Kitchen Lights: Selection Criteria, Classification & Top Outstanding Models

Kitchen lights are lighting equipment specially designed for cooking spaces, meeting the requirements of brightness, safety and aesthetics in environments with specific characteristics of temperature, humidity and grease.

Kitchen lighting not only provides light but also enhances the cooking experience, increases aesthetics and ensures safety. A suitable lighting system helps optimize functionality, creates a cozy, modern space, while increasing the value of the house and connecting the family.

According to research published in the Journal of Vision Science and Ophthalmology 2024, good lighting in the kitchen can reduce the risk of accidents while cooking by 25%. Quality lighting also helps increase concentration, reduce eye strain and limit errors, leading to higher work efficiency.

When choosing kitchen lights, many criteria need to be considered such as lighting suitable for each area, design style in harmony with the space, durable materials that are resistant to heat and moisture, energy saving, and ensuring safety.

There are currently 6 types of lights suitable for the kitchen on the market, from energy-saving LED downlights to multi-function ceiling fan lights, each with its own advantages and disadvantages suitable for each specific space and need.

To ensure the kitchen has a beautiful and scientific lighting system, it is necessary to arrange the lighting reasonably and harmoniously between the areas of the kitchen: general lighting area, cooking area, kitchen cabinets and dining table.

Let's explore with SmartDecor the details of kitchen lights, beautiful light models and suitable arrangements for each space and different interior styles so you can easily choose the most optimal solution.

Why Is Choosing the Right Kitchen Lighting Important?

Kitchen lights not only make cooking easier and safer, but also beautify the space, create a spacious, cozy feeling, connect the family and increase the value of the house.

Quality lighting for a great cooking experience

Choosing a lamp with the right intensity and color will provide adequate and comfortable light for the eyes, helping you perform kitchen tasks more comfortably and effectively.

According to TCVN 7114:2008 standard on Artificial lighting inside buildings, the minimum lighting intensity for the cooking area is 300 lux, while the dining area only needs 150 lux.

Increase aesthetics and create impressive highlights

Kitchen lights not only have the function of lighting but also an important element in interior decoration. Choosing lights with the design, color and material suitable for the overall design style will bring harmony, uniformity and enhance the beauty of the kitchen.

According to a report from the American Society of Interior Designers (2023), 83% of homebuyers are willing to pay more for a kitchen with optimal lighting.

Ensure safety and minimize risk

Choosing kitchen lights that meet safety standards such as water resistance, explosion-proof, and heat resistance will significantly reduce the risk of accidents, electric shock, and fire in the kitchen environment.

According to IEC 60598-1 standard on Electrical Safety, lamps used in kitchens must have a minimum protection index (IP) of IP44, which means protection against splashing water and solid objects larger than 1mm in diameter.

Optimize functionality and expand space

Reasonable lighting arrangement helps to divide the kitchen space clearly and effectively. Lighting is used to create boundaries and connections between functional areas, making the space more tidy, airy and spacious.

A study published in the Journal of Building and Environment – ​​2024 found that proper lighting can increase the perception of space by up to 20%.

Increase value and enhance living space

A modern, convenient and aesthetic kitchen lighting system will bring long-term value to the living space. Investing in quality lighting not only enhances the living experience but also increases the value of real estate, bringing economic benefits in the future.

A report from the International Association of Lighting Designers (2024) indicates that a proper kitchen lighting system can increase property value by up to 12%.

Increase family warmth and bonding

The soft, warm light from the kitchen lamp will create a feeling of relaxation, comfort and stimulate communication and sharing among members.

According to a study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology (2024), warm lighting with a color temperature of 2700K to 3000K can increase social engagement and interaction by up to 15%.

What Criteria To Choose Beautiful, Suitable Kitchen Lights?

To choose beautiful and suitable kitchen lights, you need to pay attention to 5 criteria: the light must be suitable for the space, harmonize the design style, choose quality materials, ensure energy saving and safety.

Suitable lighting

Kitchen lights need to provide enough light with appropriate intensity and color for each area and specific activity such as cooking, food preparation, and dining area.

According to TCVN 7114:2008 standard on Artificial lighting inside buildings, the minimum lighting intensity for the cooking area is 300 lux, while the dining area only needs 150 lux. The light should be natural, gentle on the eyes and have a color rendering index (CRI) of 80 or higher to accurately convey the color of food.

Design style

Choose lamps with a style, color and material that matches the overall design style of the kitchen and house. Lamps can act as accents or create harmony and uniformity in the space. For example, pendant lamps are often used in modern style kitchens, while classic chandeliers are suitable for neoclassical style.

Material and durability

Prioritize choosing lamps made from moisture-proof, heat-resistant, easy-to-clean and durable materials. The kitchen is a place that is exposed to a lot of heat, humidity and grease, so the lamps need to meet these requirements.

