doing a hob in the island but really not keen on extractor hood and instead having a fan in the wall - my hob cooking consists of boiling pasta or rice, everything else gets done in the slow cooker or microwave and I've never used our current cooker hood.

Im starting to think we might need to move the hob though and just have a plain island with nothing on it.

[didireallysaythat]

I think, but could be wrong, that building regs will require an extractor fan if the room is new. I don't like extractor hoods, hence one that's flush in the ceiling (albeit a slightly lowered ceiling above the hob). I didn't want to cook with my back to the rest of the room and the garden (and didn't want the sink on the island because I'm messy with a sink).

[OnePlanOnHouzz]

The lighting is something that I generally do as part of the kitchen and room design ?! So has your kitchen designer not come up with a scheme ?
If you want flexible space i.e. Swapping dining and soft seating for different seasons, be aware that pendants over dining tables can cause limitations ! Similarly if you have an extending table ...

usually building regs will require you to replace with as good as or improve your cooker extraction when building work is involved.

Ceiling extraction give least impact on the eye, although if you cook strong flavoured foods often - then aim for the shortest duct length possible to be most efficient at removing vapours /aromas ! ( i.e. Straight through outside wall )

[OnePlanOnHouzz]

With hob area under the extractor !
( hit post too early !! )

Under mounted Sinks can have lids or a chopping block that slides over them to hide messy stuff !

The chopping board to right of this sink slides across to hid tidy the sink and lines up with the wood detail above ...
www.houzz.com/uk/photos/78213444/css-kitchen-and-snug-contemporary-other

[dinobum]

We will need a fan but not necessarily over the hob apparently. We don't have a kitchen designer, we're doing it all ourselves hence why we're thinking about this now! Builders have asked for us to work out a vague layout for lighting so they can wire it all and then we install it all ourselves later.

I think we'll have another play about with the layout.

I'm now thinking spotlights, pendants over the island and then a big free standing lamp in the corner - we want to be able to move the dining table so won't want lights over it

[Atlantis123]

We have a table in our kitchen and we put spotlights on the kitchen side and a small chandelier type lighting over the table side. I wanted to avoid the classic three pendants and this works very well as the chandelier reflects over the whole table. I also put the same chandelier in the hallway to create some flow.
No idea if this kind of lighting would fit in with your layout but thought I would share.

[ShortLass]

To get nice lighting, you want three layers of light. In a kitchen that is usually under cupboard lighting (these days, LED strips), ceiling spots and pendants.

If you're not having cupboards right up to the ceiling, then up lighters on top which reflect off the ceiling is nice (more LED strips). I like the look of lighting strips around the plinth under the cupboards too, but have been advised that these lights are very good at highlighting crumbs on the floor.

If you are having a kitchen designer, then they should help.

I'm actually having a lighting designer draw up my lighting plan. It may sound an extravagance, but by the time they've advised me to put in fewer lights than the builders would ordinarily put in, I don't think it's costing me any more. And they've given me great ideas, especially for my lounge area.

They're Plum Lighting of Chesham. I've found Toria both lovely and affordable.

[DoloresVanCartier]

I've got spotlights in the ceiling and a wine glass pendant over the breakfast bar and an led strip under the units, it's a colour changer but I keep it in the pink one and I've got the usual under wall cupboard lights. My kitchen/dining room were the darkest places in the house before knocking the wall down and I hated them so I was in a lighting frenzy when I planned the kitchen!!
I don't suppose you can see the pendant very well as it's not on but you get the gist.

[dynevoran]

I went for plinth lights and pendants over the island and then track lighting elsewhere so it is directional and can be changed as appropriate. There are two tracks in the kitchen and one over the dining table. Definitely get plinth lights!

[DoloresVanCartier]

Dynevoran I LOVE your pendants!!!!!

[ShortLass]

Ceiling spots can also be directional. You can point them at a wall and get a soft reflected light.

[namechangedtoday15]

We have a large kitchen diner with sofa area. We have spotlights, pendants, chandelier, ceiling flush light and lamps!! As a previous poster has said, 3 pendants above the island is a classic look - you just need to get the height right and if they're in the right place you wouldn't be able to bang your head on them anyway because the island would be in the way if you see what I mean. Just make sure all the lighting "zones" are on separate switches.