Kitchen Lighting Options Mansfield
At Kudos Kitchens, we know lighting can make or break your kitchen. As a family-run business in Mansfield, me and Emma have seen how the right lights turn ordinary kitchens into amazing spaces where families love spending time.
Why Kitchen Lighting Matters
Bad kitchen lighting is something we see all the time when visiting homes around Mansfield. Dark corners, shadows over worktops where you're trying to chop veggies, and harsh overhead lights that make everyone look tired - these are kitchen nightmares we help fix every week!
Good lighting isn't just about seeing what you're cooking. It sets the mood for family meals, helps you wake up over morning coffee, and creates a warm glow for evening glasses of wine with friends.
"I never realised how much diference good lighting would make until Michael helped us plan our kitchen reno," says Carole from Mansfield Woodhouse. "Now I actually enjoy cooking in the evenings because I can see properly, plus it looks gorgeous when we're just sitting at the island chatting."
Types of Kitchen Lighting Options
When we visit your home for a kitchen consultation, we always look at three main types of lighting:
Task LightingThis is the practical stuff - the lights that help you see what your doing. Having installed hundreds of kitchens across Mansfield and places like Sutton-in-Ashfield, we've learned that task lighting makes the biggest diference to how people actually use their kitchens. Good task lighting includes:
In a recent kitchen we did for a family in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, we installed LED strips under all their wall cabinets. The wife texted me a week later to say she'd finally noticed her knife block had a big coffee stain that had probably been there for years! |
Ambient LightingThis is your main lighting that fills the whole room. Most kitchens in Mansfield we see just have one ceiling light in the middle, which leaves corners dark and creates shadows. For ambient lighting, we recommend:
"We put 6 recessed spots across our kitchen ceiling instead of the old single pendant," says Ian from Mansfield, "and it's like having a different room. No more dark corners where stuff collects dust!" |
Accent LightingThis is the fun bit! Accent lighting creates atmosphere and shows off the best bits of your kitchen. When we designed a kitchen for a couple in Clipstone last month, we added subtle lighting inside their glass-fronted cabinets to highlight their nice glassware collection. Popular accent lighting includes:
Michael's Tip: "Don't underestimate the power of plinth lights! They're cheap to install but make your kitchen look like it's floating at night - it's a proper wow factor when people walk in." |
Best Under-Cabinet Lighting Options
Under-cabinet lighting is something we install in nearly every Kudos kitchen. Over the years, we've tried loads of different types, and here's what works best:
LED Strip LightsThese are our go-to for most kitchens. They give an even wash of light across your worktops with no hot spots or shadows. We can hide them completely behind the front lip of your cabinets so you just see the light, not the fitting. We use the Loox continous output LED strips mentioned in the Symphony catalogue you've probably seen in our showroom. These give a nice neutral white light rather than the bluish light cheaper LEDs sometimes have. For a recent kitchen in Mansfield's Forest Town area, we installed colour-changing LED strips so the homeowners could have practical white light for cooking but switch to a warm glow for dinner parties. |
Puck LightsThese small round lights work well if you want pools of focused light rather than a continous strip. They're good for kitchens with limited wall cabinets where you just need light in specific places. "We put three puck lights above the breakfast bar in our kitchen," says Florence from Mansfield. "They give just enough light for the kids to do homework while I'm cooking dinner." |
Integrated Light BarsFor high-end kitchens, we sometimes use integrated light bars that contain both lights and power sockets. These are brilliant if you use small appliances like blenders or mixers regularly. |
Kitchen Ceiling Lights Options
The days of a single light bulb in the middle of the kitchen ceiling are gone! Here's what we recommend for Mansfield kitchens:
Recessed Spotlights
These are super popular now and for good reason. They spread light evenly, don't hang down in smaller kitchens, and can be positioned exactly where needed.
For a kitchen refurb we did in Southwell, we installed 8 LED spots in specific zones - over the cooking area, prep space, and dining nook - each on separate switches so they could control the mood.
Kitchen Pendant Lights
Pendant lights are brilliant over islands and dining areas. They bring the light down to where you need it and look gorgeous too.
Emma's Advice: "If your ceilings aren't too low, hang pendants about 75-80cm above your island or table. This gives good light without blocking your view across the kitchen."
We recently installed three brass pendants over a kitchen island in Warsop that transformed the space from just functional to properly stylish!
Flush and Semi-Flush Mounts
For kitchens with lower ceilings (common in older Mansfield homes), flush or semi-flush ceiling lights give good coverage without hanging down too far.
