{"id":114713,"date":"2026-07-21T15:03:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T12:03:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ledekspert.eu\/teadmiskeskus\/kitchen-lighting\/"},"modified":"2026-07-21T22:26:06","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T19:26:06","slug":"kitchen-lighting","status":"publish","type":"teadmiskeskus","link":"https:\/\/ledekspert.eu\/en\/teadmiskeskus\/kitchen-lighting\/","title":{"rendered":"Kitchen lighting: how to plan the light in your kitchen"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The kitchen needs more light than any other room in the house. You chop, read recipes and work next to a hot hob here \u2014 <strong>good kitchen lighting is first a question of safety and comfort<\/strong>, and only then of design. Here is how to plan it step by step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The three layers of kitchen light<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One ceiling light is never enough in a kitchen. A working scheme has three layers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Ambient light<\/strong> \u2014 even base light for the whole room (recessed and ceiling fittings).<\/li><li><strong>Task light<\/strong> \u2014 directed at the worktop, sink and hob.<\/li><li><strong>Accent light<\/strong> \u2014 mood and detail (under-cabinet strips, display cabinets, dining table).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The same logic applies throughout the home \u2014 see <a href=\"https:\/\/ledekspert.eu\/en\/teadmiskeskus\/lighting-layout\/\">lighting layout<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How much light does a kitchen need?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Area<\/th><th>Recommended level<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Kitchen, ambient light<\/td><td>250\u2013350 lm\/m\u00b2<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Worktop, sink, hob<\/td><td>500+ lm\/m\u00b2<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Dining table<\/td><td>200\u2013300 lm\/m\u00b2<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Example:<\/strong> a 12 m\u00b2 kitchen \u00d7 300 lm\/m\u00b2 = ~3600 lumens of ambient light. Do not put that on a single fitting \u2014 spread it across several. The worktop needs its own light on top of that. See <a href=\"https:\/\/ledekspert.eu\/en\/teadmiskeskus\/lumens-and-watts\/\">lumens and watts<\/a> for the calculation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Worktop lighting \u2014 the part that matters most<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The most common mistake is a light <strong>behind your back<\/strong>. Your own body then casts a shadow on the worktop and the chopping board sits in the dark. The fix is light directly above the work area, usually under the wall units.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Use a <a href=\"https:\/\/ledekspert.eu\/pood\/ribad\/ribad-led\/power-tugev-valgus\/led-riba-power-24vdc-14-4w-m\/\">LED strip POWER, 24VDC, 14.4W\/m<\/a> (from ~9.6 W\/m; 14.4 W\/m works well over a worktop).<\/li><li>Always mount the strip in an <a href=\"https:\/\/ledekspert.eu\/pood\/profiilid\/klus-profiilid\/interjoor\/profiil-siler\/\">Profile Siler<\/a> \u2014 it draws heat away, protects the strip and gives an even line without visible dots.<\/li><li>Place the strip towards the front edge of the cabinet, not against the back wall, so the light lands on the worktop rather than the wall.<\/li><li>Choose a frosted diffuser so the diodes do not glare on a glossy worktop.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A profile also extends the strip&#8217;s life \u2014 heat is the main enemy of LEDs, see <a href=\"https:\/\/ledekspert.eu\/en\/teadmiskeskus\/led-lifespan\/\">LED lifespan<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Which colour temperature suits a kitchen?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The work area suits <strong>neutral white 3500\u20134000 K<\/strong> \u2014 it keeps you alert and shows colours naturally. Above the dining table, warmer <strong>2700\u20133000 K<\/strong> is more inviting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Colour rendering (CRI)<\/strong> matters too. In a kitchen choose CRI 90 or higher \u2014 at low CRI vegetables and meat look unnatural. More on this: <a href=\"https:\/\/ledekspert.eu\/en\/teadmiskeskus\/how-to-choose-colour-temperature\/\">how to choose colour temperature<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Placing recessed downlights<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>About <strong>60\u201380 cm<\/strong> from the wall, so the light reaches the worktop rather than the cabinet fronts.<\/li><li><strong>80\u2013120 cm<\/strong> between fittings, depending on ceiling height and beam angle.<\/li><li>A separate row or strip above the worktop \u2014 ambient light will not replace it.<\/li><li>Above the hob, remember the extractor: its own light is often weak.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you may want to redirect or add light later, <a href=\"https:\/\/ledekspert.eu\/tootekategooria\/siinid\/\">track lighting<\/a> is the flexible option: fittings slide along the track with no rewiring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Moisture and safety<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A kitchen is not as wet as a bathroom, but moisture and grease matter near the sink and hob. Right next to the sink choose at least <strong>IP44<\/strong>. Under-cabinet strips are best run on <strong>24 V<\/strong> \u2014 safer, and more even light over long runs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Common mistakes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>A single fitting in the middle of the ceiling \u2014 shadows and dark corners.<\/li><li>A worktop with no light of its own.<\/li><li>Light that is too cold (5000 K+) across the whole kitchen.<\/li><li>A strip without a profile \u2014 visible dots and faster dimming.<\/li><li>Planning the lighting only after the units are installed.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Related products<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"tdk-products wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/ledekspert.eu\/pood\/ribad\/ribad-led\/power-tugev-valgus\/led-riba-power-24vdc-14-4w-m\/\">LED strip POWER, 24VDC, 14.4W\/m<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/ledekspert.eu\/pood\/profiilid\/klus-profiilid\/interjoor\/profiil-siler\/\">Profile Siler<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/ledekspert.eu\/pood\/sisevalgustid\/laevalgustid\/suvistatavad-laevalgustid\/regular-round\/laevalgusti-gu10-11\/\">Ceiling light GU10<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list \">\n<div id=\"faq-kv-en-1\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">How much light does a kitchen need?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Around 250\u2013350 lm\/m\u00b2 for ambient light and at least 500 lm\/m\u00b2 over the worktop.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-kv-en-2\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Which colour temperature suits a kitchen?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Neutral white 3500\u20134000 K in the work area, warmer 2700\u20133000 K above the dining table.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-kv-en-3\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Why is worktop lighting necessary?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Without it your own body casts a shadow on the worktop and the work area stays dark.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-kv-en-4\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Which LED strip should I choose for under kitchen cabinets?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>A 24 V strip from 9.6 W\/m, mounted in an aluminium profile with a frosted diffuser.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-kv-en-5\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">How far from the wall should recessed downlights go?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>About 60\u201380 cm from the wall and 80\u2013120 cm apart.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The kitchen needs more light than any other room in the house. You chop, read recipes and work next to a hot hob here \u2014 good kitchen lighting is first&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false},"teadmiskeskus_kategooria":[12178],"class_list":["post-114713","teadmiskeskus","type-teadmiskeskus","status-publish","hentry","teadmiskeskus_kategooria-room-lighting"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ledekspert.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/teadmiskeskus\/114713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ledekspert.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/teadmiskeskus"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ledekspert.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/teadmiskeskus"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ledekspert.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"teadmiskeskus_kategooria","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ledekspert.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/teadmiskeskus_kategooria?post=114713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}