Cabinet lighting is one of the most neglected factors by many while designing the cabinet, although it is an important facet for any kitchen area. Proper ambience can turn a boring, purely functional space of a kitchen into a cozy and welcoming place; it also optimizes its usage for the most common work, including food preparation and actual cooking. From under cabinet lighting to inside cabinet fixtures smart lighting solutions can be incorporated into cabinetry to improve the general feel and functionality of the kitchen. In this article, the reader will discover more about the role of cabinet lighting enhancing the styles and functions of kitchens and receive useful advice for applying this element into homes.
Enhancing Aesthetic Appeal
Another advantage of cabinet lighting is when making changes in the interior lighting it adds an overall appearance to the kitchen. This tool is critical in drawing attention to some of the design features, creating elaborative interest, and even, quite surprisingly, in manipulating the perceived space size. For example, under-cabinet lighting can make your countertops appear wider, making your countertop look larger than it actually is because of the lack of shadow. This is particularly crucial if you have limited space as is the case with many kitchens in residential homes.
Cabinet also creates a more exciting view in the kitchen since you have lit it up. Some areas are usually not very bright; for instance, the backsplash area or interior of glass-fronted cabinets and, therefore, with proper lighting, you will achieve accent lighting that will display the kitchen’s detailing. Lighting can also add an illumination to the texture and color of items like the grain of your cabinet or the glimmer of a tile backsplash which makes your kitchen appear more professional and plush.
Besides, cabinet lighting enables a person to create the desired atmosphere and tone in the kitchen. For instance, warm white LED lighting is ideal for home dining as it provides the comfort of home evening meals with the right tint of light. Since there are options for cabinet lighting to have different dimmers, you can control how bright the light in the cabinet has to be for the different occasions which makes the kitchen even more flexible.
Improving Functionality
Besides enhancing the output look of a kitchen, cabinet lighting helps enhance the practicality of the kitchen since the areas containing activities such as cooking, chopping and washing can be easily illuminated. Bad light may cause one cannot see what they are doing and this may lead to many accidents for example while cutting an item with a knife or while using hot vessels such as the pot and pan.
Among all those applications, the under-cabinet lighting is especially useful while preparing dishes and meals. Since the overhead lights affect the countertops causing some shadow to be cast onto the surface of the countertop, the lighting that is placed underneath the cabinet eliminates the shadows hence giving a good surface area for work. Such lighting also enables you to avoid the straining of your eyes especially when chopping vegetables, reading through the recipes or determining when the food is done.
Inside-cabinet lighting is another practical feature which increases usability and which many homeowners find very useful. Sometimes it becomes really difficult to navigate and even view the contents of deep or dark built – in cabinets particularly those located in corners or below counters. With small LED lights inside your cabinets, it doesn’t matter how messy the shelf is; you simply locate the place and find what you need without much hassle. This is particularly helpful for the pantry cabinet or glassware shelves because lighting will allow you to find the items quickly while making your kitchen efficient.
Lamp lighting within cabinets that have glass facing also has another use also. It is very convenient for such a purpose but can also serve the purpose of presenting favorite dishes or glasses or vases or decorative items thus making the kitchen look more stylish and elegant.
Energy Conservation Techniques and Smart Technology
Contemporary cabinet lighting is again highly efficient with respect to energy consumption most notably when employing LED bulbs. The LED light consumes a fewer amount of electricity compared to the traditional incandescent or fluorescent bulbs hence it is cheaper to maintain the power bills as a homeowner. Also, thanks to the long functioning of the LEDs, which do not require replacement as often, it will also save on the expenses for the maintenance.
Most of today’s models of the cabinet lighting systems come with smart home compatibility that enables one to operate the light using smartphone or voice commands by assistants such as Alexa or Google Home. This means you can turn on and off lights, regulate brightness, or even alter the color temperature without coming into contact with the switch. You also have the option to control smart lighting systems to switch on when you are in the kitchen or when you open a cabinet, among other advantages as it only uses light when needed.
Some of the smart lighting systems also have the motion sensors for the lights; it can be an additional bonus when used at indoor cabinets. For instance if your hands are occupied with ingredients or dirty when cooking, additional lights can be summoned when the motion sensor detects movement every time you open a cabinet then extra lighting can be created without having to search for the button.
Types of Cabinet Lighting
There are many types of lighting fixtures that are can be installed on cabinets and the most preferable type depends on the location and decoration of the kitchen:
- Under-Cabinet Lighting: Another of the most widely used lights for the kitchen, under cabinet lights are mounted on the bottom of cabinets to light countertops. They are available in different designs and types such as the LED strips, puck lights, or the rope lighting hence allowing one to have his or her kitchen look at what he or she wants. LED strips are particularly preferred because of their versatility, or uniform light diffusion while puck lights are more directional – spotlight kind of lighting.
- Inside-Cabinet Lighting: For glass-front or open cabinet and shelves inside-cabinet lighting can be used to highlight ornamental items or the contents of darkened shelves. This type of lighting is an exclusive light source, which can be placed on the top of the cabinet and it illuminates the shelves, which gave this type of light the dramatic appearance, but at the same time very practical.
- Toe-Kick Lighting: Toe-kick light is mounted beneath cabinets and can be used to give off low levels of light for aesthetics as well as security light at night. This kind of lighting is perfect for creating accents to the kitchen, but is mainly used along with under-cabinet lighting.
- Over-Cabinet Lighting: Brightening the kitchen and creating a welcoming aura, over-cabinet lighting is mounted above upper cabinets or on the wall behind them. Among the great benefits, the use of bright reflections can be noted in the following: It is especially suitable for use in kitchens with a high ceiling since it helps to visually infuse the ceiling space.
Budget-Friendly Solutions
If the installation of cabinet lighting is too costly for your kitchen remodeling budget, there are a few cheap choices you may think about. Specifically, LED strip lights are fairly inexpensive and do not require the assistance of a professional in order to install properly. LED strip lights are useful in this context because most of them have the adhesive on their backsides. Also, battery powered puck lights can also act as a cheap option for lighting inside a cabinet or to place under the cabinet without having to install wires.
It is possible to get some of the advantages of cabinet lighting for a relatively small initial cost, beginning by lighting important zones, for example the countertop or the interior of the most popular cabinets. Since it’s expensive, you might want to start with the minimum number of lights and add more as you gradually build up your lighting system.
Conclusion
Cabinet lighting is yet another desirable feature that also needs to be included in the list of kitchen design while it not only increases the room’s beauty, as usually seen, but increases its practicality. From our point of view, there are numerous options in the sphere of cabinet lighting, no matter whether you need to output ambient lighting, improve task visibility or accent the kitchen design. Mainly available as LED lights, innovative cabinet lighting of today also comes with benefits of energy efficiency and compatibility with smart home techniques. Proper utilization of lighting within your cabinets will get you a kitchen that is beautiful and functional for your everyday needs.
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