LED Strip Lighting for Kitchens

The kitchen is the heart of every home, where culinary masterpieces are created and memories are made. It's essential to have the right lighting in your kitchen, not only to enhance functionality but also to create a warm and inviting atmosphere. Gone are the days of ugly Fluorescent tubes, LED strip lights have emerged as a game-changer for kitchen worktop lighting, offering versatility, energy efficiency, and a wide range of design possibilities. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the benefits of LED strip lights and provide valuable insights on how to incorporate them into your kitchen design.

Benefits of LED Strip Lights

LED strip lights have gained immense popularity in recent years due to their numerous advantages over traditional lighting options. Let's delve into the key benefits that make LED strip lights the ideal choice for illuminating your kitchen worktops.

Energy Efficiency

LED strip lights are highly energy-efficient, consuming significantly less power compared to traditional lighting fixtures. With LED Strips you will get more light output or Lumens per watt than with traditional fittings such as Halogens and Fluorescent Tubes. For example a 50w Halogen can produce 500-600 Lumens, whereas an LED Strip can draw 8.2 Watts per Metre and produce 1000 Lumens per Metre, with a lifetime far in excess of 50,000 hours.

Flexibility and Versatility

One of the standout features of LED strip lights is their flexibility, making them the perfect choice for illuminating various areas of your kitchen. These thin, narrow strips can be easily cut to fit any length, allowing for seamless integration into different spaces. Whether you want to highlight specific areas or create ambient lighting, LED strip lights offer endless possibilities. We offer a free cutting and soldering service, and can tailor Strips to fit any kitchen.

Longevity and Durability

Most LED Strips will have a lifetime of around 20,000 to 30,000 hours, many times longer than traditional Halogens and Fluorescent Tubes, and the Strips have no risk of high voltage or glass to break. Not something that should be anywhere near food preparation areas.

Customization Options

LED strip lights offer a wide range of customization options, allowing you to tailor the lighting to suit your specific needs and preferences. From adjustable brightness levels, to color-changing capabilities, you can create the perfect ambiance for any occasion. Whether you desire warm, inviting lighting for intimate family dinners or vibrant, colorful lighting for social gatherings, LED strip lights can create the desired ambience.

Enhanced Safety

Safety is paramount in the kitchen, especially when handling sharp objects or working with heat sources. The illumination provided by well placed Strip Lights will help prevent any dark areas in your kitchen.

Here are some key areas where LED strip lights can be installed for maximum impact:

Under Cabinet Lighting

One of the most popular applications of LED strip lights in the kitchen is under cabinet lighting. Installing LED strips under your wall-mounted cabinets not only adds a touch of elegance but also provides functional task lighting for your worktops. The direct illumination from the LED strips eliminates shadows, ensuring clear visibility while preparing meals or chopping veg. The latest addition of Aluminium Profiles provide a level of protection for the LEDs, keeping them clean and dry. The Aluminium Channel will give a factory fitted appearance to your Strip Lights.

Above Cabinet Lighting

To create a visually striking effect and add depth to your kitchen design, consider installing LED strip lights above your cabinets. This placement creates a soft, indirect glow that illuminates the ceiling, giving your kitchen a warm and inviting ambiance. This can be achieved using single colour strip lights or colour changing LED Strips.

Kick Board Lighting

For a modern and sophisticated look, LED strip lights can be installed along the toe kick area of your kitchen cabinets. This placement creates a subtle, low-level lighting effect that adds both functionality and style. The soft illumination along the base of your cabinets not only enhances visibility but also creates an illusion of floating cabinets, elevating the overall design of your kitchen.

Task Lighting

Task lighting is essential for the kitchen work area, where precise tasks such as chopping, slicing, and cooking take place. LED strip lights can be installed directly above your worktops, providing focused, glare-free illumination. This ensures optimal visibility and prevents eye strain, allowing you to work comfortably and efficiently in the kitchen.

Accent Lighting

To create a captivating visual impact and highlight specific areas or features in your kitchen, consider incorporating LED strip lights as accent lighting. Whether it's illuminating glass display cabinets to showcase your prized china collection or accentuating architectural details, such as an exposed brick wall or a kitchen island, LED strip lights can add a touch of drama and sophistication to your kitchen design.

Choosing the right LED Strip Lights

When selecting LED strip lights for your kitchen worktops, several factors should be considered to ensure optimal performance and functionality.

Brightness and Color Temperature

The brightness of LED strip lights is measured in lumens. For kitchen worktops, it is recommended to have approximately 300 lumens per square meter. This ensures adequate illumination for your tasks without causing any harsh glare. Often it makes sense to opt for a high brightness Strip of around 1000 lumens/m or more, and have a dimmer, this allows the brightness to be set at a lower level for general tasks but gives the flexibility to increase the brightness when you need additional light for cleaning the worktops.

Additionally, consider the color temperature of the LED strip lights. For the work area, a color temperature of between 3000K (Warm White) and 4000K-5000K (White) is ideal. Colour temperature above that will can have a bluish appearance or looky icy white.

Waterproof Rating

In a kitchen environment, where spills and splashes are common, it is essential to choose LED strip lights with a suitable waterproof rating. The location where the Strip are to be fitted will determine the type of Strip you should be looking for. If it is to be housed in an Aluminium Profile then that will add a good level of protection against splashes from water.

Many Strips with a Silicone jacket protecting them are IP67, but they will not fit into an Aluminium Channel. We have Silicone Coated Strips that will comfortably fit into them.

Dimmability and Control Options

To have full control over the ambiance and brightness levels in your kitchen, opt for dimmable LED strip lights. Dimmable strips allow you to adjust the brightness of the lighting according to your needs and preferences. Additionally, consider the control options available. From manual dimmer switches on the wall, to remote controls, App control, and even control through Alexa and Google Assistant.

Branded LED Strips

When it comes to LED strip lights, investing in high-quality, branded products is crucial. Our Litewave Pro LED strips not only offer superior performance, but are designed for an extremely long lifetime. They will have a mere 3% decline in brightness after just 10,000 hours. That is not possible with the majority of LED Strips sold elsewhere that only use resistors to protect the LEDs. Ours Pro Strips have triodes to ensure the LEDs are not getting over driven with too much current or voltage, without these being controlled the LEDs will decline quickly. We are so confident that we now back our Litewave stamped Strips with a 6 Year Warranty, the longest we are aware of in the UK at this time.

Part L Compliant Building Regs

Our products meet and exceed Part L for Building Regulations in the UK. Our Litewave Pro 30 LED/M Strip is very energy efficient - it draws just 8.1 Watts per Metres when Displaying White at 100% brightness. On average when colour changing it will draw around 3-4 watts per Metre. Also, very importantly our Strips are designed for a long lifetime of 50,000 hours or more. So rather than a cheap throw away item which is a waste of our planet's resources and materials, we like selling products, that by using more thought in the design, can be expected to outlast the majority of other Strips on the market.