Kitchen cabinet lighting - optimal installation options. How to organize work area lighting in the kitchen Kitchen work surface lighting

When organizing lighting in the kitchen, it is most important to provide sufficient illumination of the work area, where the main activities of cutting and preparing food take place. This can be achieved with minimal costs and energy savings if you place the lamps directly in the work area - this is more economical than lighting for the kitchen above the cabinets. The easiest way to do this is by attaching lighting fixtures to the bottom of your kitchen cabinets.

Backlighting can be implemented in several ways; to choose the optimal one, you should familiarize yourself with the types of lighting elements and methods of installation on the bottom surface of kitchen cabinets.

Under-cabinet lighting is one of many kitchen lighting options that is economical and practical. Lighting the work area in the kitchen can be done in different ways: install lamps on the kitchen apron or hide it behind it if transparent glass is used, or you can attach lighting elements to the bottom of wall cabinets.

Kitchen lighting under cabinets is used more often and can be of the following types.

Spotlights

There are two types of spotlights: surface-mounted and recessed; recessed ones are used to illuminate the bottom of a kitchen unit.

One of the simplest options for organizing spot lighting for the bottom of a kitchen unit is gluing compact lamps with battery-powered motion sensors. But this pleasure is quite expensive and not very convenient from a practical point of view (requires periodic replacement of batteries).

Spotlights use incandescent, halogen, fluorescent, and LED lamps. Since their design involves being built into furniture, and conventional analogues have a height of more than 50 mm, problems arise during installation, especially since the height of lamps with incandescent lamps can reach up to 100 mm.

Incandescent lamps are impractical to use for illuminating the bottom of kitchen cabinets, not only because of the high height, but also due to the high heat during operation and low efficiency.

When installing a conventional halogen lamp on the bottom of kitchen cabinets, you will have to make an additional shelf inside the cabinet at a height of at least 50 mm. from the bottom of the cabinet (double bottom) to hide the lamp bases and mounting wires underneath.

The second method is to install an additional panel under the cabinets into which the lamps will be mounted. The option is more acceptable (the bottom of the kitchen cabinets will not be damaged in case of redevelopment, and the space inside will remain the same).

Currently, round LED panels with a thickness of no more than 20 mm are produced. They are convenient to install in the bottom of cabinets, but the top of the lamps will have to be covered with a shelf - this will take up much less free space inside than using incandescent or halogen lamps.

The disadvantage of all LED lamps is the need to use a separate 12 V power supply (less often 24 V) for operation. In this case, it will have to be placed inside the cabinet or on top, the latter is a more practical way.

The best option for organizing spot lighting for the bottom of cabinets is its design and implementation at the stage of making a custom-made kitchen unit, and not independent installation after purchase.

Base GC53

The developed modern base for GX53 lamps has a low height and is most suitable for embedding into the bottom of the headset. The lamps used in the base have a flat shape and are available in two types: energy-saving (fluorescent) and LED.

They are easy to install and remove from the socket, and due to the surface of the lamps protruding several millimeters beyond the plane of the base, they provide a large lighting angle.

Overhead lamps and spots

Although this does not look very aesthetically pleasing, there is no dispute about tastes - some homeowners use overhead lamps or spots - sources of directional lighting - to illuminate the work area.

The spots provide not only directional lighting in the kitchen under the cabinets, but also the ability to adjust the lighting intensity thanks to a special control controller and design features.

Usually a long bracket (rail) is attached to the bottom of the cabinets, on which a number of lamps are placed - the design forms a single ensemble and looks quite interesting in the interior.

Installation of surface-mounted lamps is quite simple, but is inferior in aesthetics and functionality to built-in ones. In addition, when they are placed at the bottom of cabinets, problems arise with the power cord, which, as in the case of built-in lamps, will have to be hidden somewhere. Its external wiring will not look aesthetically pleasing; to hide inside cabinets, it is more practical to use not a double bottom, but a regular plastic box for the external laying of electrical wires.

Light beams

A budget option that uses tubular fluorescent lamps, the mounting hardware for installation of which is attached to the bottom of the cabinets. The devices are quite easy to install, the lamps are inexpensive and have a fairly long service life, but they have a significant drawback of all fluorescent devices - a long turn-on time.

