Kitchen lighting ideas

1 April 2025

Bring a splash of flavor and color to your kitchen space with a pinch of smart lighting from Philips Hue! Your kitchen is one of the most versatile spaces in the home and your kitchen lighting should be, too!  So, whether you’re cooking, relaxing, or entertaining — get the most out of the space with our design inspiration, practical tips, and ideas for kitchen light fixtures.  

Minimalist, mid-century, or modern Scandinavian — whatever the contemporary style of your kitchen, the right smart lighting will help show off all its unique design details.

Kitchen track lights are one way to bring a touch of industrial chic to the space. Tracks in either black or white can match the clean lines of cabinets and countertops. They’re a great way to create a modern aesthetic while offering total versatility that allows you to get light just where you need it.

Track lighting like the Hue Perifo is completely customizable so you become the lighting designer! Choose the lengths of track you need, fit them together, and mount them on your kitchen ceiling or walls. Its modular design means you can build a track to fit the dimensions of your kitchen — run it above work surfaces, tables, and islands. Or create a design feature by making a square, rectangle, L-, or U-shape track and mounting it over the center of your space.

Once you have the track installed, you can simply click in your choice of Perifo lights and position them anywhere on the track. Use spotlights for directing light into areas where you work or for highlighting pictures, sleek pendants are ideal for lighting tables or islands, and light bars for illuminating longer countertops.

If you really want to make glossy surfaces glow and sleek lines stand out, then consider running flexible strip lights under kitchen cabinets , baseboards, or the overhang of countertops. They’re flexible and can be bent, shaped, and cut to fit into any nook or cranny. Set them to bright white light for prepping meals and warm tones or color tones create an inviting ambiance for your guests.

Whether your kitchen has a charming farmhouse feel, a classic white shaker vibe, or a rustic Mediterranean design, a smart lighting makeover can accentuate all its unique features and make it feel even more traditional while incorporating all the practical benefits of smart light.

One popular traditional kitchen lighting idea is chandeliers or wall sconces. Add an extra touch of classic retro glamor by fitting them with a more traditional style bulb like Hue candle bulbs and candle filament bulbs. For a real touch of vintage elegance to match your kitchen space, fit your existing light fixtures with a selection of Filament bulbs.  Smart LED filament bulbs bring together the best of both worlds: they’re as efficient as your regular LED bulbs and as stylish as incandescent Edison bulbs with their glowing inner coil. Dimmable from bright daylight to low nightlights, these smart bulbs allow you to fill your kitchen with just the right level of warm light where you need it. Choose from the ever-popular Edison shape, globe, standard, and candle to get the right look for every part of your kitchen.

If your kitchen is home to antique cabinets or wooden shelves, why not make them an eye-catching feature by filling them with light? Run strip lights along them to showcase your kitchen ornaments, prized crockery, or copper pots and pans!

The right balance of lighting in the kitchen really helps the space appear less cramped and cluttered while optimizing its functionality. Think about the different activities that happen in each part of the space and consider if you need to install more lights in those areas. An optimal amount of light will make your kitchen feel larger, especially if there’s a lack of natural light.

If your kitchen has low ceilings then a practical way to get an even spread of light is to install rows of recessed lights. These fit flush to the ceiling and won’t get in the way as you navigate different tasks. Make your kitchen ceiling appear higher by running strip lights around its perimeter and above cupboards and shelves. These will cast light up and down the walls adding more dimension to the space. It can also work as accent lighting when highlighting features on the wall, such as pictures or ornaments.

If your bulbs aren’t already at the recommended maximum for your fixtures, get brighter bulbs. Often small rooms feel cramped because of inadequate lighting. Hue smart bulbs are tunable from bright to warm white and even any colors of your choice.

If you’re lucky enough to have an expansive kitchen then it’s a great opportunity to experiment with a range of kitchen ceiling lamps. Again, consider the activities you usually do in the different parts of the kitchen and consider how much light is needed and what kind of fixture would suit you best.

Track lighting like Hue Perifo is a fully customizable solution ideal for larger kitchens. Its track is designed to be used with a range of different lights including spotlights, pendants, and light bars. Consider a square track that covers the whole ceiling area and then click in the lights according to how you want to light the space. A series of pendants on different length cords over the kitchen table, rows of spotlights angled at work surfaces, and a row of light bars to illuminate large floor spaces.

If you have a large food preparation area or kitchen island where an optimal spread of powerful light is needed, then ceiling panel lights like Hue Datura are a great option. Its sleek and frameless design comes in a range of shapes to subtly compliment your kitchen without being obtrusive. Datura panels are a great option for bigger spaces because they cast diffused light downwards while incorporating a backlight that shines a halo of light across the ceiling. Each panel can even be set to two different colors simultaneously! 

Nobody likes washing the dishes, but at least the task will be easier if your kitchen sink is properly lit. The best kitchen ceiling lamp option here is going to be recessed ceiling lighting or spotlights directed at the sink. Recessed lights are unobtrusive and are ideal for getting a powerful pool of light in a specific area. Avoid light that shines from behind you if it’s going to be the main source of light — you don’t want to be casting shadows over the dishes as you wash them. 

Snacking, socializing, or hosting memorable events like a birthday — the kitchen table is where all the magic happens. So, it deserves lighting that’s magic, too! The obvious choice for lighting a table is a pendant light  installed directly above. This is the perfect opportunity to make the light a feature of the kitchen. Consider a pendant with a longer cord so that the shade is around 50 centimeters from the table’s surface. An oversized shade will also add eye-catching design detail while making sure the table is well-lit. Make mealtimes feel extra intimate by placing a table lamp in the center of the table. The Hue Go portable table lamp with its elegant design makes it a fitting centerpiece for any meal. Plus, you won’t have to worry about cables trailing over plates and under chairs. Simply remove the lamp from its charging base, place it where you like, and set it to any color to recreate the ambiance of your favorite restaurant.

If your kitchen is the heart of your home, then your island is the heart of your kitchen! As the centerpiece of the space, your island is more than just a surface for preparing food — it’s also a place to eat, socialize, and relax at any time of day.

As a truly multi-functional space, it deserves truly multi-functional lights. Bright task lighting will make it easier when you’re chopping vegetables, icing a cake, or reading a recipe. And when it’s time to sit down and try your culinary masterpieces, you can set soft colorful tones to create a relaxed dining vibe for family and friends.

Make the centerpiece of the kitchen even more impactful by picking it out with kitchen island pendant lighting. Ideas to consider could include the number of pendants you suspend over the counter, the length of their cords, the formation you arrange them in, or the type of shade. The Hue Flourish pendant light with its eye-catching globe design will bring powerful diffused light to the space as well as a touch of elegant design detail. If your island is long, consider hanging multiple Flourish pendants over the island — one every two meters.

If you already have pendant lights installed, you can easily upgrade their bulbs to dimmable color-capable Hue smart bulbs. There’s an extensive range of bulbs for every size and style of fixture. If your existing pendant lights have clear shades, consider using Edison-style bulbs with their visible filament to create a traditional look. Set the perfect intensity of beautiful amber glow for cooking tasks or romantic bistro vibes.