Under-cabinet lighting is the best source of task lighting available for kitchen counters.
Unfortunately, many people make very serious mistakes in their kitchen lighting design.
In this article, I will discuss those mistakes and then discuss how it is that under-cabinet fixtures avoid all of these mistakes and provides you with the best fixtures by a substantial margin.
The number one mistake in task lighting for a kitchen is to use illumination on the ceiling above the person using the cabinet and behind.
Most commonly, this is done with track fixtures, which are sold as being especially flexible.
The problem with this sort of fixture is that you will inevitably cast harsh shadows on the very area where you are trying to work.
This makes food preparation difficult and even dangerous.
You'll have the shadows of your own hands over every single task that you perform.
The second mistake is to have lights that are directly over the counter top.
This creates shadows, but it is not the only problem.
When you have lights directly over the counter top, the light will reflect off the countertop back into people's faces.
This glare makes the task of using the counter quite uncomfortable, and even dangerous.
In both of these cases, the lighting that is shone is direct light, not bounced off of anything.
This means that the light is not diffuse, creating the sense that the kitchen is too bright and the shadows are too harsh, almost like an overly sunny day.
Under-cabinet lighting corrects all of these problems.
First, it avoids shadows by lighting the counter top from behind the work area.
This means that you won't be dodging your own shadows in order to prepare food.
Second, it is at a sufficiently low angle that the light will not bounce back into your eyes causing glare.
Finally, the light bounces off the back wall, providing a diffuse light that softens your overall lighting design.
Under-cabinet lighting, therefore, is the best task lighting you can have in your kitchen, despite its current under use.
Unfortunately, many people make very serious mistakes in their kitchen lighting design.
In this article, I will discuss those mistakes and then discuss how it is that under-cabinet fixtures avoid all of these mistakes and provides you with the best fixtures by a substantial margin.
The number one mistake in task lighting for a kitchen is to use illumination on the ceiling above the person using the cabinet and behind.
Most commonly, this is done with track fixtures, which are sold as being especially flexible.
The problem with this sort of fixture is that you will inevitably cast harsh shadows on the very area where you are trying to work.
This makes food preparation difficult and even dangerous.
You'll have the shadows of your own hands over every single task that you perform.
The second mistake is to have lights that are directly over the counter top.
This creates shadows, but it is not the only problem.
When you have lights directly over the counter top, the light will reflect off the countertop back into people's faces.
This glare makes the task of using the counter quite uncomfortable, and even dangerous.
In both of these cases, the lighting that is shone is direct light, not bounced off of anything.
This means that the light is not diffuse, creating the sense that the kitchen is too bright and the shadows are too harsh, almost like an overly sunny day.
Under-cabinet lighting corrects all of these problems.
First, it avoids shadows by lighting the counter top from behind the work area.
This means that you won't be dodging your own shadows in order to prepare food.
Second, it is at a sufficiently low angle that the light will not bounce back into your eyes causing glare.
Finally, the light bounces off the back wall, providing a diffuse light that softens your overall lighting design.
Under-cabinet lighting, therefore, is the best task lighting you can have in your kitchen, despite its current under use.
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