An ordinary installed fluorescent lamp does not look very beautiful, so the industry produces special furniture lamps in a rather aesthetic housing with a protective panel.

Light beams are one of the simplest and most cost-effective options

LED backlight

LED lighting for kitchen cabinets is currently the best option for organizing kitchen work area lighting due to the following properties:

  • Price. The LED strip itself is relatively expensive, for its operation you need to buy a 12 V control and power supply unit, organizing all the lighting in this case will cost approximately 30 USD. (10 USD for each block and 1 line of tape). The price is quite reasonable considering the service life and efficiency of diode elements.
  • Easy to install. The LED strip has an adhesive working surface, thanks to which lighting under kitchen cabinets is realized by simple gluing.
  • Economical. The energy consumption of LED strips is 7 times less than that of incandescent lamps, they are 2-3 times more economical than fluorescent lamps.
  • Emission spectrum. LEDs emit pure white light; in RGB types, the LED strip control unit allows you to change it to red, blue, or green, adjust the intensity of the glow and set the operating mode.
  • Life time. The lifespan of LED strips can be up to 10,000 hours, which is the highest among all lighting devices.
  • Decorative. LED strip allows you to create a continuous strip of lighting in a different color spectrum; due to its small overall dimensions, it is almost invisible on the surface and fits perfectly into modern kitchens in the high-tech, modern, loft, neoclassical, and minimalist styles.

You can mount the LED strip under wall cabinets by simply gluing it on, or place it in a special aluminum box with protective frosted glass. Aluminum boxes are available in the usual straight or angular versions; they allow not only to avoid possible peeling of the tape, but also to protect its surface from the settling of dirt and soot, and also to provide an additional cooling system.

A significant disadvantage of LED lighting is the need to use a separate control unit and 12 V power supply. These devices have medium overall dimensions and require thoughtful placement when installing the strip.

When installing on the bottom of kitchen cabinets, you can place these elements inside the cabinet, but it is more practical to place them on top. This will allow you to connect them directly to the top power line (usually a kitchen hood is connected to this location), and lower the wire behind the back wall of the cabinets and connect directly to the LED strip.

Conclusion

There are several ways to illuminate the work area in the kitchen by installing lamps on the bottom surface of the kitchen cabinets.

The most budget option is to implement fluorescent lighting using tubular lamps. The installation of fittings for their installation is quite simple; the power wire can be passed inside the cabinets by placing it in a plastic box.

When installing spotlights, it is more practical to use modern models with a Gx53 base. Such devices have the smallest height and wide illumination angle; the lamps are inserted and removed by simply turning the socket. The device can use LED and energy-saving types of lamps.

Organizing this type of lighting with your own hands requires carpentry work, the availability of special tools, and the purchase of additional materials, which is somewhat difficult at home. Therefore, lighting for kitchen cabinets can best be implemented at the stage of making a custom kitchen.

A more modern way of organizing lighting is to use LED strip. In addition to the greatest durability and cost-effectiveness, lighting in the kitchen under cabinets can be the easiest way to do it yourself. To do this, you need to glue the LED strip, connect the control and power unit to the electrical network and solder the wire coming from them to the end of the LED strip.

The work area in the kitchen is a place where lighting should be of high quality. Not only the convenience, but also the safety of food processing operations depends on this. Illumination of the work area in the kitchen requires attention: the choice of lighting fixtures, type of light bulbs and other important points. It is worth remembering that the lighting of a living space is regulated by SNIPs, but you should not rely entirely on them, because modern housewives are demanding when it comes to organizing lighting.

Principles and requirements

The kitchen certainly has 2 zones: working and dining. The lighting requirements for them are different. The worker requires bright light, which helps to clearly see all processes. For the dining room - soft, comfortable lighting.

