We installed toe-kick lights last year when we did a small kitchen update—mostly because they seemed budget-friendly and easy enough to DIY. Honestly, they've been great for late-night fridge raids without waking everyone up, but I do see your point about motion sensors. We didn't think about that at the time.
Funny story...I actually got inspired after stubbing my toe (hard!) on a cabinet corner during a midnight snack run. I figured something low-profile and subtle would work best, and it did. But now that you mention it, motion-sensing recessed lighting probably would've been a smarter long-term solution. I'm thinking it might even save energy since we're always forgetting to turn off the toe-kick lights in the morning.
If we ever redo our setup again (hopefully not anytime soon, fingers crossed), I'll definitely look into motion sensors. Seems like the best of both worlds—hands-free and budget-friendly over time.
We went with motion-sensing under-cabinet lights a couple years back, and honestly, they've been a lifesaver for those midnight snack runs. Only downside is our cat sometimes triggers them randomly at 3am...but hey, better than stubbed toes, right?
"Only downside is our cat sometimes triggers them randomly at 3am..."
Haha, same issue here—our dog loves midnight patrols. I ended up swapping to dimmable LED strips with a manual override...still energy-efficient but fewer surprise wake-ups. Worth considering if your furry friend stays nocturnal!
I get the appeal of dimmable LED strips, but honestly, manual overrides sound like a hassle to me. I tried something similar once, and after a few weeks, I just stopped bothering to adjust them. Ended up leaving them dimmed all the time, defeating the purpose of having bright kitchen lighting.
What worked better for us was installing motion sensors with adjustable sensitivity. Took a bit of tweaking, but now our cat doesn't trigger them unless he's jumping around like crazy (which, admittedly, still happens occasionally...). Plus, it's nice walking into the kitchen with arms full of groceries or dishes and having the lights come on automatically.
I guess it depends on your tolerance for midnight surprises vs. convenience during the day. For me, I'd rather risk the occasional 3am wake-up than fiddle with manual controls every evening. But hey, everyone's got their own priorities, right?
Motion sensors sound pretty handy, but did you find them affordable enough for a tighter budget? I've been considering something similar but worry about the upfront costs. Also, how tricky was it to get the sensitivity right? I'm not exactly tech-savvy, so I'm a bit hesitant about the setup process...but the convenience factor definitely has me intrigued.
