Designer Tips to Plan Your IKEA Kitchen Lighting

Expert advice for using lighting to make your kitchen more stylish and functional

For any kitchen design, one of the most important goals is to highlight the space so that it’s both stylish and functional. After all, you want the space to really shine, right?

As IKEA kitchen design specialists, we’re here to tell you that prop-er kitchen lighting is one of the most practical ways to achieve these goals and get the most out of your IKEA cabinetry.

And there are important issues to consider when talking about ambient, task and accent lighting, for in-stance. These are the lighting options that brighten all areas of your space (think IKEA drawer lights, IKEA spot-lights, or IKEA’s STRÖMLINJE LED lights to ensure that tasks are done easily and safely).

However, even experienced DIYers or customers who’ve extensively researched examples of kitchen designs on design Web sites such as HOUZZ or Pinterest may be left wondering how to choose and plan a proper IKEA kitchen lighting sequence.

We understand why that would be. There are actually some pretty technical aspects to consider along with deciding whether you want track, recessed or pendant lighting.

Understanding the electrical situation in your kitchen (such as whether you can add outlets before installing the cabinets), or the scope of your project (is it a remodel or new construction?) are the types of things to consider in selecting the lighting that will work for you.

This is why we’d like to share some designer tips on how to plan your IKEA lighting. Without a professional lighting plan, your kitchen design vision might be left in the dark and we don’t want to see that happen.

Let’s take a look!

Highlight of the IKEA Kitchen Lighting

We’ll begin with ambient lighting. This is the main source of light in the space, which of course is meant to enhance the entire kitchen.

That said, good ambient lighting should also illuminate key areas of the kitchen (like a large center island with pendant lighting, or recessed lighting over the sink, for example).

Luckily, IKEA offers many different options, including track, recessed, pendant and flush-mounted lighting — or any combination of these.

For instance, consider an IKEA ceiling lamp such as the IKEA ATERSKEN ceiling lamp with three lights which is ideal for more traditional tastes, or the new, nickel-plated IKEA VIRRMO that would be a perfect complement to a modern, minimalistic design.

Pendant lighting is another great option, such as the new 15” IKEA SKURUP pendant lamp, which provides excellent general lighting for over your kitchen table; or the IKEA LUFTMASSA/SKAFTET pendant which would be suitable for a transitional-style kitchen layout in need of a touch of elegance.

Remember: If you have a specific need, IKEA likely has the lighting solution for it.

Up To The Task

Any well-designed kitchen layout needs excellent task lighting; which really means lighting solutions for a target-ed area in the kitchen.

Imagine, for example, you were trying to cut very fine slices of meat while preparing dinner, or starting to chop some vegetables, and were doing it in a poorly lit space. That’s definitely a potential safety concern, plus your meal may not come out as good as you want either!

The solution? Undercabinet lighting to illuminate the countertops for the task that you need.

Our design team generally recommends STRÖMLINJE LED lights for the job. IKEA STRÖMLINJE installation is easy and straightforward, and cords are kept organized.

Plus, different widths can be paired up to match any IKEA cabinet widths.

Along the same lines, in-drawer lighting is an inexpensive form of task lighting that will make it easier for you to see the contents of your drawers (such as utensils, peelers, cookware, etc.) and adds a subtle decorative touch as well.

Typically, the lighting strips are mounted inside cabinets with drawers; either along the top front or sides.

A nice element is that the lights work with motion detectors and individual drawers can be lit if needed, so the IKEA OMLOPP LED light strip for drawers is one great option for customers looking to customize their space.

Accent Lighting

Lastly, accent lighting provides an opportunity to really focus on specific elements of your space.

For instance, IKEA spotlights, such as IKEA’s VAXMYRA LED spotlight in white, can be installed inside your glass-fronted cabinets to showcase your glassware collection or objet d’art.

Basically, the spotlights are mounted inside the wall cabinets and are attached to the bottom of shelves or the top of the interior of a wall cabinet to provide interior cabinet lighting.

Extra pro tip: You can dim and synchronize the lights to turn on and off at the same time with a remote control.

In fact, there are many examples of past projects we’ve designed that showcase this very lighting technique.

As you can see, designing with an IKEA cabinet lighting system is somewhere between an art and a science. Doing it correctly — and selecting the right lighting plan for your needs — will make an enormous difference in the final results of your IKEA kitchen.