Requirements:

  1. The light is bright, but in moderation so that it does not dazzle or irritate; it can be more intense than the one above.
  2. The backlight is placed in such a way as to prevent the creation of shadows from objects.
  3. Lamps that are used to illuminate the work area must be combined with other elements in the kitchen.
  4. It is worth using energy-saving lamps.
  5. When choosing the brightness of the lamps, you need to pay attention to the color of the walls and kitchen units.
  6. The number of lamps is selected in advance.
  7. Placing light bulbs only on the hood only illuminates the stove; such a light source is not enough.
  8. A single overhead source (chandelier), even for the smallest kitchen, will not provide the amount of light that is required. It is placed in the center of the room, which means that when cutting vegetables or performing any other operations, the hostess will block the light for herself.
Not the best lighting option

Important! The work area is, among other things, the sink, so you need to remember that you need to place the lamps no closer than 50 cm from this object.

Illumination standards

At the planning stage, you need to decide how many lamps are needed and determine their power. This is not an easy task; you need to refer to the norms. For the kitchen, illumination should be at least 150 Lux per square meter. m. In Watts, counting the number of lamps is no longer so informative, since today many modern light bulbs are used, the light output per unit of power of which is far from the same as that of incandescent lamps.

The calculation is not difficult; you should multiply the area of ​​the room by the specified norm. But since the above standard was developed back in the days of the USSR, the result obtained should be multiplied by a factor of 1.5.

For example: the kitchen has an area of ​​10 square meters. m, with a norm of 150 Lux, the total volume of lighting for it is 1500 Lux, multiply by another 1.5, it turns out - 2250 Lux.

When zoning a room into a working and dining area, most of the light flux needs to be concentrated in the working area.

Lighting rules

What kind of illumination the work area will have should be considered before the start of repair work. Proper lighting can either improve or worsen perception. It is worth making a separate lighting line for the work area - the convenience of this can be appreciated already during operation. A separate switch is required for the line; stylish touch-sensitive models are available on the market. When selecting a lamp, you need to take into account the following standards:

  1. For halogen lamps – 30 W per 1 sq. m.
  2. For fluorescent - 9 W per 1 sq. m.
  3. Incandescent lamps – 26 W per 1 sq. m.
  4. Diode sources – 4 W per 1 sq. m.

Backlight too bright

You also need to remember some features of the backlight color:

  • White (daylight) distorts the color of products and prepared foods.
  • Colored lighting for the work area is used only for decorative purposes and is inconvenient to work with.
  • It is necessary to provide the ability to regulate the light intensity.
  • For wooden sets it is more harmonious to use warm light, for modern styles (high-tech, minimalism) - daylight.

Expert opinion

Alexey Bartosh

Ask a question to an expert

Advice! The backlight can be built into the kitchen apron - this will help to illuminate the tabletop with high quality and create an original decorative effect.

Lighting options

To illuminate the kitchen countertop, different types of light sources can be used. Moreover, with the help of each of them it will be possible to create comfortable conditions for cooking. The combined option is the best, and it also has an excellent aesthetic appearance.

Spot light

In spotlights, halogen lamps are most often used, less often - fluorescent or LED. It’s worth talking about halogen ones, since their radiation spectrum is as close as possible to the sun, which ensures comfort for the eyes.

Spotlights can be built-in or overhead. In the first case, to install them, you need to make holes in the bottom of the cabinet, which is not very convenient during its further use. Although there are kitchen sets that are designed to install just such lighting.

“Dots” provide concentrated, local lighting, so it is important to correctly determine their number, this will help eliminate banding of the lighting. The most convenient distance is considered to be 50 cm from each other, while the light bulb power is up to 20 W.


Spot lighting built into a wall cabinet

Important! It is considered convenient to place spotlights on the visor of the headset. In this case, there is no need to install a double bottom in the cabinets or use a thicker plate. The disadvantage of such an installation is that the points will not be able to illuminate the working area, because the shadow will fall from the wall cabinets.

As for overhead models, they are more convenient for illuminating the tabletop. There is no need to install additional elements. However, it is worth remembering that such lamps can dazzle, so they should be placed on cabinets that are hung below eye level.

Regardless of the type of lamp, halogen lamps can be connected to the network without the use of any additional elements. There are models that are designed for 12 V voltage; they require a transformer. When purchasing a spot device, this point should first be clarified with the seller.