According to IEC 60598-1 standard on Electrical Safety, lamps used in kitchens must have a minimum protection index (IP) of IP44, which means protection against splashing water and solid objects larger than 1mm in diameter.

Energy saving

Choosing energy-saving lamps such as LED lamps helps reduce energy costs, is environmentally friendly and has a longer life than traditional lamps.

According to the US Department of Energy (2022) report, LED lights can save up to 80% of electricity and have a lifespan 25 times longer than incandescent lights.

Safe and easy to clean

Kitchen lights need to be safe, waterproof, and explosion-proof. At the same time, they need to be easy to disassemble and clean to ensure food hygiene and safety and maintain the life of the light. For example, LED downlights are often designed to be dustproof, moisture-proof, and easy to disassemble for cleaning.

What Types of Kitchen Lights Are There?

On the market today, there are 6 types of lights suitable for the kitchen: LED downlights, LED strip lights, pendant lights, ceiling lights, chandeliers and ceiling fans. Each type of light has its own advantages and disadvantages and is suitable for different kitchen spaces. Below is detailed information about each type of light:

LED Downlight

Recessed LED lights are lights that are embedded in the ceiling, usually round or square. The lights create a light effect that shines from above, helping to focus the light and create a highlight for the space.

Advantage:

• Concentrated light, easy to adjust the direction of light: With a recessed ceiling design, LED downlights allow flexible adjustment of the beam angle, creating focused light on the desired area such as the dining table, kitchen island or cooking area.
• Energy saving, long life: Using advanced LED technology, LED downlights can save up to 80% of electricity compared to traditional lights. The lifespan of LED lights is also much higher, averaging from 30.000 to 50.000 hours.
• Compact, elegant design: With its compact size and ability to be recessed into the ceiling, LED downlights bring a modern, sophisticated beauty to the kitchen space. The lights do not take up space and are easy to combine with different design styles.

Disadvantages:

• Initial cost is higher than traditional lights: Due to the use of LED technology and high-quality materials, the price of LED downlights is often higher than that of traditional fluorescent or incandescent lamps. However, in the long run, LED lights are still more cost-effective thanks to their long life and energy-saving ability.
• Focused light can create shadows: With the characteristic of concentrated lighting, LED downlights can create shadows if not properly arranged. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the installation position and distance between lights to ensure even lighting and avoid creating shadows.
• Fit: Recessed LED lights are suitable for installation in kitchen ceilings, especially in cooking and dining areas. With a kitchen area of ​​about 25m2, you can use from 4 to 6 recessed LED lights depending on the desired lighting level.

LED strip lights

LED strip lights are flexible wire-shaped lights consisting of many small LED bulbs (LED chips) placed next to each other on a soft wire strip. LED strip lights are often used for decoration or indirect lighting in spaces such as kitchens, living rooms, and bedrooms.

Advantage:

• Flexible installation: With a flexible wire design, LED strip lights can be bent, twisted and flexibly installed in many different shapes. You can easily install LED strip lights in locations such as under upper kitchen cabinets, dish racks, shelves or even create shapes on the wall.
• Energy saving, diverse colors: LED strip lights use energy-saving LED technology, with a long lifespan of up to 50.000 hours. The lights also have many color options such as warm white, neutral white, cool white, RGB (multi-color), allowing you to create a kitchen space with the color you want.
• Create beautiful lighting effects: With the ability to provide indirect lighting and flexible decoration, LED strip lights help create beautiful lighting effects for the kitchen space. You can use LED strip lights to create accents, highlight decorative details or create a cozy, romantic space.

Disadvantages:

• Light not strong enough for direct illumination: Due to their low wattage and wire-like design, LED strip lights are often not bright enough to directly illuminate work areas such as kitchen counters or cooking areas. Therefore, LED strip lights are often used in combination with other main types of lights.
• Average life expectancy: Although LED strip lights have a longer lifespan than traditional lights, due to the wire design and use of small LED chips, the lifespan of LED strip lights is often lower than other types of LED lights such as LED downlights or LED panel lights.
• Fit: LED strip lights are suitable for decoration and indirect lighting for areas such as under upper kitchen cabinets, cupboards, shelves, creating highlights for the kitchen. You can combine LED strip lights with other main lights to create a complete and impressive lighting system for the kitchen space.

Pendant light

Pendant lights are lights that hang from the ceiling using cables or hanging rods, and come in many different styles and sizes. Pendant lights are often used as decorative lights or main lighting for spaces such as kitchens, dining rooms, and living rooms.

