Make Your Custom Millwork Glow From Within By Building In Hidden Light Fixtures

Custom cabinetry is an essential element in the design of upper echelon residences. Kitchens, libraries, display cabinets, studies, great rooms and butler pantries all require the touch of a master millworker to underscore the impeccable taste of the owner. But no matter how elegant these rooms may appear during daylight hours, nightfall can reduce a luxurious look to a very ordinary appearance.

Installing inconspicuous lighting sources within your cabinetry enables the owner to create a magical glow from inside, thereby enhancing the appearance of the contents and complementing the look and feel of the entire room. Proper selection of lighting will transform the mundane to the extraordinary. However, poorly designed and executed lighting can produce the opposite and sometimes disastrous effects.

One of the most common mistakes in designing and crafting built in shelving is not providing any lighting within. Once the units are built and installed, it becomes far more difficult to retrofit lighting into these spaces. This is especially true when the shelves are adjustable, whether they are wood or glass.

Another common mistake is installing puck lights in the top of display cabinet sections when glass shelves are being used. Light intensity decreases exponentially as it travels downward and objects on each successive glass shelf create shadows below. The net result is never what is desired or anticipated.

Providing internal lighting in the design is important, but is easily compromised if the back of the cabinet is mirrored or highly reflective. In this instance, the objective of adding the perception of depth is accomplished but a new problem is created. The contents may be beautifully illuminated, but the effect is spoiled by the reflections of the lights in the back of the cabinet.

Kitchen cabinets and butler pantries these days are more than just places to store dishes. As more homeowners are specifying glass pane cabinet doors, the cabinets become display cases for crystal, china, glassware, distinctive plates and a variety of items of interest. Not only is it essential to provide proper illumination, but also manage potential heat buildup in such closed spaces.

Concern over heat production from lighting and overall energy efficiency will inevitably lead toward LED lights. This is another area in which up to date knowledge is critical to making proper choices in lighting, both in terms of performance as well as aesthetics.

The best results are achieved by consulting a manufacturer of custom lighting sources specifically designed to be built into custom cabinetry. Their experience and expertise is invaluable when utilized at the design phase of the project. Often minor modifications to the cabinet design can result in major improvements to the finished product. The knowledge you will gain will allow you to apply some basic principles in your future work and distinguish you in the eyes of your clientele.

Phantom Lighting manufactures specialized strip lighting fixtures that fulfill all the technical and aesthetic qualities of exceptional custom cabinet, cove and under cabinet lighting. See our strip Lighting and Fine Art Lighting products at http://www.phantomlighting.com

Tagged as: cabinet lighting, cabinets