Fluorescent lamps

Fluorescent or fluorescent lamps are often used to illuminate the work area in the kitchen. They provide a lot of light and are quite bright at the same time. They are easy to install and have a long service life. A huge plus is low power consumption.

Lamps of this type can be used in special lamps, which are designed for mounting on wall cabinets or installation in separate lamps. The second option is more affordable, but here you need to take care that the light from the lamp does not hurt your eyes. That is, it is better to cover them with a small “step”, which is attached in front of the lamp. It does not interfere with the illumination of the working surface.

If you use special furniture lamps that are designed for fluorescent lamps, then the installation process is much simpler. In addition, this method of organizing lighting has an aesthetic appearance and will fit into the interior without any problems.

Important! To use such lighting devices and lamps, no additional equipment is needed; they operate on a 220 V network. Moreover, ready-made lighting panels have a plug for plugging directly into an outlet.


Fluorescent linear luminaires

LED Strip Light

LED lighting is considered economical and comfortable for the kitchen. Diodes are increasingly being used for kitchen lighting. All thanks to the ease of installation and the varied range of radiation. By mounting one strip, you can create not only functional, but also decorative lighting. For this, special RGB tapes are used.

Important! LED lamps produce a warm, white or cool glow, which is perceived by humans as yellow and white. Cool is a bluish color.

The LED strip is quite easy to install. A simple option is to glue it to the bottom of the wall cabinet using double-sided tape. Some tape models have an adhesive backing, which makes the process even easier. In order for the backlight to be connected to a 220 V network, it is necessary to install and connect a power supply to it, which converts the voltage to 12 V.

Among the disadvantages of such lighting, it is necessary to highlight the high price of high-quality tape, although it will be able to illuminate a large area. This is because for a kitchen it must have a high level of protection from moisture and dust. But even here there are options on how to get out of the situation. On sale there are many lamps of different shapes and light intensity that are equipped with LEDs, including linear models. They often have a diffuser that provides high-quality and uniform light.

There are numerous options for the design of ready-made luminaires with LED strip. They are built-in and overhead. The latter option does not require specific preparation for installation; everything can be done with your own hands. Many of these models already have a converter; all that is needed is to connect them to the network and mount them in a convenient location.


Installation of LED lighting

Nuances of lighting the work area

Organizing suitable lighting means not only choosing economical lamps in the required quantity, but also placing them correctly. A convenient and common solution is to place it on the lower part (bottom) of a wall cabinet. This method is the best, because the shadow will not fall on the tabletop either from the person standing next to it or from the cabinet.

But, even having determined a convenient place, you need to consider how deep the lamp should be placed on the cabinet. Options:

  1. Closer to the inner edge (to the wall).
  2. In the middle.
  3. Closer to the outer edge.

It is believed that the last option is the most convenient; the number of shadows from objects that are on the table is minimal. If such an arrangement is not possible, then it is worth mounting the backlight in the middle.

When organizing lighting, you should not forget that in the kitchen, in addition to eating, people also eat it. The position of the person who sits at the table is significantly lower than the one who cooks. As a result, any light that is mounted on the cabinet will blind it. This problem can be solved by using a decorative strip. It will close the angle of light propagation beyond the tabletop, but the quality of light on the working surface will not deteriorate.


Hidden backlight

The choice of decorative strip depends on:

  • Heights of cabinets.
  • Distance between the dining area and the working area.
  • Brightness of light bulbs, their type.

The selection of the bar is carried out experimentally. But it is worth remembering that not all headsets have the ability to mount it. It is important not to damage the furniture. If you don’t have your own skills in working with the material for making the furniture, then it is better to contact specialists or the company where the kitchen was ordered.

It is sometimes difficult to understand all the nuances of organizing work area lighting on your own. Advice from experts will be helpful:

  1. If the work area is located near a window, then care should be taken to provide lighting at an angle, in which case glare will be avoided. The direction of the light flux is towards the tabletop.
  2. If the height of the flows is small, then the distance between the wall cabinets and the countertop is minimal. In this case, it is optimal to use rotating lamps that can be mounted on the ceiling.
  3. If the kitchen has an island area, which is also used as a work surface, then lamps on brackets should be provided. They should be fixed to the ceiling, if possible in 2-3 tiers.
  4. To illuminate the work area, you do not need lamps with shades that have many decorative elements. They will only accumulate grease and dust, which will not add to their attractiveness. It is important that caring for them is simple and quick.
  5. The lighting design in the work area should be in harmony with the decoration and other elements in this room. Therefore, it is incorrect to select devices separately for main, task and decorative lighting. All lamps and fixtures should be selected with design in mind.

