I actually tried rechargeable LED strips under my cabinets last year—brightness was decent, definitely enough to chop veggies without losing a finger. But battery life was meh...maybe 4-5 days tops with daily use? Got tired of constantly recharging and ended up biting the bullet on hardwired LEDs. Honestly, wiring was a pain in my old place (plaster walls, ugh), but zero regrets now. Solar lights indoors though...haha, dream big!
I feel your pain on the plaster walls—my house is from the 1920s, and every wiring project turns into a mini archaeological dig. Still, hardwired LEDs are totally worth the hassle. Rechargeables sound convenient at first, but realistically, who has time to babysit batteries every few days? Solar indoors though...yeah, that's ambitious. Maybe someday when tech catches up, but for now, I'll stick with good old-fashioned wiring and save the solar dreams for the garden shed.
I get the hesitation with solar indoors, but honestly, I've had decent luck with small solar setups near bright windows. Not kitchen-wide lighting, obviously, but for accent lights or under-cabinet strips...it's surprisingly doable and adds a nice vibe. Worth experimenting a bit, maybe?
I've gotta admit, the idea of solar indoors still makes me chuckle a bit—like, are we really at the point of sunbathing our kitchen lights? But honestly, your setup sounds kinda cozy. I tried battery-powered LED strips under my cabinets once, but changing batteries got old real quick. Maybe solar would actually be less annoying. Do you find they dim noticeably on cloudy days, or is it pretty consistent?
I get the appeal of solar, but honestly, wouldn't it be easier to just go wired LEDs under the cabinets? I mean, solar indoors sounds cool and all, but kitchens usually have plenty of wiring access anyway. When I redid mine (first-time renovator here, so take this with a grain of salt), I went with plug-in LED strips that connect to a wall switch. No batteries to swap out, no worries about cloudy days or dimming... just flip the switch and done.
But now you've got me curious—does your kitchen actually get enough natural light to keep those solar lights charged consistently? My kitchen window faces north and barely gets direct sun, so I'm not sure solar would even work for me. Maybe it's more practical if you've got south-facing windows or skylights?