We’ve been wanting to put in lights under our kitchen cabinets since we’ve moved here. Then we saw them in our neighbor’s home recently, and I went out and copied them exactly. Thank you neighbors! :)
We used a Hampton Bay light kit from Home Depot and it was $44 for 6 lights. Not bad! And yep, Nester was right…more than likely there IS an outlet above your microwave so you too can put in lights. :) So once I realized we had one, I started skipping around the house.
Then I had my husband do all the dirty work and install them.
Gosh that is such a horrible picture because the grain on our wood looks freakishly ugly. But anyway, he had to drill a few holes like that, run the wire, staple the wire under the cabinets and that’s it! Easy for me to say. :)
Here are what the lights look like under the cabinets.
And when your husband finishes you have new beautiful lighting!
It’s kind of hard to take pictures of lights and these came out really yellow, but they aren’t in person. I apparently used the wrong setting on our camera. Oops. But they really “fancied” up our kitchen.
Here they are at night and in the dark.
The coolest part about these lights is that there is a small touch pad that came with it, and it’s mounted next to our microwave. That is how you turn them off and on, and there are 3 different levels of brightness. Sweeeet!! I’m tellin’ y’all, fancy stuff. :)
Simple updates like this make a big impact. We are so thrilled with them, and now we need to do the other side of the kitchen. :) We don’t have another microwave on that side of course, but we do have a refrigerator and that has an outlet so we should be able to hide the wire. Yea!
xxoo,
Decorchick!
I’ve been curious about doing this too…..hmmm.
Do it!!
Oooh, LOVING this idea, Emily! I’m adding this to my big binder of Kitchen Projects — we’re carefully planning our redo. :) I love that there are three levels of brightness, too! Thanks so much for sharing!!!
Thanks so much Amanda! How fun to redo your kitchen!!
I am a new follower to your blog and love it! I am curious, did you stain the fronts of your cabinets to a darker stain? We are moving into a house that has the “80’s oak” cabinets and I am wondering if staining them a darker color would work.
Love the under cabinet lighting!
Those look great! Too bad my husband isn’t as handy as yours! LOL
Haha, well maybe you can try it? :)
Your hubby did a great job! I really enjoy ours and even the extra touch that we put up last weekend!
hmmm, I’ll have to come and see this extra touch you are talking about…:)
What a great way to create ambiance in the kitchen Love it!!
Thank you! I love it too! :)
We added undercabinet lighting when we had our countertops and new backsplash put in a few months ago. Ours are hardwired. It is the best thing we EVER did…especially since our countertops are dark. It really makes a huge difference at night.
Oh I bet you love it! Our countertops aren’t even dark, so I can’t imagine not having lights with dark countertops.
Let their be light! It looks beautiful with the new lighting. Any other ideas you can steal from your neighbors, this one was great one!
Thanks Stephanie!!
Our old house had those great halogen “hockey puck” lights under the cabinets and we loved ’em! Those lights put off a brighter, more white light that really makes the work surfaces more enjoyable to, well, work on.
I’ve really been aching to replace the dated old fluorescent fixtures under our new house’s kitchen cabinets but since they’re wired into a switch and I’d like to also add a couple of them in areas where no lighting has been before, I think I’m going to have to bite the bullet and get an electrician ($$$) involved.
yes Rob they are great lights!
Oh man, well I hope you can find someone to do it for a good price. Definite bummer!
They look great!
I wuv my under counter lights! Not only do they provide great task lighting, they just look fantastic. I love the way they illuminate all the pretties on my counters ;o)
A great update that doesn’t drain the wallet!
They look great!
I wuv my under counter lights! Not only do they provide great task lighting, they just look fantastic. I love the way they illuminate all the pretties on my counters ;o)
A great update that doesn’t drain the wallet!
Thanks Carla! Yes, that’s why I love them most too…sshhhh. :)
I want to do this soooo bad! Its the hole drilling I’m scared of…. They look fantastic.
Yea the drill bit my husband had to use to get the circle shape was kind of scary looking. And loud.
Looks great! I have to remember to check above the microwave for an outlet when I get home =)
Thanks Robin! I’m sure you have one…let me know! :)
Emily,
I’ve been telling my DH that I so need to do this in my kitchen! We have the most dark lit kitchen and it drives me bonkers! I have the light over the stove on all the time just to try to bring more light in.
Thanks for showing us how to do it! Now I just need some cash and I’m good to go!
~Allison @ House of Hepworths
Thanks Allison! Our kitchen wasn’t even dark to begin with but now I don’t see how I lived without them. Hopefully you can scrounge up $44 somehow. :)
We’ve got ikea under cabinet lights. I dislike the cord…great idea to put it through to the microwave and fridge plugs!!!
Shannon
http://www.akadesign.ca
Thank you Shannon! Maybe you can rerun your Ikea cords?
Looks fabulous! I may have to see if I can figure out a way on the counter where I make do most of my prep work. Looks so pretty at night with them on.
Thanks Anita! Yes, at night it’s quite the difference. :)
I love the addition, it adds so much warmth!
Thank you Katie! :)
Looks like a trip to Home Depot is in order…love that look. The lighting in our kitchen is not very good. This would help enormously!
Thanks Deborah! Yea, it’s amazing what all I can actually see now when I’m cooking.
Great project! I always wondered where the cord went, since it never seems to show.
Thank you!
Let there be light! What a great project!
I married a master electrician & very handsome handyman (if I do say so myself), so there is no reason my kitchen can’t be as fabulous as yours!
Let’s get this project party started!