Advantage:

• Create aesthetic highlights: With a variety of designs and eye-catching styles, pendant lights are an ideal choice to create an aesthetic highlight for the kitchen space. You can choose pendant lights with different colors, materials and styles to match the overall design of the kitchen.
• Focused light: Pendant lights often have the ability to focus light, helping to create clear light areas for areas such as dining tables and kitchen islands. This helps create a cozy, intimate space and enhances the culinary experience.
• Height adjustable: Many pendant lights allow you to adjust the height of the light, allowing you to customize the distance from the work surface or dining table. This provides flexibility in placement and optimizes lighting according to your needs.

Disadvantages:

• Space Occupancy: Because they are suspended from the ceiling and drop down, pendant lights can take up a portion of the kitchen space. This needs to be carefully calculated, especially in kitchens with low ceilings or small areas.
• Need to clean regularly: Dirt and grease from cooking can stick to the surface of the pendant light, requiring regular cleaning. Cleaning the pendant light can also be inconvenient due to its high mounting location.
• More complex installation: Compared to other types of ceiling lights, pendant lights require a more complicated installation process due to the need to ensure the safety and balance of the light. You may need the assistance of a professional electrician to install the pendant lights.
• Fit: Pendant lights are often used for dining areas, kitchen islands or bars in the kitchen. Choose pendant lights with sizes and styles that match the area and ceiling height of the kitchen. You can also combine multiple pendant lights together to create an impressive and synchronous lighting system.

Ceiling light

Ceiling lights are lights that are attached to the ceiling, usually round, square or rectangular in shape. Ceiling lights have a slim, compact design and are used to provide general lighting for the space.

Advantage:

• Even light: Ceiling lights provide even and wide light throughout the space, helping to eliminate dark areas and ensure the necessary brightness for activities in the kitchen.
• Easy to install: With a design that is mounted close to the ceiling, ceiling lights are often easier to install than other types of lights. You can install ceiling lights yourself if you have basic knowledge and skills in electricity.
• Variety of designs and sizes: Ceiling lights come in a wide range of designs, styles and sizes, suitable for many different interior design styles. You can easily find a ceiling light that suits your taste and kitchen space.

Disadvantages:

• Occupies ceiling space: Because they are mounted close to the ceiling, ceiling lights can take up a portion of the ceiling space. This should be considered when choosing ceiling lights, especially in kitchens with limited ceiling space.
• Difficult to create highlights: Ceiling lights typically provide even, broad lighting, making it difficult to create a focal point or separate space in the kitchen. If you want to create a focal point, you may need to combine ceiling lights with other types of lighting.
• Fit: General lighting for small and medium sized kitchens, especially when combined with plasterboard or wooden ceilings.

Chandeliers

Chandeliers are ceiling lamps with complex structures, often consisting of many light bulbs and decorative details such as crystal, glass, and metal. Chandeliers are often large in size and have elaborate, luxurious designs.

Advantage:

• Create a strong, luxurious highlight for the kitchen space.
• Wide, even light with adjustable brightness.
• Diverse in designs and styles from classic to modern.

Disadvantages:

• Higher price than other types of ceiling lights.
• Installation and maintenance are more complicated due to size and construction.
• Costly cleaning due to many decorative details.

Fit:

• Spacious kitchen, ceiling height from 3m or more.
• Classic, neoclassical, luxurious design style.
• Usually placed in the center of the kitchen or above the dining table to create a focal point.

Ceiling fan light

Ceiling fan lights are a combination of ceiling fans and lighting, usually with LED or compact lights attached to the fan blades. This product has both cooling and lighting functions for the kitchen space.

Advantage:

• Space saving due to integrated fan and light.
• Multi-function with simultaneous cooling and lighting capabilities.
• Save on installation and maintenance costs compared to installing lights and ceiling fans separately.

Disadvantages:

• Lamp wattage is usually lower than that of dedicated ceiling lights.
• LED life can be affected by vibration and heat from the fan motor.
• Design styles are not as diverse as individual ceiling lights and ceiling fans.

Fit:

• The kitchen has a small to medium size area.
• Family needs to save space and cost.
• Modern, minimalist interior style.

Top Beautiful and Popular Kitchen Lamp Models Today

Below are 17 beautiful kitchen lamp models that are loved by customers today, with a variety of materials and designs suitable for many different interior styles.

How To Arrange Kitchen Lights Beautifully And Scientifically?

To arrange kitchen lights beautifully and scientifically, you need to arrange a suitable lighting system for each functional area in the kitchen: general lighting area, cooking area, kitchen cabinets and dining table.

How to arrange general lighting in the kitchen

General lighting plays a role in providing overall lighting for the entire kitchen space. This is background lighting, making it easy for you to move around and perform basic tasks.

General area lighting is used to illuminate the entire kitchen space, ensuring there are no dark corners and creating a comfortable feeling when entering the kitchen.

Layout:

• Use LED downlights or ceiling lights with neutral white light (4000K-4500K) to create a bright and clean feel.
• The lights should be installed in a grid pattern, spaced about 1.2m-1.5m apart depending on the ceiling height. With low ceilings, the distance between lights can be greater to avoid too much glare.
• If the kitchen has a large area, you can add a chandelier or pendant light in the center to increase aesthetics.

