Elevate Lighting Design With Under-Cabinet Light Fixtures in Any Room

Although commonly associated with residential kitchen designs, installing under-cabinet or under-shelf lights is a versatile lighting solution that can enhance commercial and retail spaces in several ways.

Under-cabinet lighting serves both a functional and aesthetic role in commercial spaces, such as hospitals and libraries. Patient rooms, medical stations, reading and study areas, and book and supply storage shelves can all be improved with under-cabinet lights. Retail areas can utilize under-shelf or under-cabinet lights to highlight promotional items and everyday products or add elegance and sophistication to the space.

These lights provide focused, uniform illumination, which can be used both functionally and aesthetically. Installed under wall-mounted cabinets, they provide helpful task lighting for the surface below. When used in display cabinets, accent lighting illuminates’ art, sculptures, or other notable items. When used in retail applications, slim, under-mounted linear LEDs can provide smooth, even light for merchandise below or enable spotlighting featured products. In workshops or laundry rooms, they are an ideal source of task and ambient lighting.

Concealable LED “light bars” provide a lot of light while staying out of sight.

Under cabinet lights offer a sophisticated look and uniform light that’s suitable for a large variety of applications. Many under-cabinet-style light fixtures can be linked together using connectors or cables, enabling a lighting system controlled centrally by a single control device.

Installing under-cabinet lighting has a transformational power that can provide needed accents to a space and create the desired elegance or sophistication. Most under-cabinet-type linear fixtures can also be installed vertically to highlight the room’s architecture further or provide depth and a bit of drama to the space.

Under-cabinet lighting in commercial spaces

The application of light can subtly or dramatically impact a place’s aesthetics and functionality. Following is a consideration of the various methods that under-cabinet style lighting can be applied.

Task Lighting for Workspaces

Under-cabinet lights provide bright, shadow-free task lighting in commercial environments like office break rooms, workstations, laboratories, and food prep.

In a retail stockroom or commercial prep area, these lights can illuminate counters or work surfaces, ensuring employees have a well-lit area for detailed tasks like assembling products, preparing food, or organizing inventory. Under-cabinet lights bring the light source close to the workspace in medical or scientific workstations, enabling safety and accuracy.

Product Highlighting

Under-cabinet strip lights can draw attention to specific products displayed on shelves, counters, or display cases in retail settings.

Jewelry stores, cosmetics counters, or electronics retailers often use these lights to highlight products, making them appear more vibrant and attractive by reducing shadows and enhancing colors. Food retailers may use thin linear LEDs under produce shelves to create a lively, fresh look that encourages customers to browse. Bookstores also employ under-shelf lighting to enable better visibility of the volumes of materials they have for sale.

Enhancing Brand Aesthetics

When brand recognition is a retail space component, horizontally or vertically installed linear lights can be deftly integrated into retail or commercial interiors to create a sleek, modern, and inviting ambiance that aligns with the brand’s aesthetic. Fashion boutiques or high-end retail spaces may use warm white linear lights beneath cabinets or shelving to create a luxurious atmosphere, while cool white or colored LED strips can add a futuristic or edgy vibe.

By thoughtfully integrating under-cabinet strips or linear lights, commercial and retail spaces can improve functionality, enhance aesthetics, and create a memorable customer experience. Their versatility makes them a go-to choice for designers and business owners aiming for efficient, impactful lighting solutions.

Wayfinding and Safety

Under-cabinet lights can serve as subtle wayfinding or safety lighting in commercial settings, especially during low-light conditions. In office buildings, they can illuminate pathways or staircases discreetly.

In bars, cafes, or restaurants, these lights can be installed beneath counters or cabinetry to guide customers to the order or pick-up area. Sleek, low-profile linear strips can also be used under rails, molding, or other architectural features to improve navigation while keeping the general light levels low.

Customization and Flexibility

Under-cabinet style fixtures are available in various color temperatures, brightness levels, and even RGB options, making them highly customizable for different commercial and retail needs. Retail spaces can use dimmable LED strips to create mood lighting during various times of the day, such as brighter during peak hours and softer in the evenings.

Installing long or short runs of low-profile, out-of-view linear led fixtures provides lighting designers the flexibility to deliver stunning and functional light no matter what architectural elements are at their disposal.

Styles of under-cabinet lights

Advancements in LED technology have enabled excellent design flexibility for under-cabinet lighting options. Based on budget and lighting design requirements, micro-profile bars, puck, and tape or strip fixtures can be the best choice.

The most budget and installation-friendly option is the tape or strip light. These lines of sometimes flexible and sometimes rigid LEDs are typically easy to install. With a very shallow profile, they squeeze into small spaces and are popular for homeowners, college students in dorm rooms, or other budget-conscious consumers.

