As the heat of summer ebbs away, the KindRoot team can’t be the only ones who have noticed our days getting shorter and evenings darker.
The Autumn Equinox arrived on September 23rd here in the UK, an exact moment in time when day and night become equal and heralding our slide into winter nights.
These darker evenings inevitably mean we start switching the lights on a little earlier, so how do we keep our homes feeling, well, homely, in this period of time between the bright light nights of Summer and the cold dark evenings of Winter?
Our KindRoot blogpost on lighting your kitchen in Autumn is your go-to guide to keeping the heart of the home well lit and welcoming this season.
Your humble kitchen holds a secret
The seasonal secret is the separation of your task and mood lighting - did you know that your kitchen holds the biggest opportunity for creative and inventive lighting in your home?
The concept of zonal lighting - a design method that divides a space into separate areas so you can control, dim, or turn on specific groups of lights independently - really comes into its own in a kitchen.
At the most common end of the spectrum, just separating functional task lighting (bright overhead lighting that illuminates the whole room, spotlights over your food prep space or LED strips or puck lights installed beneath kitchen cabinets to illuminate countertops) from ambient, more relaxed lighting around kitchen tables or your breakfast bar enables you to change the mood and shift family focus instantly.
However, there are a number of other lighting tricks in your kitchen’s back pocket that set different tones, soothe or focus.
Layering your lighting
All kitchens have bright overhead, task focused lighting, but once the food prep is over and it’s time to relax, try experimenting with layering:
● Pendant lighting: If you have an island or a breakfast bar, lower pendant fixtures make high ceiling rooms feel instantly more intimate. Your choice of shades also introduces warmth; think smoked glass, fabric shades, organic materials or decorative low wattage bulbs to diffuse light and encourage a cosy glow
● Occasional table lamps: Simply placing a small, fabric shaded table lamp in a worktop corner or open shelf, highlights family knick-knacks, photos and gives your kitchen a more ‘living room’ feel
● Plinth and Kickboard Lights: Running a soft LED strip along the bottom of your floor units gently reflects light off the floor and creates a very ambient feel to a kitchen. This is also a great lighting tactic to use late in the evening to guide your way to the kettle for that last cop of hot chocolate without having to turn on a harsh overhead light
● Inset floor lighting: A tactic we’ve seen in kitchens with bifolds or french doors to a garden or patio area, is insetting a long lighting strip in the floor the width of the door or window. The light gently reflects of the glass, combating the light drain of the darkness outside and gives a soft glow similar to the plinth and kickboard lighting
● Uplighting houseplants from behind: A real simple tactic to soften and add ambient pools of light, is to hide a low wattage uplighter or spotlight behind a collection of pot plants on an open shelf or on top of your units. The plants hide the lighting source and cast organic warm shadows against your walls or ceilings
● Fairy lights: And finally, what would cosy season be without micro-fairy or string lights along a shelf or around a pot plant? A quick, easy and affordable fix in any kitchen
Swap your bulbs
A simple switch is to change the tone of your lighting source. Some spotlights come with pre-sets you can change on the actual spotlights themselves. Alternatively swap to ‘warm white’ LED bulbs instead of ‘daylight’ or ‘cool white’ bulbs.
Creating a kinder kitchen
Our KindRoot founder, Molly, has always found kitchens a difficult space, often leading to overwhelm and overstimulation. After years working in kitchen design, we understand how small things can have a big impact: a smelly bin, a cluttered worktop and now as we move into Autumn - harsh lighting - can completely change how a space feels day to day and negatively impact those who use it.
● Fluorescent and tube lighting: Getting less common now, as spotlight take over the kitchen, but tube lighting is still common across the UK. These bulbs often emit a high-frequency, invisible flicker that can cause severe eye strain, headaches, and agitation
● Overhead lighting: The direct central ceiling fixture or ‘Big Light’ as it’s more colloquially known! Doesn’t just feel harsh to most of us, it can actually drain emotional regulation
● Glare: Light bouncing off glossy countertops, stainless steel appliances, or polished tile floors can create sharp, unpredictable visual pain points
● Cool tone bulbs: ‘daylight’, ‘cool-white’ LED or fluorescent bulbs mimic daylight and screens, keeping the nervous system on high alert and preventing relaxation
Thinking about how you light your kitchen might not just make that cup of hot chocolate before bed feel cosier and a shared meal more intimate, it can also be a game changer for those with sensory needs.
If you want to make your home feel a little kinder this Autumn, get in touch with our team for a no strings chat about how to make your home kinder.
Or follow us on social media for more tips and tricks of the kitchen trade
References
National Autistic Sociaety: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/about-autism/sensory-processing
National library of medicine: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12715023/
SuperBrightLEDs.com: https://www.superbrightleds.com/blog/neurodivergence-lighting-and-inclusivity-case-study.html
Harkla: https://harkla.co/blogs/special-needs/sensory-lighting