Kitchen Light Fixtures for Islands
Kitchen islands need their own lighting plan. Here's what we've found works best over the years:
Linear Pendant LightsFor long islands, a linear pendant or a row of 3 matching pendants works brilliantly. In a kitchen we finished in Ravenshead last month, we hung three simple glass pendants over the island, and they look stunning. |
Statement LightingIf your kitchen is quite plain, a statement light over the island can give it personality. We've installed everything from industrial-style metal pendants to delicate copper wire designs. "Everyone comments on our island lights when they visit," says Leanne from Mansfield. "They're the first thing you notice when you walk into the kitchen, and they weren't even that expensive!" |
Adjustable OptionsFor kitchen islands that double as dining areas or work-from-home spaces, adjustable lighting is briliant. We can install rise-and-fall pendants that you can pull down for tasks and push up for ambient light. |
Smart Kitchen Lighting Systems
This is where lighting gets really exciting! Modern kitchens can have lighting that changes throughout the day or for different activities.
Lighting ZonesWe always recommend setting up different lighting zones in kitchens. In a recent Mansfield project, we created 5 seperate zones:
Each zone had its own switch so the homeowners could create different moods for cooking, eating, or just having a cuppa. |
Colour-Changing OptionsLED lighting technology has come so far! We can now install systems that change colour temperature - from bright white for food prep to warm yellow for evening relaxing. For a kitchen we installed in Edwinstowe, we used the Trinotone LED cabinet lights from Symphony that let you adjust between cool, neutral or warm white with just a tap. |
Smart ControlIf you want to go all-out, we can link your kitchen lighting to smart systems. Imagine saying "Alexa, cooking time" and having all your task lights come on at once! The Symphony Smart drivers we use can connect to Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant so you can control lighting with your voice or phone. |
How Many Kitchen Lights Do I Need?
This is probably the most common question we get asked during kitchen consultations in Mansfield! Here's our quick guide:
For Recessed Ceiling Lights
As a rough guide, we usually suggest:
- Small kitchen (up to 4m²): 4 recessed lights
- Medium kitchen (4-8m²): 6-8 recessed lights
- Large kitchen (8m²+): 8+ recessed lights
But it's not just about size! A kitchen with dark cabinets or limited natural light needs more artificial lighting.
For Under-Cabinet Lighting
We recommend lighting all worktop areas where you prep food. In most Mansfield kitchens, this means:
- 2-3 strips for a small kitchen
- 3-5 strips for a medium kitchen
- 5+ strips for a large kitchen
For Island Lighting
- Islands under 1.5m long: 1-2 pendants
- Islands 1.5-2m long: 3 pendants
- Islands over 2m long: 3-5 pendants or a linear fixture
LED Kitchen Lighting: Is It Worth It?
Short answer: YES!
We only install LED lighting now, and here's why:
- LEDs last up to 50,000 hours (that's about 17 years if used 8 hours a day)
- They use about 75% less energy than traditional bulbs
- They don't get hot, which is safer in kitchens
- The light quality is now excellent - no more cold blue tints!
For a kitchen we did in Rainworth last year, switching to all-LED lighting saved the homeowners about £87 per year on their electricity bill!
How We Install Kitchen Lighting at Kudos
When you choose Kudos Kitchens for your lighting, here's our process:
- We visit your kitchen and discuss how you use the space
- We create a lighting plan showing all light positions
- Our electrical expert Andy (who's amazing - nothing is ever too much trouble) handles all the technical stuff
- We use proper fire-rated fittings for recessed lights (safety first!)
- All our lighting meets current regulations and is properly certified
In a recent project in Clipstone, the homeowners had been quoted £800 just for basic recessed lights by another company. We installed a complete scheme including under-cabinet lights, feature lighting and smart controls for less.
Do I Need Special Lighting in a Kitchen?
Yes - kitchens have specific lighting needs:
- You need proper IP-rated lights in areas near water (sinks, etc)
- Lighting should be easy to clean as kitchens get greasy
- Heat-resistant options are important near cooking areas
- Dimmer switches help create different moods
"Michael explained all the safety stuff about kitchen lighting that our electrician never mentioned," says Dianne from Mansfield. "It's clear they really know their stuff when it comes to kitchens specifically."
Book Your Kitchen Lighting Consultation
Ready to see how the right lighting could transform your Mansfield kitchen?
We're not a huge corporate kitchen company who'll send a different person every time. When you book with Kudos, you'll get me (Michael) or Emma coming to your home to discuss your lighting needs.
Our showroom in Mansfield has loads of lighting options on display, so you can see exactly how different systems look and work before deciding.
Call us to book your kitchen lighting consultation, or pop into our showroom (we're appointment-only, so worth checking we're in first!).
And remember - we don't just do lighting! We can handle your complete kitchen renovation from design to installation, with our Kudos Triple Guarantee giving you peace of mind from start to finish.
Kitchen Renovation Financing Available!*
Even if you do not have the funds now, you may be eligible to access project funding from Dopple! Contact us to learn more about how financing can help you get your dream kitchen renovation sooner.
We've partnered with Dopple to offer flexible kitchen renovation financing options for your kitchen project. With Dopple, you can spread the cost of your new kitchen over manageable monthly payments, choose from multiple finance options. You will get support from a friendly UK-based team and be able to finance kitchen projects big and small
*Credit is subject to status and credit assessments by the lender. Missed payments may affect your credit file, future borrowing and incur fees.