Under-cabinet puck lights are small, circular light fixtures commonly used for task and accent lighting in kitchens, offices, and other areas where focused illumination is needed. They derive their name from their resemblance to hockey pucks in shape and size. Under-cabinet puck lights are often installed above kitchen counters to illuminate workspaces beneath cabinets for better visibility or in closets and display shelves to highlight collectibles or illuminate the contents of the storage area. Puck lights can produce hot spots and uneven illumination, which is excellent for spotlighting spaces or objects but not desirable when a smooth light pattern is required.

Micro profile under-cabinet bar lights are compact, low-profile LED lighting solutions for tight spaces and discreet illumination. These ultra-slim lighting fixtures are specifically engineered to provide task lighting in kitchen cabinets, wardrobes, and other confined spaces while maintaining a sleek, almost invisible appearance. Light bars are thin, long fixtures that deliver a smooth line of evenly distributed illumination that can be customized to the length of the cabinetry, shelving, or other construction under which the fixtures are being installed. While reducing shadows and glare, these fixtures are available in line and low-voltage options. They may also be dimmable and available in multiple color temperature options ranging from 2,400 to 5,000K CCT.

Diffuser lenses and under-cabinet lights

A diffuser lens is an optical component designed to scatter and distribute light evenly, creating a softer, more uniform illumination. It is typically made of translucent or semi-transparent materials such as glass, plastic, or polycarbonate36.

Some under-cabinet lights come without lenses, but adding a diffuser lens can dramatically improve the quality of your lighting. A diffuser disperses light evenly on the surface below, which minimizes glare, hot spots, and reflections on the workspace.

Key characteristics of diffuser lenses include:

• Light Distribution: They spread light over a wider area, reducing harsh shadows and hot spots.
• Glare Reduction: Diffuser lenses help minimize glare, making the light more comfortable for the eyes.
• Beam Control: They can alter the beam angle of the light source, providing broader coverage.
• Aesthetic Enhancement: Diffuser lenses can improve the visual appearance of lighting fixtures by concealing individual light sources and creating a more pleasing, uniform glow.

Sample Types of Diffuser Lenses

• Frosted Lens: Provides a fine texture that softens light and creates a uniform gradient effect.
• Prismatic Lens: Features small refractive components that enhance light diffusion and glare reduction.
• Opal Lens: Offers maximum light diffusion for the softest effect.
• Satinice Lens: Features a frosted, textured surface that evenly disperses light while also being resistant to fingerprints and scratches

Color Temperature (CCT) and Color Rendering Index (CRI) for Under Cabinet Lighting

Because under-cabinet lighting is often part of the design aesthetic of a space, considerations for CCT and CTI must be part of the fixture selection. Depending on the room’s architectural features, what the occupants will be doing in the room, and the amount and types of other light, a warm light under shelves and cabinets or a bright, colder light may be the best choice.

A 2700K CCT fixture is warm and reminiscent of incandescent light bulbs and may be a good choice for reading nooks, bedrooms, restaurants, or hotels where a cozy, inviting atmosphere is desired. As you move up the Kelvin scale to what is considered “daylight” at 6,500K, you may want brighter, higher-clarity light for medical or task-oriented lighting needs under cabinets and shelves.

The CRI of an under-cabinet fixture is also important when the illuminated objects require color accuracy. CRI scores range from 0 to 100 and indicate how accurately objects appear under a light. The higher the score, the more accurate. For non-color critical tasks, a minimum of 90 CRI is recommended for under-cabinet light fixtures. When color accuracy is paramount, select a CRI of 95+.

Final considerations for selecting under-cabinet lighting

The size and textures of surfaces below the fixture must be considered when selecting the type of light, intensity, and distribution angles. Glossy or high-sheen surfaces can produce glare, while surfaces with a non-smooth texture may result in small shadows and uneven lighting. Selecting the right diffuser may assist with preventing glare and reflections. The shelf’s depth and the fixture’s installation position need to be considered when selecting distribution angles. A narrow-angle may not illuminate the entire surface correctly, whereas a wider angle may spill light onto the floor or objects below.

The placement of the fixture can also deliver various design effects, such as washing or grazing the wall at the back of the cabinet. Suppose the under-cabinet light is intended to illuminate an item like an award, work of art, or promotional product. In that case, the fixture may need to be installed near the front of the cabinet shelf to prevent shadows.

In addition to surfaces and angles, the light fixtures’ power and control aspects must be planned accordingly. If the fixture is a standalone light source or part of a larger network of connected and controlled devices, the lighting system must be designed accordingly.