What can make a small kitchen appear larger, create the perfect mood for a dinner party and even make your cooking taste better? We’re not talking about that second glass of wine, but the intoxicating effects of carefully designed kitchen lighting.

The best time to plot your lighting scheme is whilst your kitchen is still on the drawing board, that way you can plan the lights before the structural work is completed. You may want flexible soft lights for ambience around the dining area, for instance, and for where the magic happens around the hob and food prep areas, you may need task lights, which are focused bright lights that illuminate specific surfaces.

Oh, and don’t forget to factor in how much light the room will receive. It may even be worth considering adding skylights to your design during the planning stage, if you want to maximise the amount of natural daylight you have to play with.

What happens in the modern kitchen? Everything from being the central hub in a house party, to the place where the kids do their homework. Somewhere down there at the bottom of that list of uses, it is the place you come to cook. The modern kitchen is different things to different people, and it’s probably the room that wears the most hats in your house. Which is why giving your lighting flexibility is key.

A uniform matrix of lights beaming down on your kitchen is a thing of the past. Get the right lights in the right places and don’t worry about the spaces in between. Downlights or pendants illuminating a kitchen island look striking. Another great idea is to use undercover lighting to illuminate worktops. It stops your own shadow from getting in the way and gives you practical illumination that doesn’t flood the whole kitchen.

Once you’ve got your track lights placed, and your main lights, don’t forget the third layer of lighting. Think of this as your mood light. It’s the one that can give you a full sun at midnight or a cosy candlelight dinner without the candles.

One last trick of the trade for smaller kitchens and dining areas: Directional spotlights shone at walls or cupboards will reflect the light back into the room and give you a sense of greater space. It’s all about making the most of what you’ve got.

Call Anglia Factors’ design team on 01473 610192 to make light work of your kitchen lighting.