How to arrange lighting for the cooking area

The cooking area is a place that needs focused and strong lighting to ensure safety and convenience when preparing food.

This is where you do the cooking steps such as stir-frying, boiling, frying, steaming. The lighting here needs to be clear so you can easily observe the food and utensils.

• Layout:
• Install LED strip lights or LED bar lights under upper kitchen cabinets to shine light directly onto the cooktop surface.
• Use spotlights or recessed COB LED lights with a narrow beam angle to focus light on the gas stove and sink area.
• If you have a range hood, take advantage of the built-in light to enhance the lighting. However, if the light from the range hood is not enough, you should add LED strip lights or recessed ceiling lights.

How to arrange lighting for kitchen cabinet area

The kitchen cabinet area is where you store utensils, food and spices. The lighting here makes it easy to find items and increases the aesthetics of the space.

Kitchen cabinets usually include drawers, shelves and hanging cabinets. Lighting here not only serves the purpose of use but also creates a highlight for the kitchen space.

Layout:

• Install LED strip lights or LED bars inside the cabinets to illuminate when the doors are opened. Sensor lights that turn on/off automatically are a great option.
• Install LED strip lights under upper kitchen cabinets to illuminate the countertop. This not only makes it easier to work with, but also creates a beautiful lighting effect.
• Use white or neutral light to keep the space bright and clean.

How to arrange lights in the dining area

The dining area is where family members gather to enjoy their meals. The lighting here needs to create a warm, intimate feeling and highlight the food.

This is the central space of the kitchen, where meals take place. The lighting here not only serves the purpose of illumination but also contributes to creating an intimate atmosphere.

Layout:

• Use pendant lights with simple or modern designs, suitable for the interior style. Pendant lights should be hung 70-80cm from the dining table to ensure the light is not too bright.
• Combine yellow light (2700K-3500K) to create a warm feeling, making the dish look more attractive.
• If the dining table is long, you can use pendant lights or long bar lights to distribute the light evenly.

Frequently Asked Questions.

How to choose the right light for a small kitchen area (under 10m²)?

Use compact LED strip lights or recessed LED lights to optimize space. Just 2-3 recessed or LED strip lights with 300-500 lumen intensity are enough to provide even lighting.

See more articles Interior design tips for small spaces.

What color light is best for creating a cozy feel in the kitchen?

Warm white light is ideal for creating a cozy atmosphere. For the cooking area, you can combine neutral white light (3500K-4000K) to ensure clarity.

How to choose the right light for natural wood kitchen cabinets?

Natural wood kitchen cabinets Choose a lamp with warm white light to highlight the wood grain and create a cozy feeling. Recessed LED lights or LED strip lights installed under upper kitchen cabinets are ideal for illuminating the work area.

Which lights are suitable for mirror gloss acrylic kitchen cabinets?

Neutral light (3500K-4000K) or cool white light (5000K-6000K) helps increase brightness and reflect light well on the mirror surface of the acrylic kitchen cabinets, creating a modern and luxurious feel.

How to combine natural and artificial light in the kitchen?

Maximize natural light with windows or skylights and supplement with artificial lighting in low-light areas, such as LED strip lights under kitchen cabinets or pendant lights over the kitchen island.

See article details: Lighting in interior design.

How to optimize lighting in a small kitchen?

Use compact LED downlights, combined with LED strip lights under kitchen cabinets to increase the sense of space. Neutral white light (3500K-4000K) makes the kitchen look more spacious.

Suggested references: Dining table designs for small kitchens.

Does kitchen lighting affect feng shui?

Yes. Warm white light is said to bring positive energy and enhance family bonding. Avoid light that is too cold or too bright, as it can create a feeling of insecurity.

How many recessed lights should be used for a 20m² kitchen?

With an area of ​​20m², you should use 6-8 recessed lights, each with a capacity of about 7W-10W, ensuring a minimum brightness of 300 lux.

How high should kitchen lights be installed to ensure effective lighting?

Pendant lights should be about 70-90cm from the dining table or kitchen island, while recessed LED lights should be installed at a standard height of 2.5-3m from the floor.

Is it necessary to use multiple types of lights in a kitchen?

Yes. You should combine general lighting (ceiling lights), accent lighting (pendant lights) and decorative lighting (LED strip lights) to create a diverse space and optimize functionality.

Which address specializes in professional kitchen interior design and construction?

SmartDecor is a professional interior design and construction unit, accepting kitchen design and construction with optimal solutions for space, function and light. We bring modern designs, using kitchen cabinet materials High-end with scientific lighting system, helps the kitchen become comfortable, aesthetic and energy-saving.