As you may have experienced - going to a household or property with good lighting can be very pleasant and inviting. It sets a tone for others to feel safe and an environment with not too much, nor too little lighting.
When designing or renovating your new kitchen - you must ensure that there is a necessary amount of lighting in the right areas. A combination of overhead and pendant lighting is essential.
But, today we will be sharing with you why kitchen cabinet lighting should be considered and the benefits of installing it within your home lighting system. Read along to find out more!
Different Styles of Under Cabinet Lighting
When choosing your under-cabinet lights LED and fluorescents seem to be the most popular as they don’t emit much or any heat at all. However, the style of under cabinet lighting you choose is just as important for the aesthetics of your kitchen. Here are some kitchen lighting ideas and tried-and-true styles of lighting that you can use:
LED Strip Lighting
LED strip lights are always an impressive choice when installed in an under-cabinet recess. Due to them being adhesive, yet easy to peel and stick - they will always be one of the easiest and most effective methods of implementing a luxurious lighting system.
Strip lights are very thin, dimmable and flexible also. This helps when trying to fit your lighting in unusual locations or tight-fitting locations (cabinets).
Puck Lighting
Puck lights however are more of a 3D rounded shape and became in favour due to them being battery-operated. Similar to LED strip lights, installation requires you to stick them on the underside of the cabinet within your kitchen. This usually needs some form of adhesive tape to stay effective on your surface for a long period of time.
Puck lighting is usually best for small spaces, rental units and areas without access to a plug (due to them being battery-operated).
Strip Lamp Lighting
Strip lamps are bigger than puck lights - but brighter than the original LED strip lights. These are more accessible as they come in several lengths, which will be an excellent option in the broad scheme of things for the public. This is because everyone will have different lengths of general cabinetry.
However, one key factor to consider is buying connectable fixtures so all of your lighting strips can work off a single outlet and can be easily controlled by the light connected to the outlet (parent fixture).
These strip lamps (strip lights) are perfect for poorly or ambient lit kitchens due to the enhancement of brightness compared to the other lighting options on this list.
Benefits of Installing Kitchen Cabinet Lighting
Now that you know more about the type of lighting that you can apply to your home or commercial property - we need to understand why is kitchen cabinet lighting popular within the industry? Let’s run through all the benefits of why under-cabinet lighting should be part of your interior design.
Quality of Light
Within your kitchen, under-cabinet lighting will always increase the quality of light by providing you light in specific areas where you would work. For example, if you’re preparing food for the family, it will provide you with suitable lighting to be able to see what you’re doing.
Whereas, if you just have an overhead lighting bulb(s) - you will most of the time always notice that the shadows will block your vision when cutting, baking, etc.
Aesthetic of Your Kitchen
When lighting up under your countertop - it will automatically make for a much more pleasant environment to work in. Not only will visitors to your household or commercial property be starstruck, but you personally will feel safer and more chilled out when cabinet lighting is installed.
Simplicity of Installation
Whether you’re completely overhauling your kitchen (commercial lighting or household lighting) and going for a new look, or just looking to add a few more features to spice up the look of your home - the installation process will always be an easy part of the renovation.
Most forms of kitchen cabinet lighting will be a peel and stick process - therefore, unlike most features of your kitchen, this will take a lot less time of your day to achieve. On the flip side, if you don’t like the look of your new kitchen cabinet lighting, it will be easy to take off and pass on to a friend or family member which they may suit more.
Saving You Money
Not only are LED bulbs such as LED strip lights, puck lights or strip lamps pleasant to look at - they will also save you a lot of money on your energy bill. This is due to the fact that you’ll be able to light up the workspace without turning on the overhead lighting within the room.
You may think this will only save a small amount of energy - but over time, these small additions of turning on the overhead lights will total up throughout the calendar year.
To add to that, if you choose LED light bulbs within the different sections of your household or commercial property - you will find that these savings will increase even more.
Increases the Value of Your Property
Nowadays, if something looks good, it doesn’t matter how much it initially costs because the aesthetic is all that matters. A beautifully lit kitchen will only increase the value of your property - especially if viewers have never seen kitchen cabinet lighting before.
These unique features are hard to come by in most common households, therefore, if these lights are already installed without the potential owner ever seeing them before - there is more potential for the house to sell at the price you’re looking for.
For example, you can expect to recoup around 60% of the cost of a major kitchen remodelling project on resale. However, the trends that are set in the same year will often see a greater payback.
Just adding small, yet cheap minor details to your kitchen lights like this will be an intelligent way to increase your return on investment.
