Tips for light accents in the kitchen

Interior designer and content creator Leonie Pauls, of the Instagram channel @altbau22, has immersed a next125 kitchen in spring colours and added stylish decor. In our Interview she reveals her secret tip for creating an ambience with interior design: lighting.

“In room and kitchen planning, lighting effects and conditions are very important to me. You can create practical eye-catchers with a few little tricks like grip ledge lighting or table lamps in accent colours.”

The next125 kitchen, fitted with nx670 in walnut and nx940 SensiQ Inox in a stainless steel finish, has a special character thanks to the two front materials. The grooved front in walnut radiates warmth and creates an interplay of light and shadow thanks to the vertical wooden grooves. In contrast, the stainless steel look of the fine matt SensiQ Inox with anti-fingerprint properties adds a clean and cool touch to the kitchen. This not only gives the kitchen unit a modern look, but also diffuses the light from the backlit niche shelf along the worktop.

Tip 1: indirect lighting

Indirect grip ledge and plinth lighting in the kitchen provides a pleasant ambience whilst creating interesting contrasts.

These lighting elements softly disperse the light and generate a diffuse brightness that further illuminates the room and oozes a homely elegance. They also create interesting shadow play and highlight certain features such as the interior fittings in the kitchen.

Tip 2: add highlights

With targeted highlights, dark corners shine and special pieces of furniture take centre stage. For example, the next125 tall glas display unit integrated into the larder unit becomes a highlight with its built-in spotlights and draws attention to its treasures inside.

Tip 3: functional light

To provide functional lighting in the kitchen, the recess lighting over the worktop is particularly important. When planning a kitchen, illuminated shelves or spotlights are a great addition inside a wall unit.

If no wall units are required, an open concept can be utilised with the Frame niche shelving unit, as in this next125 kitchen. This stylish solution for organising your kitchen utensils becomes another design feature in the kitchen thanks to its beautiful lighting. The illuminated frame creates a large area of light that provides a bright working environment during the daytime and mood lighting in the evening. The recess lighting is therefore not only practical when you’re cooking but also adds to the atmosphere and aesthetics of the kitchen.

We insist: well-thought-out concepts turn lighting into an art

“Every good and perfect gift is from above” – for a long time this saying formed the basis of good light planning. However, thanks to LEDs and modern design, it has long since become obsolete. Indirect and large areas of light work together with natural daylight to create a pleasant atmosphere. Whether grip ledge or plinth lighting, a unit that radiates light or backlit recess shelving, well-designed lighting draws attention to the kitchen.

Even the direct light source of a window – natural daylight – can be used in kitchen design and skilfully enhanced. Shiny elements like glass or polished metal catch the light and reflect it back into the room. This creates different intensities of light and shadow.

If you would like to spotlight certain parts of the room, you can also use decorative lights in addition to the options above. Small lamps and candles can brighten up dark corners or intentionally form shadows to create a harmonious atmosphere.