Lighting in kitchen and over breakfast bar - any ideas?

[Maeb]

We are in the middle of renovating our house and are moving the kitchen into the extension. I don't have a clue about lighting but I need to make up my mind fast and I'm so worried that whatever I decide on is going to look stupid and/or really dark. So I'd really appreciate any advice.

I've put the kitchen plan and photos on my profile if you're interested.

The room has a sloping ceiling and 3 Velux windows in. The units will be light grey or cream gloss with an oak worktop. One of the Velux windows is over the kitchen floor space which makes the positioning of the lights a bit tricksy.

I don't like halogen recessed spotlights so I was thinking of something like the Wofi Apollo 50w globe spotlight (with an LED bulb), with one over the sink, hob and maybe 1 or 2 others somewhere(!) with a big pendant light (maybe rise and fall ) over the breakfast bar.

The breakfast bar is 1.8m long with maybe a small tv on the wall and I think that having 2 pendants would look clustered. Do you think one pendant light would look daft?

I think one pendant light would look fine as long as it is a big one - you would need something that is big and interesting enough to be a feature rather than a small plain one which could look a bit lost and lonely. That JL one looks good.

I don't think that Wofi light will give you "directional" enough light for a kitchen - it's more of a "general glow" lamp. I think spotlights of some sort are needed in a kitchen so that you have directional light focused on the worksurfaces, sink etc. If you don't like the recessed ones, what about something like these? Personally though, I'd just bite the bullet and have the recessed ones. They aren't so bad if you just have a few rather than the usual airport landing strip effect.

over sink, hob and worksurfaces you need a broad spread of light so you are not working in your own shadow. A fluorescent tube is functional but not very decorative. A good row of smaller lights on the ceiling or under cabinets will do it, positioned so that you do not cast a shadow on the surface.

A central pendant will give a good feeling in the room, especially if over a table, but not so good as a worklight.

Halogens are expensive and spots burn out surprisingly fast. You can get small CFL spots which last a long time, but they are a bit bigger so make sure the lamp will fit.

LEDs are new to market and incredibly expensive, with relativly low light output. In a few years they will be better.

Spots and downlighters give a very small patch of illumination so are unsuitable for almost everything.

As a rule of thumb the old 100W bulb, or a modern 20W CFL, gives roughlly 1200 lumens of light, and would be enough for general illumination of a room, but not for the sink and worksurfaces . So look at the light output of whatever fittings you like, and decide if they give as much as you need. Some little lamps are just ornaments.

There are some brilliant purpose designed low energy fittings around now. Look for Philips Ecomoods - we are using these and these in our kitchen but there is a vast choice.

I know from a previous house that a 40W fluoro tube packs out a really bright, almost shadow free light that.