Expert opinion

Alexey Bartosh

Specialist in repair and maintenance of electrical equipment and industrial electronics.

Ask a question to an expert

Important! When choosing a particular lamp, you should remember that its glow should be the same as that of other light bulbs that are used in the room. The difference hurts the eyes too much; you don’t want to be in such a room, much less cook.

Conclusion

Neglecting illumination of the work area is a huge mistake, but that’s all, because the convenience of cooking in the kitchen affects the taste of the dishes and the desire to cook. In addition, chopping or working with household appliances in the dark is fraught with negative health consequences.

📋 Take the test and make the right choice


Modern kitchens simply cannot do without professional, thoughtful lighting. This is not surprising, because a dark kitchen does not contribute to high-quality cooking, or even a good appetite. Every housewife spends quite a lot of time in the kitchen, so light (lamps) is very important, especially for the work area or surface, because the lion's share of working time in the kitchen occurs in the dark.

Light in the work area

Light in the kitchen is one of the most important conditions that ensure comfortable work. When thinking, you should always take into account the location of the lamps, the angle of the light beam and its intensity. And if necessary, add the desired zone.
The latest standards require the presence of several lighting fixtures, the number of which directly depends on the size of the room and the intended individual zones: table; and, of course, from the individual design of the room. Read how to bring design ideas to life in your kitchen.

A separate lighting system for working surfaces is built, divided into:

  • stove(except when a hood with built-in lighting is installed above it);
  • washing;
  • surface intended for processing products.

Types of lighting: main and additional

The main problem of organizing lighting in the kitchen is the need for uniform and high-quality distribution of light, which involves choosing lamps of different types and power.

Fluorescent and fluorescent lamps

Introduced back in the 40s of the last century, fluorescent lamps are the optimal replacement for natural daylight, which makes them incredibly popular in everyday life. These low pressure, minimal discharge lamps produce ultraviolet radiation that is visible to the human eye thanks to a phosphor coating.

Such lamps are pleasing to the eye, easy to use and economical, and also fully comply with all consumer standards.

Spot

Spotlights are gaining increasing popularity due to both efficiency and convenience, because such devices can be installed in any chosen location and turned on selectively as needed.

Spotlights can be used as - modern models installed on walls are able to change the direction of light, highlighting and emphasizing the advantages of the interior, hiding disadvantages such as small space or low ceilings.

The installation of most spotlights is planned at the stage of developing the wiring system in the room or assembling kitchen furniture, which allows you to carefully consider their harmonious fit into the overall interior.

The choice of lamps is large, so choosing one that suits the overall style will not be difficult, but it is worth remembering that it will illuminate no more than 2 meters of area.

Spotlights are:

  • mortise- built into suspended ceilings or plasterboard design structures;
  • invoices- fixed to any chosen place;
  • modular- decorative lamps that do not require a network connection.

Spotlights can be completely recessed into the base of the ceiling or covered with special decorative diffusers of different shapes and shades.

As a mobile lighting option, you can use the latest design developments, such as, for example, clothespin lamps that are mounted on shelves or brackets.

LED lights

LED lighting is very economical, but if one lamp fails you have to replace the entire lamp

An interesting lighting option would be LED strip. In addition to its undoubted lighting advantages, it is also an excellent design element, because its colors can be very diverse, and installation is extremely simple. An eye-pleasing matte luminous tape is applied to a sticky base that can be glued to almost any surface. Suitable for .

LED strip is not afraid of humidity and elevated temperatures, which makes it an ideal lamp for “wet” kitchen areas.

Colored

It’s easy to add a pleasant variety to your kitchen lighting with the help of decorative colored lighting. These are multi-colored neon tubes, soft duralight with several pulsation modes and, of course, colored LED strips. Often it is color lighting that is used for.

