12 Ways to Light Your Kitchen With LEDs
See how to use new energy-saving lights to illuminate your kitchen, light a countertop and add style, too
LEDs, or light-emitting diodes, are energy-saving light sources that last for years and offer tremendous flexibility for your design project. They can be used for task lighting, general room lighting and accent lighting. Here are some sensible-style ways to incorporate them into your kitchen.
Recessed ceiling lights are a primary source of room illumination in many kitchens. Traditionally, they’ve used halogen or other incandescent sources. New remodeling kits let you replace those fixtures easily and more affordably with long-lasting, energy-saving LEDs. Another benefit: If your ceilings are high, you may not ever have to drag out the ladder again to change a bulb: LEDs can last up to 20 years.
Glass countertops can be lit from below by LED lights. They provide dramatic accent lighting for a glass countertop's beautiful translucent surface.
Toekicks are a great place to add LEDs to your kitchen. They can provide both accent lighting and nighttime illumination. More about this toekick design
LEDs can be used to highlight architectural features, like the tray ceiling or cove molding in a traditional kitchen.
Under-cabinet lighting is an ideal application for LED lights. Unlike halogens, LEDs stay cool, so your hands don’t get hot while you’re working below them.
If you’re showing off your serveware or collectibles in glass-fronted cabinets, consider lighting their interiors with LEDs. Options include rope lighting that can hide behind faceframes or puck lights that hide in the cabinet tops. Glass shelves let the light flow from the top of the cabinet to the bottom.
You don't have to limit your cabinet interior lighting to accent only. LEDs, like Hafele's Loox system, shown here, can be used as task lighting for drawers, deep bases, dark corners and other areas needing more illumination.
LEDs installed behind a translucent backsplash — like glass or this Varia Ecoresin from 3Form — is an ideal accent light application.
Consider a trendy backsplash for your kitchen
Consider a trendy backsplash for your kitchen
Pendant lights continue to be popular in kitchens, especially over islands and peninsulas. Happily, there is an increasingly large selection of LED-powered pendants that save energy while not stinting on style.
Once reserved for dining rooms and ballrooms, chandeliers have become popular fixtures for kitchens, too. If this is the look you’re seeking for your traditional kitchen, consider shopping for an LED-powered fixture. The selection, while still small, is growing every year.
Some ceilings cannot accommodate recessed lights, or are too high for them to provide enough functional illumination. In these situations, you’re likely going to use track, cable or monorail lights, as shown here. New models are being introduced that take advantage of LED energy savings and durability.
More: How to Get Rid of Old Lightbulbs
Kitchen Islands: Pendant Lights Done Right
More: How to Get Rid of Old Lightbulbs
Kitchen Islands: Pendant Lights Done Right
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