Kitchen roof lantern: daylight where you chop, cook and eat

Above the kitchen island or above the worktop

If there is a kitchen island, the roof lantern often sits directly above it. The island becomes the brightest spot in the room and you have light from all sides. Do watch the cooker hood: a ceiling unit or island hood has to hang somewhere, and that cannot be in the glass. A glazing bar or a roof lantern beside the hood solves this.

If the kitchen runs along the back wall, a roof lantern parallel to the worktop works well. If that wall is a taller outside wall, a wall-abutting lean-to lets the light run down the wall onto the counter.

• Light straight onto the worktop, without your own shadow
• Kitchen island as the brightest spot in the room
• Plan the cooker hood outside the glazed area
• Roof lantern parallel to a long kitchen wall

Kitchen roof lantern in an open-plan living space: the hipped roof

In a large extension with an open kitchen, dining table and seating area in one room, a hipped roof lantern fits well. Four sloping sides give light from every angle, so not just one spot is bright while the rest stays dim. Up to 9 m² of glass is possible in one piece. Larger is possible with segments and concealed bars.

A hipped roof needs a little space all round and comes into its own in the middle of a wide room, for example above the dining table next to the island.

Cooking steam, moisture and ventilation

Cooking produces moisture. Warm, humid air rises and meets the coldest surface in the room, which is often the glass. That is when condensation forms. A good cooker hood and ventilation in the room are the basis. What else you can do is explained in condensation on a roof lantern.

The roof lantern itself has no moving parts. Open a window or vent in the wall while and after you cook, so the humid air can escape before it settles on the glass. A thermally broken frame and well insulating glass also keep the inner pane warmer.

Matching colour and glass to the kitchen

The aluminium frame is available in any RAL colour, and also bicolour: a different colour inside than outside. That way you match the kitchen fronts or ceiling inside and the wall or roof edge outside. For inspiration, see choosing a frame colour.

If the kitchen faces south, consider solar control glass. If there are larder cupboards or a wine cooler under the glass, you do not want fierce afternoon sun there. Facing north, clear HR++ double glazing is usually the best choice for as much light as possible.