2021 Guide to Under Cabinet Lights for Your Houston Home

Under-cabinet lighting is one of the most flexible lighting solutions available in 2021. It’s not only convenient and useful, but the light fixtures seamlessly blend in with your decor. While some cabinet lighting can be installed inside cabinets, mostly in display cabinets, under cabinet lighting refers to fixtures typically installed under kitchen cabinets, lighting the space underneath.

The hidden fixtures are mostly used in the kitchen to serve as task lighting for preparing food. An under cabinet lighting plan will add brightness and improve the aesthetics of your interior space.

Some under-cabinet lights can also serve well outside the kitchen, where functional lighting is needed. For instance, under cabinet lighting is the perfect task lighting in the home office or laundry room.

Under-cabinet lights are not only great as task lighting but accent lighting as well, adding dimension and depth to the room. They’re also perfect for highlighting an architectural feature like a cove ceiling.

In addition to task lighting in the kitchen, under cabinet lights offer a fabulous display in a glass cabinet.

Under-cabinet lighting solutions can be implemented above, under, and inside cabinets and around toe kick areas and below countertops. Your Houston home would benefit from an under cabinet lighting scheme to add functionality and beauty to its interiors.

Under Cabinet Lighting Fixtures

There is a variety of under cabinet lights to choose from to meet every need.

Lightbars

Lightbars are a top under cabinet lighting solution that serves as task lighting. You can typically choose from lengths of 6” to 4 feet. LED light bars are the trend today due to their high efficiency and low maintenance.

Lightbars are perfect for decorative and functional lighting solutions, making them just the right light for glass cabinets, display shelves, and bookcases. They’re easily customizable, so you can tailor a solution for your individual needs.

They also deliver an abundance of light and are easy to clean. If you want a more modern solution to older fluorescent and halogen lights, under cabinet light bars are the answer. They do take more careful planning, and sometimes it’s best to consult an under cabinet lighting professional to ensure the best results.

Traditional LED Linear Lights

Most lighting experts agree that LED linear lights are the best choice to illuminate areas in the kitchen, like countertops. Cabinets create shadows and dark regions, and linear lights cast an even, more uniform, brighter illuminating light.

You can usually get linear lights in sizes from 8” to 40”, and LED linear lights, like all LED solutions, yield less heat and cost less to operate.

One of the allures of traditional LED linear lighting is that they’re available in dimmable styles, offering more versatility. Dimming capabilities add drama and are also great for use as soft lighting in the evenings.

Under Cabinet Puck Lighting

Puck lights are favored by interior and lighting designers for use as under cabinet lights. They’re compact and small and are only one to four inches in diameter. Though they’re very low voltage, the output of light is impressive.

Puck lights are popular for use in lighting open shelves, glass cabinets, and countertops. They offer a more focused look, directing light to a specific area, much like spotlights do. Puck lights are usually recessed, or surface mounted.

Like many other under cabinet lighting solutions, LED puck lights are all the rage in the current market. Most LED puck lights need a power supply to convert the voltage, and for this, an experienced lighting professional is optimal.

Puck lights are great to bring more attention to your kitchen’s best features, such as granite countertops. Like some of the other under cabinet solutions, LED puck lights also have dimmer capabilities, allowing you to layer the light in your room while helping to customize the lighting design you want.

Which Color Selection is Right?

LED lights come with color options that factor in color temperature. You should select an LED under cabinet lighting solution that falls between 3,000K and 4,000K. Anything less, and you’ll have a yellow hue.

The Takeaway

While some under cabinet lighting solutions are available as plug-ins, hardwired lights are almost always optimal. Contact our experienced lighting professionals to help create a custom, under cabinet lighting option.

Our lighting team would love to help you select the right LED under cabinet lighting products to fit your needs.

Illuminations Lighting Design has serviced homeowners in Houston and many cities throughout Texas, including San Antonio, Beaumont, Dallas, Austin, Midland, El Paso, and every point in between. Contact us today at 713-863-1133 to schedule a consultation for an undercabinet lighting project for your home.