Lighting is a key design element in any space, but it’s particularly important in a kitchen. Get the lighting just right and it can elevate the entire kitchen—but get it wrong and it’ll ruin the whole space. To help you nail your kitchen design, Kerry Cochran, senior merchandise manager at Lumens, is sharing the most common kitchen lighting mistakes to avoid. The list consists of both practical and visual mistakes, including disproportionate light fixtures, a lack of under-cabinet lighting, and an excess of recessed and accent lights. Cochran also points out that while people spend a lot of time selecting the right light fixtures, they tend to completely overlook the lighting controls, which deserve just as much attention. Whether you’re rewiring your kitchen or designing it from scratch, Cochran shares the biggest kitchen lighting mistakes to avoid. 1. Lack of Under-Cabinet Lighting “One of the biggest mistakes we see is a lack of under-cabinet lighting,” Cochran says. She explains that whenever you have a kitchen counter beneath a set of wall cabinets, the cabinets will block the overhead light and cast shadows on your workspace, preventing proper illumination. “Adding dimmable under-cabinet lighting will make your countertop workspace more functional and brighten up the corners of your kitchen,” Cochran says. 2. Too Many Recessed Lights Installing too many recessed lights is another common kitchen lighting mistake, as it makes the space feel too sterile. “While recessed lights are necessary to provide ambient lighting, they do not illuminate walls, so we mustn’t rely on them as the only source of light in a space,” Cochran notes. She shares that the general rule of thumb for installing recessed lights is to use one recessed light for every 4 to 6 square feet of ceiling space. “For a more exact formula, divide the height of your ceiling by two; With an 8-foot ceiling, recessed lights should be about 4 feet apart,” she says. 3. Disproportionate Light Fixtures Scale plays a huge role in creating visual balance, and Cochran says one of the most common mistakes she sees in kitchens is disproportionate light fixtures. “Picture a sprawling kitchen island with a single, small-scale pendant light above it, or a massive chandelier hanging over a tiny breakfast nook, and you’ll understand how this can upset the overall proportions of a room,” she says. To avoid this mistake, pay attention to the size of your kitchen and its components, such as counters or an island to select scale-appropriate lighting. “For a kitchen island or table, for example, select a lighting fixture with a diameter that is about one foot smaller than the narrowest part,” Cochran says. 4. Excessive Number of Accent Lights “Equally important is knowing the right areas of your kitchen to highlight, as too many accent lights can compete with one another, causing visual clutter that cheapens the effect,” Cochran says. To create a successful lighting plan for your kitchen, view the space as a whole instead of multiple individual areas. This will help you strike the right balance and avoid the mistake of going overboard with accent lights. 5. Overlooking Lighting Controls While the size, style, and positioning of light fixtures is important, don’t make the mistake of overlooking a key practical element—lighting controls. “People often get caught up in selecting the perfect light fixture, so it can be easy to overlook the importance of lighting controls”, Cochran says. She recommends dimmers over switches, and says they should be used wherever possible to best control the lighting for any task or activity. “If you are rewiring or designing your kitchen from scratch, make sure that the most critical ambient fixtures can be controlled from each of the room’s entry points,” Cochran adds.
