The latest lighting trend is undercabinet lighting, as it is highly functional and can add atmosphere to your kitchen or bathroom. Great undercabinet lighting can also add value to a property, as it is a relatively new feature which a lot of homes don’t have yet. To find out more about the benefits of undercabinet lighting in a family home, keep reading!

What is Undercabinet Lighting?

Undercabinet lighting is, as the name suggests, installed under cabinets. You can also place it inside cabinets if they are particularly dark. It adds another layer of lighting to a room and it can look contemporary and stylish. Undercabinet lighting also acts as task lighting, as it doesn’t cast a shadow over worktops.

Preparing Food

The primary function of undercabinet lighting is to illuminate the worktops below. This is ideal in a kitchen, because often when you are preparing food on a worktop, you block the light from the ceiling and it can be difficult to see what you’re doing. However, when you install an undercabinet light to the front of a cabinet, it won’t cast any shadows, which makes it easier to prep food.

Convenient to Install

There are two main types of undercabinet lighting – recessed and surface mounted. Surface mounted lighting in particular is easy to install. They can either plug in to a mains supply or be battery operated, making them an easy DIY job. Recessed lights look much neater but they require a skilled electrician to wire them in, so they can be more costly to install.

Colour Choices

The colour of your undercabinet lights can really change the room. If you do a lot of reading recipes in your kitchen, you’ll want lighting with a cooler temperature as it is brighter. If you are looking for undercabinet lighting for your bathroom, you’ll want lighting with a warmer temperature to add atmosphere. For the optimum choices in colour, look at LED undercabinet lighting.

For Rented Properties

If you have a rented property which you can’t make many changes to, but you’d still like to experiment with undercabinet lighting, try puck lights. They are round and easy to install because they are often battery operated. Usually, puck lights only require adhesive tape to be attached to the cabinets, so they’re ideal for rental properties as they can be taken down at the end of your tenancy.

Cost

If you opt for LED undercabinet lights, you’ll be surprised at how little they cost. Previously, LED lights were expensive, but with more retailers offering them to the mass market, the price has dropped and they are now much more affordable. The average LED bulb has a lifespan of around 50,000 hours (approximately 13 years) so you’ll barely ever need to pay to replace the bulb. Lastly, LED bulbs require much less energy than a halogen bulb, so you’ll start to see an impact on your electricity bill too.

Have you got undercabinet lighting? Or would you like to try it?

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