The kitchen is the only room in the house where light can truly be dangerous. Those who chop, cook, or carry hot pots in dim light risk more than just a mistake in a recipe. At the same time, the kitchen should also be cozy in the evening, when the meal is ready and everyone is sitting together. Two completely different requirements – one room. Here, we explain how to make it work.
At the workspace: here, only one thing counts – good visibility
The workspace is the most important area in the kitchen – and that is exactly where lighting is most critical. It should be at least 500 lumens per square meter here, and the light must fall from above without shadows. Sounds simple – but it isn't always.
The most common problem: the ceiling light is behind you when you are standing at the workspace. The result: you cast your own shadow exactly where you are looking. The solution is under-cabinet lighting beneath the upper cabinets – they shine directly onto the workspace, do not glare, and cast no shadows. If you don't have upper cabinets, position recessed spotlights so that they fall onto the surface from the front – never from behind. The ideal distance between the spots is a maximum of 80 cm, preferably 50 cm – this ensures no dark zones are created in between.
For the workspace, the rule is: neutral white light between 3500K and 4000K. Bright enough to correctly recognize colors – whether the meat is cooked through, whether the sauce is the right color, or whether the vegetables are really washed clean.
At the stove: where light becomes safety
Above the stove, the range hood often does the job – many have integrated LED lighting that shines directly onto the cooking surface. This is the most practical solution and definitely a criterion that should not be ignored when buying a new hood.
If you don't have an illuminated hood, you can help yourself out with recessed spotlights or an LED strip above the stove. Important here: the minimum distance to the cooking surface is 50 cm – both for safety reasons and so that the light does not glare when you look into the pot.
At the kitchen island: own lighting, own mood
A kitchen island is not an ordinary workspace – it is a cooking zone, a breakfast spot, and often the most sociable point in the kitchen all at once. Accordingly, it needs its own light. Pendant lights over the island are the best choice for this – they illuminate the surface from above, but at the same time create an atmosphere of their own. Important: the distance to the workspace should be at least 50 cm so that the light does not glare when you are standing or sitting at the island.
Those who cook at the island and don't just sit there should also ensure sufficiently bright light – at least 500 lumens per square meter here as well.
At the dining table: when the work is done
The dining table in the kitchen needs a completely different mood than the workspace. This isn't about cooking – it's about sitting together, eating, and talking. A pendant light about 60 cm above the tabletop achieves exactly that: it illuminates the table and faces without glaring, and leaves the rest of the kitchen pleasantly in the background.
It should be dimmable – so that you can switch between "lunch with the children" and a "quiet evening for two." And warm white between 2700K and 3000K – because at the table, you want to feel comfortable, not work with high concentration.
In cabinets and shelves: light that helps when searching
Who doesn't know it – you open the kitchen cabinet and search in the semi-darkness for the right spice or the matching jar. A small LED strip under the cabinet shelf or inside the cabinet solves this problem immediately. Illuminated glass cabinets and open shelves also create beautiful accents – the dishes or decorations behind them suddenly have a completely different impact.
For cabinets and shelves, warm white light around 2700K is sufficient – here, it is more about atmosphere than task lighting.
Direct or indirect light – when to use what?
In the kitchen, you need both – but in the right place. Direct light belongs where work is done: workspace, stove, sink. It falls specifically onto a surface, illuminates precisely, and leaves no room for shadows. Indirect light belongs where atmosphere is to be created: open shelves, glass cabinets, baseboards, or the range hood illuminated from behind. It is not visible as a light source – you only see its soft glow. This makes the kitchen softer, warmer, and more inviting.
The combination of both makes a kitchen complete: functional and bright during the day, cozy and inviting in the evening.
Evenings in the kitchen: one room, two moods
When the cooking is over and you are just having a glass of wine in the kitchen, nobody needs 500 lumens on the workspace. Then it can be a bit more indirect and warmer. LED strips under the upper cabinets in warm white, softly dimmed – this transforms a functional kitchen into a cozy living area. Illuminated cabinet shelves in glass cases or open shelves also set beautiful accents without glaring.
The trick: several independently switchable light circuits. Task lighting on the ceiling for the daytime – mood lighting under the cabinets for the evening. Once you have that, you won't want to be without it.
Two rooms in one
During the day, the kitchen is a workshop, and in the evening, it is a living room. Those who take this into account with lighting – bright task light for the day, warm mood light for the evening – have a room that truly works for both. Multiple independently switchable light circuits are not a luxury, but the decisive difference.
At Saasil, you will find under-cabinet lights, dining table lamps, and ceiling lights for every kitchen area.
