Why Is a Modular Lighting System Best for Under Cabinet Applications?

Under-Cabinet Applications

• As noted by the exerts at Kichler Lighting, “The most functionally helpful lighting for under cabinet use is a modular system that allows for the placement of fixtures at the front edge of the upper cabinet.” This design locates the light where it is needed most -- above the food preparation areas -- without the need for unsightly supplies and controls. Light that emanates from above the backsplash is not typically directly overhead from the work areas, and can be directed into the user’s eyes; under-cabinet lighting falls on the work in the same direction as the user’s eyes.

Modular Lighting

• Modular lighting is a lighting system that features multiple light sources that are supplied with current from a single receptacle bank, typically supplied by a voltage transformer. In large installations, several transformers may be needed to supply the required number of lights. The system allows for extremely discrete wiring runs to the lights, which typically generate less heat than their 110-volt cousins. Direct-wired lighting requires heavier, metal-sheathed wiring, jointing boxes and -- in areas exposed to heat or steam -- ugly conduit. Modular fixtures are normally also much more easy to relocate than full-size fixtures. Aside from the flexibility of application and their economic running costs, a modular design allows for a great many lights to be controlled from a single switch without necessitating the installation of heavy wiring and heavy system protection breakers.
  The single greatest advantage of modular lighting over other systems is their unobtrusive nature. Because control boxes can be remote from the lighting fixtures, there is effectively no limit to the applications. The control boxes contain all the system protection, ballasts, heat sinks, transformers, relays and light-level controls, so only the fixtures themselves need to be located under the cabinets.

Fluorescents

• Fluorescent tubes can also be used beneath cabinets, and fitted toward the front. However, the fixtures are limited by size and are typically too large to fit beneath the strengthening ribs on the underside of the cabinets. Using smaller fixtures usually translates into lower wattage, and the amount of light may not be sufficient. Further, fluorescent light is not directional.

Toe-Kick and Cove Lighting

• Another under-cabinet lighting application is toe-kick lighting; illumination along the floor edge of the cabinets that defines their baseline. Aside from defining the room and enhancing the floor covering, toe-kick lighting can give the illusion that the cabinets are floating. Because toe-kick lighting is accent lighting, not lighting for reading or safety, it is best done with fluorescent lighting. Kitchen floors are typically reflective, so the low levels of light produced by the small units that will fit into the confined space is not an issue, and may actually prevent defined pooling, undesirable patterns or beams.
  The use of cove lighting attracts the eye to the higher parts of the room, drawing attention to coving and detailed ceiling structure or ornamentation. Traditional ceiling lighting does little to enhance a room, delivering instead a uniform and boring slab of white light that can feel clinical and exclusionary.

Design Suggestions

• Under cabinet lighting is seldom used to read; it can be provided at low lumen levels designed to enhance mood and atmosphere. LED modular lighting can be used with dimmers, just as can more traditional systems. Of course, above work areas where recipes must be read and potentially dangerous equipment used, a safe and serviceable amount of bright light is necessary. If the kitchen is used to display objects d’art, pools of light can be directed onto the collectibles.
  Dark spots ruin the effect. Installing a modular light beneath every second cabinet, assuming the light from each will spill over into the “dead” area almost never works. Hot and dark spots make the cabinets above and the work surface below appear uneven. Lights should not be clustered unless a pool of brighter illumination is required; even spacing provides an even flow of light around the area.