Kitchen Lighting Design Guide
Designing a kitchen that is useful by day and warm by night, ambient, task and decorative layers, with CCT and CRI guidance.
Kitchens Are Working Rooms
Of all the rooms in a home, the kitchen needs the most considered task lighting. Hands, knives and heat are involved.
Lux Targets
| Area | Recommended Lux |
|---|---|
| General ambient | 200–300 lux |
| Counters & prep surfaces | 400–500 lux |
| Island (task + dining) | 300–500 lux |
| Pantry interior | 200–300 lux |
Under-Cabinet Task Lighting
Non-negotiable. The cabinet above the counter casts a shadow on the work surface, overhead downlights cannot solve this. Continuous linear LED under wall cabinets is the standard solution.
CCT and CRI
3000K with CRI 90+ keeps food, skin and finishes reading naturally. Avoid 4000K in residential kitchens, it makes food look clinical.
Pendant Strategy Over Islands
Pendants are decorative + ambient, not task. They should not be the only light over the island. Combine pendants with concealed task lighting on the counter edge.
Common Mistakes
- Single downlight grid for the whole kitchen
- No under-cabinet task
- 4000K making food look grey
- No dimming on the island pendants
Function during the day, atmosphere at night. Multiple dimmable circuits make this possible.
Lighting Intelligence by Alya
At Ashwamedha Design Solutions, this is part of our Lighting Intelligence practice, every recommendation is validated through DIALux simulation, lux calculations and visual comfort analysis before it reaches a construction site. Alya, our lighting intelligence platform, packages this thinking into reusable design tools.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many downlights does a kitchen need?+
Enough to deliver 200–300 lux ambient. Spacing depends on beam, ceiling height and reflectance, run a quick DIALux check.
Is RGB strip lighting useful?+
Not for task. For toe-kick mood lighting or display niches it is fine, but always alongside high-CRI white.
Related Service
Residential Lighting Design
See how this thinking is applied on live projects.
Need help applying this to your project?
Our team can review your space and turn these ideas into a measured lighting design.