Under cupboard lighting solutions for kitchens and bathrooms

Without a doubt, under cupboard lighting can change the atmosphere of a room from plain to striking – and it could be simple for you to make that change as well. Before you decide to go for it, there are two questions that we’d ask you to think about:

1. What is your goal for the room – are you wanting to add under cupboard lighting in the kitchen for more of an atmospheric feel during dinner?
2. What kind of lighting do you need? Is it lighting for specific tasks, or ambient lighting, accent lighting or perhaps a combination?

Once you know the answer to those two questions, it’s much easier to find the solutions to what you want to achieve. Here are some other considerations.

Kitchen countertops

The type of countertop you have will impact how effective the under cupboard lighting will be – and can help you actually choose the type of lighting you need.

• If your countertop has a matte finish, the light will reflect more smoothly, producing less glare – this means you’ll be able to choose from a wide range of lighting options
• Many kitchens have glossy countertops which can produce a lot of glare if the light above is too bright. We can help you choose the right lighting for a glossy top, you’ll need to look at fixtures with a lower lumen value overall.
• As with glossy countertops, light coloured countertops also reflect the light so you will need to look at low lumen values to ensure you get the look and feel you’re after
• Dark countertops will absorb more of the light, so with these you will need to look at higher lumen value fittings, but if they have a glossy finish, you’ll have to find a mid-way point for that perfect lighting level you’re after.

Colour Temperature

We wrote an article (link to the blog) about the difference between lumens, kelvins and watts a short while ago, and how these can affect the overall appearance of a room. This also links back to our first question – what is the goal for that room. If you’re looking to add lighting under your kitchen counters, it’s likely this is for helping you with the cooking, so you will want cooler temperature lighting to make it brighter, and easier for you to see.

On the other hand, if you’re looking to add under cupboard lighting in your bathroom, or perhaps in certain areas of your dining room or lounge, you might want to look at much warmer colours, to create a more flattering light. The goal of your lighting will highly influence the colour temperature you go for.

Installation

As a consideration, it is very much a personal choice rather than any options you might be limited by. Recessed and surface mounted lights are the most common options, although you can also choose non-recessed as well, as technology has advanced and lighting has become much slimmer.

There are three types of under cupboard lighting:

1. Plug in
2. Battery
3. Hardwire

We’d highly recommend looking at the best option for you and the use of the lighting, and are also able to advise in terms of lamp styles too.