Spacing is everything, honestly. I once worked on a kitchen where the client insisted on fewer recessed cans to “keep it minimal.” Looked sleek on paper, but in real life, there were these weird dark patches right over the prep area and the sink—made chopping onions feel like a scene from a moody indie film. We ended up adding under-cabinet strip lighting later just to fix it.
I’ve found that even with hardwired LEDs, you can’t just eyeball the layout. I always end up sketching out where shadows will fall, especially if there’s an island or open shelving. Sometimes people forget how much difference cabinet depth makes too—those deeper uppers can block a ton of light.
Curious if anyone’s tried those angled under-cabinet fixtures? I’ve had mixed results—sometimes they’re great, but other times they throw weird glare onto glossy countertops. Wondering if it’s just me or if that’s a common thing...
I’ve run into the same glare issue with angled fixtures, especially on those super shiny quartz counters. Sometimes it looks great, other times you get these weird reflections that just bug you every time you walk in. Ever tried dimmable strips instead of the angled ones? I’m wondering if that helps with the glare or if it’s just a trade-off either way.
I get what you mean about those reflections—my kitchen’s got old butcher block, but I’ve seen friends with quartz counters practically blinded by the wrong lighting. Dimmable strips sound promising, but do they actually give enough light for real cooking, or is it all mood and no function? I keep wondering if we’re all just chasing a perfect setup that doesn’t exist...
Honestly, I tried those cheap dimmable LED strips under my cabinets—thought I was being clever. They’re decent for mood, but I still end up dragging over a lamp when I’m chopping veggies. Overhead LEDs plus a couple of task lights seem to work best for me. Maybe perfect’s overrated anyway... as long as I don’t slice a finger, I’m happy.
Honestly, I hear you on the “mood” lighting. Those LED strips look great in photos but when you’re actually trying to read a recipe or see if your onions are translucent, it’s another story. I did a kitchen reno a couple years back and thought under-cabinet LEDs would be the magic fix. Ended up feeling like I was prepping dinner in a nightclub—nice ambiance, but not exactly practical for fine knife work.
“as long as I don’t slice a finger, I’m happy.”
That’s my bar too. After too many near-misses, I installed puck lights under the cabinets and went with adjustable recessed cans overhead. The combo is surprisingly versatile—you can get that soft glow for late-night snacking or crank it up when you’re dicing carrots at warp speed. My only regret? Not putting in a dimmer for the main overheads. Turns out, sometimes you do want to dial it down after all that chopping. Live and learn...
