I didn't want to completely hijack Kathy's thread about her kitchen, so here's the under-cabinet LED lights that we have in the kitchen:
Mooch, the strip of LED lights was fastened throughout the bottom of each cabinet. Each cabinet has its own strip and the strips are wired to each other. The electrician cut tiny holes between the cabinets for the wiring. You can buy the strips in any size you need. I believe you can get as small as two inches, if necessary, but I don't remember. There are two transformers located right under the kitchen floor in the basement. As I recall (and Rick could tell us more), the strips aren't expensive, but the transformers are a little pricey. Worth it though. I swear. These strips are right at the front of the bottom of the cabinet where you can't see them. You can put them wherever you want: front, middle, back, but keep in mind that more toward the back of the cabinet, they'll be easier to see.
And here's what the strip looks like when it's turned on; we had an dimmer switch installed, too, while we were at it:
And here's an area where the lights are turned on. Now, keep in mind that this is 5:30 in the morning and these are the only lights in the kitchen in this picture. Tons of light. I can see to feed the cats their breakfast. I can see to bake with no trouble (and a lot of times on weekends, after I give the cats their breakfast, I'll start baking something). I can see to do most anything and that's just from the under-cab lights. I highly recommend them. You would not be sorry. (That big square blob in the corner of the counter is the microwave; we don't keep it plugged in unless we're using it. We've read too many horror stories of microwaves turning on during power spikes and causing fires.) You can also get larger LEDs, too; I call them hockey pucks because they're about that size and shape. A lot of people put them at the ends of their cabinets and then center them along the bottoms. I don't know much about those. My sister put them in her kitchen (along with some gorgeous pendant lighting) and she loves them.
We thought about putting the strips under the shelves of the China cabinet, too, but didn't bother. It would have meant another transformer and another switch and I didn't want the expense. I think Rick was a little upset that we didn't do it, though, so we may go ahead and do it later on; it would look nice to show off the Winterberry dishes at Christmas, I guess. Our electrician is coming in later on this fall to do some wiring in the basement, so if I buy the strips and transformer by then, he could just do that, too.
I really think that kitchen lighting is the most important lighting in the house (well, maybe the bathroom, too). Especially if you spend any amount of time cooking and I know you do with your canning and such. We installed the two sun tunnels in the kitchen and the larger window. It's done wonders to give us some much-needed lighting during the day; even during the winter, our kitchen is bright. But at night, we have more than enough lighting for anything, too.
Mooch, the strip of LED lights was fastened throughout the bottom of each cabinet. Each cabinet has its own strip and the strips are wired to each other. The electrician cut tiny holes between the cabinets for the wiring. You can buy the strips in any size you need. I believe you can get as small as two inches, if necessary, but I don't remember. There are two transformers located right under the kitchen floor in the basement. As I recall (and Rick could tell us more), the strips aren't expensive, but the transformers are a little pricey. Worth it though. I swear. These strips are right at the front of the bottom of the cabinet where you can't see them. You can put them wherever you want: front, middle, back, but keep in mind that more toward the back of the cabinet, they'll be easier to see.
And here's what the strip looks like when it's turned on; we had an dimmer switch installed, too, while we were at it:
And here's an area where the lights are turned on. Now, keep in mind that this is 5:30 in the morning and these are the only lights in the kitchen in this picture. Tons of light. I can see to feed the cats their breakfast. I can see to bake with no trouble (and a lot of times on weekends, after I give the cats their breakfast, I'll start baking something). I can see to do most anything and that's just from the under-cab lights. I highly recommend them. You would not be sorry. (That big square blob in the corner of the counter is the microwave; we don't keep it plugged in unless we're using it. We've read too many horror stories of microwaves turning on during power spikes and causing fires.) You can also get larger LEDs, too; I call them hockey pucks because they're about that size and shape. A lot of people put them at the ends of their cabinets and then center them along the bottoms. I don't know much about those. My sister put them in her kitchen (along with some gorgeous pendant lighting) and she loves them.
We thought about putting the strips under the shelves of the China cabinet, too, but didn't bother. It would have meant another transformer and another switch and I didn't want the expense. I think Rick was a little upset that we didn't do it, though, so we may go ahead and do it later on; it would look nice to show off the Winterberry dishes at Christmas, I guess. Our electrician is coming in later on this fall to do some wiring in the basement, so if I buy the strips and transformer by then, he could just do that, too.
I really think that kitchen lighting is the most important lighting in the house (well, maybe the bathroom, too). Especially if you spend any amount of time cooking and I know you do with your canning and such. We installed the two sun tunnels in the kitchen and the larger window. It's done wonders to give us some much-needed lighting during the day; even during the winter, our kitchen is bright. But at night, we have more than enough lighting for anything, too.
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