Thanks for the inspiration… Keep them coming!
I used these same lights in my Master Bedroom Makeover… if you have time, check it out. Always love to see how we can use the same item in different places throughout the home.
http://minearespectacular.blogspot.com/2009/04/master-makeover.html
Tiffany @ Mine Are Spectacular!
Thank you Tiffany! Your Master BR is amazing and I love the lights above the headboard too! Hopefully he will get to work in your kitchen now. :)
Lighting makes all the difference, huh? Especially pretty at night! Great job hubby!
You can also buy battery-powered lights to use under cabinets that apply with sticky pads. They’re small, very inexpensive and good to “try out” where you want lighting. Even better if you rent and don’t want to invest in anything your landlord might not appreciate.
Love this! Wonder if I can do it in my built in entertainment unit? You know, those builder built dry wall ones. It is so dark, and gloomy .
Love that you have a “reply” feature in your comments. Can i ask how you do that?
I am your newest follower. Would love for you to stop by me sometime.
I really want to do this… and since we’re in the middle of renovating the kitchen we may actually be able to! It looks great. Good job!
Very fancy! What a little light can do! It’s amazing the change.
I’d love it if you checked out my blog for a deal for Overstock.com! And, I’d also love it if you joined my link party on Friday! alittleknickknack.blogspot.com
I’m heading to home depot tomorrow! One question for you…how do you get it from inside the cabinet to the underneath? Where is the hole under the cabinet at? I told my husband this is our Saturday project!
niiiice! I might have to try this in my kitchen
We’ve done the same thing in our RV (motorhome) and not only does it really give a much warmer feel to it, it saves a lot of space and makes cooking a lot nicer! Next, we’re adding LED lighting to our ceiling!
My kitchen has these lights, and I absolutely love them. They’re a cheap update that make the room feel oh so elegant! Yours look great!
What a difference lighting makes-great especially in the winter when it’s darker outside!
Wow! This is so clever and effective! Way cool! I would just love it if you would link this DIY project over to Crazy Cute Thursdays at Between U & Me! I know everyone over there would just love this as much as I do! I’m also your newest follower! ;)
http://www.betweenuandme.com
Hi,
I’m so glad you posted about this project! I am in desperate need of light in my kitchen and this kit would work perfect I think. I could use three lights under an old cupboard and then maybe sit the other three on top of my frig and plug it all in at the outlet next to my frig.
I’m curious…what kind of bulbs does it use?? Most of these types use a halogen bulb..they are so hot and not energy efficient like the spiral bulbs that I use. I guess my main concern is the heat that is conducted by the bulbs..let me if you don’t mind now that you’ve had them on long enough to notice if any heat is conducted.
I think it looks so nice..it totally transformed the room. Thanks for sharing this.
Oh..and I have another question! LOL Enough already! :0) But I like that above your post tags it give the inform on how many visits that post has had total and then how many for today. Is that a widget that you added or is something that came with your blog or website??
Have a wonderful day,
Stephanie ?
Hi Stephanie, it is some sort of halogen bulb I think. Don’t have the package anymore. But yes, they do put off a lot of heat actually. Only if you put your hand up to it do you notice it though.
And about the tag thing, I’m really not sure. My husband does all of that for me and set everything up. I can check with him though!
The new lighting is beautiful. It adds such a wonderful glow to everything.
I’ve always wanted to have under cabinet lighting but I thought it would be too hard to do… Now I’m excited to get to home depot and get some lights for our kitchen! Thanks to your neighbors and thank you!
Nice job! It looks fantastic!
Thanks Michelle!
They look great and really finish off the kitchen.
I hope you can stop by this Sunday to my Show Off Sunday Party. I would love for you to share your project with my followers. :)
http://houseofthriftydecor.blogspot.com/
Those lights give such a warm and inviting glow! Very nice touch! Thanks so much for joining us this week!
{Rebekah}
Great project… lighting is huge. I already have under cab lighting in my kitchen but your post somehow gave me the idea to place some in my laundry room. Thanks!
Oh that would be great in there!
These are on my list of updates to do once our kitchen is done. Love the way it looks!
Thank you Beth!! Can’t wait to see your kitchen. :)
Sad face right now since this ‘ole house has no outlet where I need one. But a big happy face for you and your gorgeous new lighting! It looks amazing at night! Jules
Ah man that’s a bummer!
Thanks so much for this!! I’ve been wanting these for a while but didn’t know which ones to pick. I know my hubby can install them but all the ones I’ve found looked too fluorescent. I’m running out this week and getting some!!
Holy moly, it looks great! We have an outlet there too! One more thing for my husband to do. Or one more thing for me to nag about, depending on which one of us you ask:)!
Haha exactly! So glad you have outlet!
Ok, tell me your house is a Perry home because your kitchen looks JUST like ours! You can spot Perry cabinets right away because they are so awesome. :)
Very nice! I just added lights to my cabinets as well! Thanks for linking up to Topsy Turvy Tuesday’s!
I looooooooove the under counter lighting! I’ve been wanting something under our cabinet forever. I have dark counter tops and backsplach and wanted to lighten things up a bit. Thanks for sharing. Great job!
Despite being exaggerated by the camera setting, I love the warm yellow hue of your under cabinet kitchen lighting. LED lights would likely give a more “daylight” or even “Blue” lights out. For some reason I prefer warm over blue? I wonder why? Maybe I’m just so used to warmer lights at night??
Question.. What is keeping the lights up under the cabinet? I know you stapled the wire but how did you get the light to stay attached to the cabinet? I live the look of them! Beautiful!
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