Smart Solutions: Under-Cabinet Lighting

Cambria Bold
Cambria Bold
Cambria Bold is the Executive Editor of Cubby, and one of Apartment Therapy Media’s first full-time editors from way back when. She was The Kitchn's founding Design and Lifestyle Editor as well as Managing Editor of Re-Nest, Apartment Therapy’s late '00s green living site. She now thinks a lot about design, kids, and designy kids' things. She lives with her two daughters and their father in St. Paul, MN.
updated Jul 15, 2020
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(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

If there’s one thing you should have in your small kitchen (well, besides this and this), it’s under-cabinet lighting. Small kitchens are a challenge to begin with, but especially when they have poor lighting. A few under-cabinet lights can go a long way towards making your cramped kitchen feel a little more cozy, not to mention way more functional and workable!

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Utilitech 24 in. 60W Xenon Under Cabinet Light, $37.50 from Lowe’s (Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Here are five under-cabinet lighting solutions to try:

• 1 Utilitech 24 in. 60W Xenon Under Cabinet Light, $37.50 from Lowe’s: these enhanced incandescents give off “a really beautiful light,” warm and golden, as Faith wrote

here


• 2 LED Tape Lights, $30-$40/lineal foot from E2 Contemporary Lighting: more streamlined and minimal, LED tape lights are a great option for under-cabinet lights. The “color reads a bit cooler than a traditional incandescent,” as Lauren wrote here, but she found it worked well in the kitchen. LEDs might be more expensive up front, but they’ll last 25,000 hours!

• 3 INREDA LED Cabinet Light, $14.99 from IKEA: a more affordable LED option, this cabinet light is bulkier than LED tape, but still emits low amounts of heat and doesn’t require hardwiring.

• 4 LED Puck Lights, $5.85/each from Pegasus Lighting: these battery-operated round puck lights provide small spot lighting. You won’t get a continuous light source with these, but they are usually more affordable and easier to install than strip or tape lights.

• 5 Super Bright Flexible Strip, $10+ at Inspired LED: available in warm or cool white, red, green or blue, this LED strip light is built to your specifications, and comes with connectors soldered on each end.

Do you have under-cabinet lighting? What brand or type of lighting did you go with? Share your experiences!

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• 5 Essential (and Renter-Friendly) Storage Products for Small Kitchens
• Over-the-Sink Cutting Boards for a Small Kitchen
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Eating In: Square Bar Tables for Small Kitchens


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The #1 Multi-Tasking Gadget You Should Have In Your Small Kitchen

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How To Organize Waste in a Small Kitchen

(Images: 1.

Faith Durand

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