Cabinets aren’t just a functional and often-essential part of kitchens. They also can have a profound impact on the appearance of the room, overall. Some will even attest that bright colored cabinets can make a kitchen feel more spacious, or open, while darker colored cabinets can create a space that’s perceived as intimate or cozy. However your cabinets are painted, stained, or colored, one of the ways you can upgrade cabinets is through the use of lighting. Cabinet lighting can enhance the functionality and appearance of cabinets simultaneously.

Why kitchen cabinet lighting?

While cabinets are an important and often-essential part of our kitchens, they can present lighting challenges. Lit cabinets can be easier to navigate due to being better illuminated, and cabinets with lighting can also make the space underneath them easier to use. In kitchens where cabinets are blocking overhead lighting, counters underneath them can be poorly illuminated, and difficult to use as a result.

Types of cabinet lighting

There are a few different types of cabinet lighting. Some kitchens might include cabinet lighting which falls under all of these categories.

In-cabinet lighting

In-cabinet lighting is lighting that illuminates the inside of cabinets. This type of cabinet lighting isn’t only a great way to make cabinets more accessible and easy to navigate. It’s also a great way to showcase dishes, snacks, teas, and more–upgrading the visual appeal of the space and making it easy to locate things quickly at the same time. In-cabinet lighting can work well with all types of cabinets–and can be especially appealing when combined with glass cabinet doors.

Under-cabinet lighting and above-cabinet lighting

Under-cabinet lighting can be used to illuminate spaces and surfaces underneath cabinets–shelves, countertops, and more. As overhead lighting can be blocked by cabinets over certain counters, this can be an especially useful upgrade in some kitchens. Under-cabinet lighting also can be used to create a pleasant glow, making counters usable without the need to turn on every light in the room. Above-cabinet lighting can be used to illuminate the otherwise dark spaces above cabinets. Above cabinet lighting is ideal for creating an inviting atmosphere in kitchens, and can complement or replace overhead lighting.

Integrated cabinet and kitchen lighting

Integrated lighting systems refer to those which are integrated into their surroundings. In the case of cabinet lighting, this might mean that the lighting is built into your cabinets, or your cabinets have been modified to include lighting. Integrated cabinet lighting can be much smoother than other counterparts. Lighting can be directly wired into your home, so as to avoid the need for plugging in your cabinet lighting into an outlet–which can be less visually appealing, or relying on batteries–which must be changed.

Light Up Your Most Important Kitchen Feature

Cabinets are an important part of the kitchen. Whether they showcase our most beautiful dishes and cutlery, or they’re a repository for our favorite snacks and ingredients, they serve important functions. Well-lit cabinets don’t only offer enhanced functionality and help us find what we need more easily. They can also create vibrant illuminated warm spaces where we can feel at home with loved ones and food.

Understanding the various types of cabinet lighting can be helpful when exploring our options. If you’re in the Nashua New Hampshire area and looking to upgrade your kitchen, be sure to reach out and schedule a consultation today. At Silver Lake Cabinetry, we have a wide range of options, suitable for a wide range of budgets.