The most common lighting mistake in a new extension is a uniform grid of downlights across the whole ceiling. It lights everything equally and flatters nothing. A better scheme treats cooking, eating and sitting as separate zones with their own layers, then puts them on switching that lets you change the mood without getting up. All of it needs deciding before first fix, because cable routes are set at that point.
Work in layers
Every good scheme has three layers, and most have four.
- Task light where you chop, read and work, usually under cabinet and directional
- Ambient light that fills the space softly, often perimeter or indirect
- Feature light such as pendants over an island or the dining table
- Accent light on shelving, art or a garden view to stop glass going black at night
Circuits and switching to plan at first fix
Splitting the room across several lighting circuits and dimmable zones is what makes an open plan space usable morning and evening. Decide switch positions with the furniture layout in front of you, including a two way arrangement between the garden doors and the hallway.
Getting the light quality right
Colour temperature and dimming behaviour matter more than raw output. Keep one colour temperature across the space, choose fittings with good colour rendering for a kitchen, and match the dimmer to the driver so nothing flickers or buzzes at low level.
Do not forget outside
Bifold doors turn into mirrors after dark unless there is something lit beyond them. A modest exterior scheme on its own switching makes the room feel twice the size in the evening, and the cable is cheap while the ground is open.
Common questions
- How many downlights do I need?
- Fewer than most plans show. We work from the layout and the task areas rather than a fixed spacing across the ceiling.
- When do I have to decide?
- Before first fix. Positions, switching and dimming all set the cable routes.
- Are pendants over an island tricky?
- Only if the position is left late. Ceiling points must line up with the finished island, so we set them out with the kitchen drawings.
- Can lighting be added later?
- Yes, but it means chasing finished walls and ceilings. Planning it now is far cheaper.
Book a lighting design conversation and we will mark up your extension plan before first fix.
Related guides
- LED Downlights, Spotlights and Retrofit LampsThe right choice depends on whether you are replacing lamps or replacing a ceiling's worth of old transformers.
- Getting LED Dimming RightMost LED dimming complaints are a compatibility problem, not a faulty lamp.
- Electrics for a Kitchen Extension, Start to FinishA kitchen extension is the most electrically dense room most homes will ever gain.