How to Install Low-Voltage Accent Kitchen Lights

Strand Lights

• 1

  Measure around the cabinets or other areas you want to accent with lighting so you know the length of strand to purchase. Strand, or rope, lighting can follow any shape and is easily run under, around, through and above cabinets.

• 2

  Follow the path you want accented with the light strand. Pull the wire taut against the cabinet in an inconspicuous area and secure it with a drop of transparent contact glue. Having the lights behind an edge, but right up against the top of it, will provide a soft, back-lit glow.

• 3

  Decorate the interior of the cabinets as well as the outside with the strands. Soft white LED lights allow you to see even into the deepest part of the cabinets when it is otherwise dark.

Spot Lights

• 4

  Examine areas that need special lighting, such as work surfaces under cabinets that don't receive much light. Special objects might also benefit from an accent light that allows them to be seen. For instance, a collection of expensive, professional-level cookware hanging from a French grid attached to the ceiling might have several spots focused on it.

• 5

  Ask a partner to hold the lights in place while you walk around the kitchen to appraise the look provided by the lights. Shift the lights until you are satisfied that they accent the appropriate spots and do not provide a glare.

• 6

  Screw the baby spots into the base material for stability, if necessary. Attach the lights in such a way that if they are moved or replaced, the screw holes will not be noticeable, or can be covered up easily.