Your setup sounds pretty smart, especially the LED strips under cabinets—I've been eyeing something similar. We don't have a historic home, but our house is older and the lighting situation is... less than ideal, to put it nicely. Right now, we've got one big fluorescent fixture that buzzes and flickers like it's auditioning for a horror movie. I've thought about swapping it out for recessed lighting, but honestly, the cost and hassle of installation has me hesitating.
I do like your idea of plug-in accent lamps tucked into corners—I hadn't really considered that. Seems like an affordable way to add warmth without committing to major electrical work. Did you find any particular type or wattage worked best? I'm always worried about lamps being too dim or glaringly bright in awkward spaces.
Also curious if anyone's tried those rechargeable motion-sensor lights for inside cabinets or pantries... seems handy, but maybe they're more gimmicky than practical?
"Right now, we've got one big fluorescent fixture that buzzes and flickers like it's auditioning for a horror movie."
Haha, been there—our old kitchen had the same creepy lighting vibe going on. We eventually swapped ours for semi-flush LED fixtures instead of recessed, since they're way easier to install and still offer a modern look. About those rechargeable motion-sensor lights, I've tried them in our pantry. Surprisingly handy... until you forget to recharge them and end up fumbling around in the dark again. Overall decent, just gotta stay on top of charging.
"Surprisingly handy... until you forget to recharge them and end up fumbling around in the dark again."
Haha, exactly my experience with those rechargeable lights. We put one in our hallway closet thinking it'd be a game changer—until I realized I'm terrible at remembering to charge stuff. Nothing like reaching for a towel and getting a face full of coats instead.
When we redid our kitchen lighting, I went with track lighting. I know some folks think it's outdated, but honestly, it's been great. Easy to install, adjustable, and no more creepy buzzing or flickering. Plus, if you rearrange your kitchen layout (which we did twice already... don't ask), you can just swivel the lights around instead of rewiring everything.
Semi-flush LEDs sound pretty good too, though. Might've gone that route if I'd thought of it earlier. Either way, anything beats the horror-movie fluorescents.
"Plus, if you rearrange your kitchen layout (which we did twice already... don't ask), you can just swivel the lights around instead of rewiring everything."
That's a good point about flexibility. Personally, I went with recessed LEDs—they're energy-efficient and unobtrusive. Installation was trickier, but no regrets so far... especially after ditching those headache-inducing fluorescents.
Recessed LEDs are sleek, but aren't you stuck if your layout changes again? I mean, flexibility is nice, but how often do you really rearrange your kitchen... twice seems like plenty already. Track lighting might hit that sweet spot between style and practicality.
