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Tuesday, 29 April 2008 02:37 |
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The only purpose of kitchen cabinets lights was to illuminate shelves and work areas beneath cabinets before. But this is beginning to change, kitchen cabinet lighting in this setting must meet more than base-level requirements to produce optimal visibility and comfort. It must address certain aesthetic concerns as well such as lighting color and brightness, color rendering of illuminated surface and interior design, and glare free light that will not hurt the eyes of homeowners and guests.
Top concerns when choosing lighting fixtures include safety energy efficiency, and ease of operability, as some under cabinet lighting fixtures should be left on throughout the night, and almost all cabinet shelves will have to be adjusted or removed for periodic cleaning.
Kitchen cabinet lights fall into two primary categories: in cabinet lights and under cabinet lights. In cabinet strip lights provide interior lighting for cubic space and shelving. Under cabinet lights provide task lighting for activities done underneath a cabinet, such as food preparation and after-dinner cleanup.
Very specific types of kitchen cabinet lights were used for either in cabinet or under cabinet lighting needs. For most under the cabinet or task lighting applications, the puck light was a favorite fixture because it cast a bright circle of light onto the countertop that made it easy to see and work. When electric bills ran too high, fluorescent lamps were often substituted for pucks because of their lower heat output and power saving advantages. It was not uncommon in the 60's, 70's to see at least one fluorescent light over the stove.
However, due to more elaborate and ornate kitchen build outs, the dominance of puck and fluorescent under cabinet lights is no longer as absolute as it once was. This is because larger numbers of people are replacing generic counter top materials with custom, more ornate granite and marble. This presents a new dynamic for cabinet lighting manufacturers because these surfaces are highly reflective. Kitchen cabinet lights must now shield the eyes from reflective glare in addition to providing the same levels of light as they did before.
While it is true that most fluorescents are housed in frosted fixtures that minimize glare, they do not render color with enough detail to do justice to the subtle shades and variations that custom counter tops feature. Puck lights, with halogen lamps, render color better, but they are simply too intense and will almost always throw reflected light back into the eyes.
In this type of setting, it is almost always better to go with custom cabinet lights in the form of linear strips. These fixtures add value through both their low profile design and the unique qualities of glare free light they produce as an accent lighting source. Each custom lighting strip is custom fabricated to exact kitchen cabinet or shelf dimensions. It is virtually invisible to the casual eye and features special shielding that reduces reflective glare to near-undetectable levels.
Linear strips, such as the ones manufactured by Phantom, accommodate a wide variety of festoon bulb options. A very popular bulb type for under cabinet kitchen lighting is xenon. Xenon low voltage lamps render colors at a level almost equivalent to that of sunlight. As a low voltage, dimmable lighting strip, it will bring out the subtlest red of granite and the multi-dimensional hues of marble like no other form of light-at a fraction of the cost of competing linear strip lights. Linear strips fitted with incandescent festoons are ideally suited for interior kitchen cabinet shelf lighting. Incandescents produce the "whitest" form of light and make everything within the cubic interior of the cabinet clearly visible. Unlike puck lights, they consume virtually no cubic space within cabinets, leaving more room for storage and a more balanced presentation when the cabinet is opened in front of guests.
 Replacing low voltage festoon lights with a one-time LED light bulb upgrade will bring immediate, recurring, monthly return on investment, and it will create a more comfortable working environment for cooks.
When I install kitchen cabinet lighting I am always acutely aware of the heat that is given off by the halogen bulb. And, if the light is inside the cabinet then significant heat can build up inside of it. Now this is a problem no more thanks to LED (Light Emitting Diode) lighting.
LEDs require very little energy compared to incandescent or halogen bulbs resulting in significantly lower energy costs for the user. And since nearly all of the power to an LED is converted into light, that means minimal heat is given off. LED lights stay cool to the touch which makes them an ultra safe light source. Also, they are also great for illuminating heat sensitive products such as chocolates. The ARF-LED is a low profile recessed led light designed for kitchen cabinets. It uses the latest generation of Power LED’s and is available in cool (5,500K) or warm light (3,200K) which is the ‘colour temperature’ not heat temperature. And you can forget about changing bulbs. LED lights last at least 50,000 hours. |
Kitchen Cabinet Accessories 
