Help!! Cove lighting ideas

16 years ago

We just realized that are cabs will be taller than we thought. Previously we had flourescent lights on top with about 12-14in of clearance. Now, with stacked cabs and crown molding there will be 2-3 inches of space. (We were figuring 6-8in). The previous flourescent lighting reflected and provided a lot of light. We can't put flourescent lighting up now becaused of not being able to change out the bulbs. I also worry about heat and ventilation with such a small opening. Is it even worth it to consider LED rope lighting up there for "ambience"? We had toyed with the thought of puck lighting in the upper cabs since they all are glass front but decided against it since our vision was a classic farm kitchen. Our other lighting will be three pendants with 60watt bulbs and undercabinet lighting. Kitchen is 8x12. DH does not even want to consider cans since it is an old house.

Any thoughts? We have to figure this out in the next couple of days. UGH!

thanks

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Comments (5)

reneeharris1
16 years ago
Hi Mary! I've enjoyed seeing your gorgeouos space coming together! I know you're excited about having the end in sight.

I, too, will only have three inches or so and we are putting in inexpensive rope lighting. In my butler's pantry we have the same amount of space and put in the rope lighting and it looks really good reflecting up on the ceiling and provides just enough light for us to make our coffee and tea in the morning before we are awake enough for full strength lighting! :-)

I also painted my ceiling in the pantry the same color as my walls (only in flat paint) and I LOVE the reflection of light onto the taupe color - it is very warm and welcoming.

We had these rope lights in our last house and had them on constantly and after three years they began to diminish and we just unplugged them, plugged in new ones and laid them on the cabinets. Couldn't have been easier! HTH!
mary_in_nc
Original Author
16 years ago
Mo_sgal, thanks so much for your response! Your post gives me some hope! It sounds like you put a plug next to your ceiling and hardwired it to a lightswitch. Is that correct? Can you share with me details regarding your LED rope lighting? What brand? Where did you get it? Did you run one strip on top or did you find you needed to loop it for more light?

Mary
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I installed Juno mini trac lighting which is pretty simialr in concept to the Seagull, Kitchler, and Pegasus linear lighting but uses a compact track instead of wire. I'd have to agree that for something with odd shapes the wire system would be much easier and quicker to install. I can't recall which of the linear lighting companies recently improved thier fixtures to help fix this problem. But once the fixture is installed, maybe a zip-tie can help secure it in place? Our transformers do hummm.. very slightly. They are Juno branded, but are cheaply made transformers made in India. The QTran seem to be quiet but are pricey and hard to get if you are a consumer. It depends on where the transformer is located. I placed mine on top of the kitchen cabinets so they are not far from my ears, and when the rest of the house is silent, I can hear them. But I have to try. It is not a big deal. If the installer were going to put the transformer inside a cabinet I'd bet you would never hear it. I think the linear lighting will put out more light and offer some illuminatin vice but a decoration. Right now I have the overcabinet and undercabint lights on in the kitchen, dimmed, and they provide more than enough light to walk through, get to the fridge, sink, dishwasher etc. Not enough to cook, but certainly more than just decorative light splash. Make sure you get a dimmer! Meastro kicks butt.
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michoumonster, to qualify under Title 24 as "high efficacy", the type of light either needs to be generically qualified, e.g. fluorescent fixtures meeting a certain standard, or it needs to be "listed." Anything you or I whip together out of components isn't going to be listed. It is also doubtful that these LED strips/transformer will meet the minimum lumens/watt to qualify anyway. Check out your strip LED specs (which ones are you using?), knock of 20% for power loss in the transformer, and see if you can meet the standards: Ã¢ÂÂ¢15 Watts or Less- Minimum of 40 lumens per watt Ã¢ÂÂ¢15-40 Watts- Minimum of 50 lumens per watt Ã¢ÂÂ¢Over 40 Watts- Minimum of 60 lumens per watt There are strip light fixtures that meet this, but if I understand correctly you aren't planning on using those. To ionized: if one wants uniform lighting in the cove, rather than just at spots, T5 would put out way way too much light for the application. Here is a link that might be useful: Search for high efficacy lighting and other appliances
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Thanks all for your input. I'm having the UCL & cove direct wired so it is different than some of the options you posted. Mary ruth--I thought that I had the wires available for hooking up direct wire LED or fluorescent bars easily (and inexpensively) Now I know what this entails.1 one 1 down switch on 2 walls means four transformers in addition to all the wiring. I haven't decided whether I should add the dimmers. This is also wired so that I can swap out and do high voltage(direct wire Fluorescents or LED bars) in the future. The double density LEDs cost around $400 for both cove & UCL. I don't think the LED strips are as bright as the LED bars I wanted to get but b/c of the cost I am going to live with them. The problem with comparing LED strip lumens/ft is that they are not always listed. I think UCL is confusing to people on purpose. Sometimes to sell inferior products for inflated prices. If you lived near me I'd hire your husband ! :) mama goose--I saw something like those lights with a motion detector at the cabinet showroom. I'm going to get them for the glass cabinets.
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I think you'd look good in regular LED stripes. I bought them when I had to decorate my yard for Christmas. I ordered LED car lanes here https://www.vont.com/product/vont-car-smart-strip-light/ . You can also try to buy a car ribbon. And by the way, many of my neighbors loved this idea, and a few days after me, my neighbor Adam repeated it. Next to him, three more neighbors borrowed my idea. Our street became so beautiful and bright. We even consulted each other when changing color or LED mode to look more harmonious. I will not hide. I was very flattered that the first "flash mob LEDs" I started.
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reneeharris1
16 years ago
Mary: Yes, in both my old kitchen and current in-progress kitchen we put plugs next to the ceiling for the upper cabinet rope lighting and wired those outlets on a switch. One switch turns on ALL the upper cabinet lighting.

I haven't bought the rope lighting yet for this kitchen, but in my pantry and in my last house I just used in stock rope lighting from Lowe's or Home Depot. I'll be using the same again. It has an outlet on the end. We unboxed it, plugged it in and put in on top of the cabinets. I've never worried about clipping it to the cabinet or anything fancy.

My parents have a new kitchen and they have a vaulted ceiling over half their kitchen and they put two strips of rope on each cabinet just to make it brighter and have more 'umph'. You can do as much or as little as you want. If the rope is long just curl it up on top of the cabinet like a cobra and enjoy your ambient lighting!

I LOVE mine - they are the first thing I turn on in the morning and the LAST thing I turn off at night. It wakes me gently in the morning and during the day and at night it is a gentle, lovely illumination in the kitchen.

My motto: Lighting sets the mood of your kitchen and knobs are your jewelry! (I'm in knob hell right now, sorry about that! :-)

Be sure to post pictures - I can't wait to see your finished product. I have cabinets going in next weekend!
Jon1270
16 years ago
Before you commit, why not buy some rope lights, tape a cardboard box to the wall as a simulated cabinet (spaced appropriately from the ceiling), put the light up there and see how it looks? I'd worry that lights bright enough to provide meaningful illumination would create an odd glare if so close to the ceiling.
mary_in_nc
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for your responses. I'm headed to Home Depot tomorrow morning first thing to get some rope lights and try it out!

This forum is the best!

Help!! Cove lighting ideas

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Help!! Cove lighting ideas

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