It is best to use two-level ceilings for the placement of such lighting, both suspended and made of plasterboard, provided that the lamps themselves are not noticeable - only an even light is visible.

LED panels

A relatively new invention in the field of kitchen design is interior LED lighting. Combining a designer art object and a lamp, this type of lamp has become a frequent guest in modern kitchens. Essentially, these are two pieces of highly tempered glass with an image of the client’s choice and lighting panels, which sometimes act as LED strips.

The special arrangement of lighting sources gives an even distribution over the entire glass area, giving the room a sophisticated and bright look.

Location options

An option for kitchen lighting using LED strip in our video. See how easy it is to do it:

Lighting fixtures have three areas of application:

  • general,
  • local,
  • decorative.

Built into furniture

It is very easy to install small lamps into furniture

In this case, the following lighting devices can be used:

  • low-voltage spotlights;
  • oblong fluorescent lamps;
  • LED strips.

The side that protects the eyes gives the effect of an even diffused glow without a pronounced source.

On the wall

When placing lamps on walls, you can choose flexible or movable brackets that allow you to adjust the direction of the incident light. Wall lamps will be convenient if they are located above your work area.

They are also pleasant to use as lighting to highlight design elements: decorative columns, porcelain or glass collections.

Spotlight lamps above the surface, countertop, table

An interesting solution would be ceiling mini-spotlights, whose direction changes at the request of the owners (manually or using special equipment).

How to install in the kitchen

Installing additional lighting in the kitchen is not difficult

  1. You should start by calculating the number of lamps. The kitchen needs brighter lighting than all other rooms in the house, so experts recommend spacing lamps at 45–50 W per m2. This will not only help you to clearly see the food while cooking or cleaning, but will also not turn the kitchen into an operating room, where excess light burns out your eyes.
  2. If the renovation is in the rough stage (or it’s even better to do it at the stage), you should note in advance the future, as well as the lamps, by installing the wires after the walls are grooved and before installing suspended ceilings and countertops, which will help avoid problems with randomly lying wires.
  3. If the lack of lighting is revealed after the renovation is completed, you can cover them with decorative ones or lay them along the bottom of hanging cabinets, hiding additional sockets behind their sides. The best solution would be an LED strip, whose flexibility will be very appropriate for any complex terrain of walls or kitchen cabinets.

How to make work area lighting with your own hands, see our video:

Instructions for use and care

Modern electrical appliances are fireproof and practically do not heat up; accordingly, they can be installed on a surface with any finish. There is no need to worry about excess moisture or steam, as their casing is usually waterproof.

When choosing a design, special attention should be paid to ease of maintenance - grease, fumes and dust are much easier to remove from diffusers of simple shapes, and lamps with rounded edges will be easy to change without fear of breaking the tension rod.

To save and control energy consumption, experts advise installing a dimmer, also known as a rheostat or dimmer.

To avoid any problems with lighting in the kitchen, it should be planned already at the stage of rough renovation in order to be able to make hidden electrical wiring to the lamp in each area of ​​the kitchen. This will allow you to carefully consider the overall concept of kitchen design and decor, choose the right lamps and spend a minimum of money and effort, avoiding possible endless alterations. You can read the pros and cons in the article. We also recommend that you read our articles that will tell you and tell you about.

Good illumination of the working area in the kitchen gives comfort to the housewife when preparing food. Lamps installed under cabinets help ensure this. The catalog of the online store “Storage Ideas” presents a wide range of solutions for organizing lighting for the work area in the kitchen. We offer to buy a variety of lamps for wall cabinets with delivery and installation.

Range

Our catalog presents several types of lighting fixtures installed under kitchen cabinets:

    mortise. They are mounted directly into the bottom of the wall cabinet. To install them, you need to drill a hole and accurately calculate the mounting system. Such devices for illuminating the work area are invisible under wall cabinets, thanks to which original visual effects can be achieved;

    invoices. This is an easier option to install, as the device is simply attached to the bottom surface of the cabinet.

Our offer

The online store “Storage Ideas” offers reliable products from well-known manufacturers. All models of lighting fixtures are designed for long-term use. In addition, we provide professional installation of devices.