Ways to use lamps, pendants, spots, strips or tracks to create a sensational scheme
WORDS PAULA WOODS
Start the process
Have a lighting plan drawn up at the detailed design stage of your project before the first fix. Your electrician will use it to plot the cable routes and calculate power supplies.
Huntington linear island pendant in aged old bronze, W1520xH336-1,555mm, £2,399, wall sconce, Dia63xH673mm, £749, Hudson Valley Lighting (hvlgroup.com)
Make like a lightbox
These LED panels replace the base of compatible wall cabinets to provide illumination inside and below cupboards.
Goodhome Caraway LED sensor-controlled under-cabinet lighting, from £38 for a W264xD319mm wide panel, Stevia kitchen in gloss white, from £1,465 for eight units, B&Q (diy.com)
Pick a complementary selection
Include at least two types of fitting, such as adjustable lamps for specific tasks with ceiling pendants for general brightness.
Cobb bone china dimmable pendant, from £269 for a Dia225mm shade with chrome fittings and maximum drop of 1,510mm, Swan bone china dimmable wall light with white fittings, Dia90xD195xH185mm, £185, Original BTC (originalbtc.com)
Line horizontal surfaces
Cool to the touch, LED strips are easy to fix in place inside drawers and along the back of shelving.
Mittled dimmable LED drawer lighting with sensor, available in three lengths, from £12 for a 360mm strip, Metod/Bodbyn kitchen in grey, from £1,050 for eight units, Ikea (ikea.com)
Try special effects
Having concealed strip lighting above and below cabinets creates the illusion that they are floating.
Contour LED strip lighting, from £54 per m, John Cullen Lighting (johncullenlighting.com). Bespoke kitchen, £POA, Alistair Fleming Design (alistairflemingdesign.co.uk)
Work the numbers
In general, a line-up of three pendants looks better than four or two – unless they are enhancing a sense of symmetry as in this case. Make sure that the resulting pools of light are sufficient to illuminate the entire surface below.
Alumina single pendant with 3,000mm cable and Dia200mm chalk sphere, £195, triple pendant and spheres, £570, Tala (tala.co.uk)
Measure the distance
When planning for pendants above an island, allow around 750-900mm of space between the worksurface and the bottom of the fitting.
Astrid pendant in Marmalade and Antique Brass with Oatmeal twisted br
