How to light your kitchen with LED Lights

How to light your kitchen with LED Lights

LEDs, or light-emitting diodes, are light sources that save energy and last for years and offer great flexibility for your design project. They can be used for task lighting, general room lighting, and accent lighting. Here are some sensible ways to incorporate them into your kitchen. LEDs are excellent decorative lights for floating shelves. Its slim profile makes them ideal for this application.

Recessed ceiling lights are the main source of room lighting in many kitchens. Traditionally, they have used halogen or other incandescent sources. The new remodeling kits allow you to replace those accessories easily and more economically with long-lasting LEDs that save energy. Another benefit: if your ceilings are high, you may never have to extend the ladder again to change a bulb: LEDs can last up to 20 years. Glass countertops can be turned on from below with LED lights. They provide dramatic accent lighting for the beautiful translucent surface of a glass countertop. Toe kicks are a great place to add LEDs to your kitchen. They can provide both accent lighting and night lighting. LEDs can be used to highlight architectural features, such as the roof of the tray or concave moldings in a traditional kitchen. The lighting under the cabinet is an ideal application for LED lights. Unlike halogens, LEDs remain cool, so your hands do not get hot while working under them. If you're showing off your server or collectibles in glass-fronted cabinets, consider lighting your interiors with LEDs. Options include rope lighting that can be hidden behind face frames or disco lights that are hidden in the upper parts of the cabinet. Glass shelves allow light to flow from the top of the cabinet to the bottom. You don't have to limit the interior lighting of your cabinet to the accent only. LEDs can be used as task lighting for drawers, deep bases, dark corners and other areas that need more lighting.  The LEDs installed behind a translucent splash guard, such as glass or this 3Form Varia Ecoresin, is an ideal accent light application. Once reserved for dining rooms and dance halls, the chandeliers have also become popular accessories for kitchens. If this is the look you are looking for in your traditional kitchen, consider buying an LED appliance. The selection, although small, grows every year. Some ceilings cannot accommodate recessed lights or are too high to provide sufficient functional lighting. In these situations, you are likely to use track, cable or monorail lights, as shown here. New models are being introduced that take advantage of energy-saving and LED durability.