When working with a kitchen design professional on a new kitchen, you will have gone through the process of choosing cabinets, countertops, and appliances. As you select the items that make your kitchen unique, you'll have lighting options to discover and sort through. One often overlooked area is lighting that area under your cabinets. Learn why under cabinet lighting is important to the look and safety of your kitchen.

Installing lights under your cabinets gives you a soft, low light that illuminates your kitchen task areas when you don’t need bright lights. It is especially appreciated first thing in the morning when all you want is coffee without overhead lights blaring in your eyes. Under cabinet, lights are exceptionally beautiful in kitchens with dark countertops and those made from granite because the light picks up the mica flecks in the granite and offers a subtle extra sparkle.

Under Cabinet Strip and Puck Lighting

Your design specialist can walk you through all the different choices for lighting. You can use strip lights or puck lights, which can be recessed. Puck lights are so called because some feel they look like hockey pucks. With lighting made from puck lights, you can create pools of light which highlight certain design features such as the back splash or shiny faucet.

Strip lighting has come a long way since your grandmother installed those humming, flickering lights in her kitchen. Smaller and sleeker, both LED and fluorescent strips are reasonable choices. Another style to consider is rope or type lighting where the fixtures are thin and discreet. Rope lighting doesn’t put out as much light, so you will have to make sure you have good overhead lights.

LED Lighting

Of course, you will want energy efficient lights since they often stay on throughout the evening. Here you have choices to between LEDs or compact fluorescent bulbs. Other choices with under cabinet lighting include adding a dimmer to control the level of brightness and even motion detecting sensors, so when you stumble into the kitchen searching for coffee, the lights will come on by themselves.

While under cabinet lights can be installed by a homeowner, having a professional do the job assures that you're getting the advice on the correct light for your particular needs. They also ensure the wiring is unseen and the lights are correctly installed. A professional kitchen contractor can make sure the proper wattage has been installed, and the wiring is connected the right way.

No matter what style or type of under cabinet lighting you get for your kitchen, you definitely will want this kind of illumination. With low energy use, lovely mood lighting and even a decorative flair, under cabinet lighting offer many positive aspects. And you have put so much effort into creating a beautiful room; you should top it off with amazing lights.

About Toulmin Kitchen & Bath Design - We're West Alabama's award-winning, premier kitchen and bath showroom. We're experts who are known for a design-build process that makes the construction process stress-free. Contact us to schedule an appointment for a design consultation.