Guide · Extraction, light and power
How much light a kitchen needs, in lumens
The KÜINA team · Updated October 11, 2026
The short answer
Allow 350 to 400 lumens per square metre of general light — a 10 m² kitchen needs 3,500 to 4,000 lumens — and add 600 lumens per linear metre of worktop of task light. You need both: the ceiling light sits behind you, so your own body casts the shadow exactly where you are chopping.
The three layers, and what each one is for
A well-lit kitchen has three layers and three switches. With only one, it is always wrong: either it glares while you eat or it falls short while you cook.
| Layer | What for | Target level |
|---|---|---|
| General | Moving about, opening, cleaning, seeing the whole | 200–300 lux |
| Task | Worktop, chopping area, sink, hob | 400–500 lux |
| Ambient | Eating, sitting, the kitchen at night | 100–150 lux |
Lux is the lumen that actually reaches the surface, and that is what matters. The lumen is what leaves the fitting. Light is lost in between — to ceiling height, to dark walls, to dust on the optics — which is why the calculation carries a margin.
The lumens, with numbers
The short version: square metres × 375 for the general light, and linear metres of worktop × 600 for the task light.
| Kitchen | General light installed | Task light | Approximate total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 m² | 2,200–2,400 lm | 2 m of worktop: 1,200 lm | ~3,500 lm |
| 8 m² | 2,900–3,200 lm | 2.5 m: 1,500 lm | ~4,600 lm |
| 10 m² | 3,500–4,000 lm | 3 m: 1,800 lm | ~5,600 lm |
| 12 m² | 4,300–4,800 lm | 3.5 m: 2,100 lm | ~6,700 lm |
| 15 m² with an island | 5,400–6,000 lm | 4.5 m: 2,700 lm | ~8,400 lm |
In LED, 100 lumens per watt is a reasonable market figure. So a well-lit 10 m² kitchen draws about 55 W in total — less than one old incandescent bulb. Consumption is not the criterion to decide on here.
Where each point goes: the shadow rule
This is the mistake repeated in nine kitchens out of ten, and it costs nothing to avoid if you think about it beforehand.
- Ceiling downlights over the front edge of the worktop, not in the middle of the room. That means roughly 55–60 cm from the wall. Centred, the light lands on the floor and on the face of the wall units, and you stand in your own shadow.
- Downlight spacing, 80–90 cm. Further apart and you see scallops of light; closer together is spend without gain.
- The strip under the wall unit goes at the front edge, not at the back. At the back it lights the tiles; at the front it lights the chopping board. And always in an aluminium profile with a diffuser: a bare strip reflects as a row of dots in a glossy worktop.
- Over the hob, the hood light. Count it as the task light for that zone and do not add a downlight above: decorative island hoods already give 300–600 lm.
- The sink gets its own point. It is where you stand longest and the worst place to leave depending on the general light.
The test is simple: stand at the worktop with only the general light on. If you can see your own shadow on the board, the under-unit light is missing.
Colour temperature and CRI
| Spec | What to choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| General colour temperature | 3000 K (warm white) | It is the one that stops the kitchen looking like an office |
| Task colour temperature | 3000 K, 3500 K at most | Mixing 3000 and 4000 K on the same plane shows, and shows badly |
| CRI (colour rendering index) | ≥ 90 at the worktop | At CRI 80 raw meat and vegetables change colour |
| Dimming | At least on the general light and the island | It is what turns the kitchen into a dining room at night |
The island and the table
Here the dimensions are almost always the same and almost never respected.
| Dimension | Value |
|---|---|
| Pendant height over an island | 70–80 cm from the worktop to the bottom of the shade |
| Height over a dining table | 75–85 cm from the table top |
| Pendants over a 2.40 m island | Three small ones at 75 cm centres, or two medium |
| Pendants over a 3 m island | Three medium at 85–90 cm centres |
| Distance from the end of the island to the first pendant | At least 40 cm |
If the island carries the hob, the hood governs and the pendants only go over the seating section. And if the island is also the table, the pendant goes over the eating area, not over the geometric centre of the unit.
What has to be decided before the tiling goes on
Everything on this list is impossible — or ruinously expensive — to change once the tiles are up.
- Where the drivers go and how you reach them. A driver fails and has to be replaced. Inside a wall unit, fine; behind the tiling or a sealed suspended ceiling, bad.
- How many lighting circuits. Three is the sensible minimum: general, under-unit, island or dining. Each with its own switch.
- 24 V rather than 12 V for strips. Beyond two metres, 12 V drops voltage and the far end of the strip is visibly dimmer.
- IP44 in the sink zone and at any point within 60 cm of a tap.
- If you want light in drawers or in the plinth, say so now. Those are cable routes inside the carcase, specified at the factory.
- Plan the cable run to the island. If the island is not planned from the start, the island light ends up hanging where the cable is, not where it should be.
Questions we get asked
How many lumens does a 10 m² kitchen need?
Between 3,500 and 4,000 lumens of general light, plus about 1,800 lumens of task light under the wall units if there are three metres of worktop. Around 5,600 lumens in total, split across two or three circuits. A single 2,000-lumen ceiling fitting in the middle of the room — which is what half the housing stock has — is about half of what is needed, and it leaves the worktop in shadow as well.
What colour temperature is best in a kitchen?
3000 K, warm white, throughout. You can go to 3500 K over the worktop if you want more crispness, but do not mix 3000 and 4000 K on the same plane: the difference shows and it looks wrong. What matters more than people think is CRI — ask for 90 or above on the worktop light so food looks its own colour.
How high should a pendant hang over an island?
Between 70 and 80 cm from the worktop to the bottom of the shade. Higher and it glares into your eyes and loses effect; lower and it blocks the view of whoever is on the other side. Over a dining table, 75 to 85 cm from the table top.
Is under-cabinet lighting really necessary?
Yes, and not for looks. The general light comes from the ceiling and ends up behind you while you work, so your own body throws a shadow right onto the chopping board. A 600 lumen per metre strip in a profile with a diffuser, fixed at the front edge of the unit, is what solves it. It is the cheapest lighting improvement and the one you notice most.
Shall we look at it with your kitchen on screen?
An hour in the showroom, your kitchen on screen and the price fixed the same day. No commitment, and no follow-up calls unless you want them.
