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When it comes to lighting the home, there are many ways you can illuminate it and improve the aesthetics. One of the most popular lighting trends in modern interior design is the use of plinth lights. In this article, we’ll examine just what LED plinth lights are and how to incorporate them into your home.
What Are LED Plinth Lights?
Plinth lights, also sometimes called skirting board lights, toe-kick lights or kickboard lights, are low level lights intended for installation at the base of different structures in the home. They are designed for use along the bottom of kitchen cabinets, decks, stairs, bathroom cabinets and other such structures.
These lights provide low level illumination around the lower borders of these items. Their positioning allows them to create a soft and indirect glow near the ground, bringing illumination throughout the entire room.
How To Use Plinth Lights in a Kitchen
Kitchen lighting has many common elements that homeowners can universally incorporate and include fixtures such as chandeliers, pendant lights and cabinet lighting. Kitchen plinth lights are increasing in popularity due to their potential as accent lighting.
Kitchen kickboard lights work well when installed along the base of kitchen islands and cabinetry, adding a new dimension to the ambience and the efficiency of the room.
How Kickplate Lights Add Mood Lighting to a Kitchen
Kitchen kickboard LED lights are among the most popular kitchen lighting trends today. Part of their popularity is owed to their ability to add atmosphere and mood to the room.
INDIRECT LIGHTING – Due to the nature of LED cabinet lights, they provide a nice, indirect source of light. These lights also tend to shine down and slightly out, which can prevent glare when looking down at them. This can reduce harshness while also making the space more inviting.
- SOFT LIGHTING – The gentle, soft glow that kickplate lights emit beautifully diffuses through the kitchen, generating a cosy mood.
- VISUAL DEPTH – Including kickplate lights can add depth and visual intrigue to the space. This works by adding an additional layer of lighting to make the space more dynamic.
- WARM COLOUR TEMPERATURES – With warm colour temperatures available, these lights can give kitchens a cosy and inviting feel using familiar illumination that is easy on the eyes.
- DIMMABLE LIGHTS – If you choose lights that can dim, you can adjust the brightness of the light exactly where you like it to create ambience.
- HIGHLIGHTING DETAILS – Using kitchen plinth lights, you can draw attention to certain architectural features and generate some stylish accent lighting this way.
Different Types of Kitchen Plinth Lighting
Kickboards kitchen lighting comes in a variety of different styles and types. This makes it easy to incorporate them into kitchens of any type. The different kinds of under kickboard lighting include:
- STRIP LIGHTS – Strip lights are flexible, versatile and can be lined up easily at the bottom of cabinets.
- PUCK LIGHTS – Compact, small and round, these lights are good for providing localized, focused lighting.
- LINEAR LIGHTS – These are thin, long lights that are easy to install against the kickboard.
- ROPE LIGHTS – Similar to strip lights, rope lights come in a flexible tube that can be positioned easily along the kickboard.
- RECESSED LIGHTS – Kickboard spotlights recessed into the kickplates can give off light without their fixtures being visible. This makes them a good option for those who love modern minimalism.
- MOTION SENSOR LIGHTS – Save energy and money by having kickboard lights for kitchen areas turn on and off depending on the occupancy in the room.
How To Use Plinth Lights in a Bathroom
LED kickboard lights can also be installed in a bathroom. You are most likely to find bathroom plinth lights along the base of the sink and vanity area. With the right IP rating, you can also use them to line the perimeter of the baseboards in the bathroom or along the base of a bathtub.
Using skirting lights in the bathroom is an easy way to improve the mood and atmosphere of the room. They encourage a warmer, gentler look and feel in the bathroom, which is ideal for those who want their bathroom to feel like a relaxing spa.
You can get creative and use these lights in nontraditional places as well. An example is to use them around the edges of a vanity mirror to give it a luxurious look while providing task lighting for grooming. Placing them in or along drawers and cabinets will make it easier for you to find the items you need.
It is important to ensure that you get under plinth lighting that is properly rated if you intend to use them in the bathroom. Since the moisture level in bathrooms is higher than in any other room in the house, you’ll need to be sure the lights and your family and guests are protected. Choosing IP65 or higher-rated lights ensures safety, allowing you to use them anywhere in the bathroom without fear of damage.
How To Use Plinth Lights on a Stairway
Plinth lights also make for excellent architectural lighting. When you use plinth spotlights to illuminate staircases, you are not only showcasing the natural architecture of the space but making it easier to navigate them.
Plinth lights can guide a person’s step up or down the stairs, marking out clear pathways and making them easy to see. From a pure design standpoint, they can be installed along railings, banisters or landings to enhance these areas.
You can place plinth lights in distinct areas of the stairs themselves, including:
- Underneath each step to give excellent visibility and a modern touch
- Along the sides of the steps to create an indirect glow and accent the architecture
- Recessed into the risers of the stairs
Why LEDs Are the Best Choice for Plinth Lighting
LED lighting is slowly but surely overtaking halogen bulbs as the primary choice for domestic and commercial lighting alike. Using them in plinth lighting schemes can impart the benefits of these lights into your kitchen, bathroom or stairway.
Benefits of LED lighting include:
- ENERGY EFFICIENT LIGHTING – LEDs use significantly less energy than other light sources by transforming almost all of their energy into illumination. Compare this to halogen bulbs that use most of their energy up as heat.
With the limited energy usage of LEDs, you will see this reflected in your energy bills. This can also help reduce the size of your carbon footprint.
- LONG LASTING – LED fixtures are guaranteed to last for tens of thousands of hours as opposed to the 1,000 hours or so halogen bulbs promise. This will allow you to save money by not having to replace them as often.
- LOW MAINTENANCE LIGHTING – Due to their limited replacement needs, you won’t have to fuss with them too often. They will only need to be dusted off occasionally and checked for loose wiring.
- VERSATILITY – With so many colour temperature choices and lumen levels, you can stay in total control over the appearance of the lights.
How To Install LED Plinth Lights
Installation of plinth lights, regardless of the room, is a fairly simple and straightforward process. To install them, simply follow these steps:
- Plan out the placement. Take some time to decide where you want the lights installed. Ensure that you have them well-spaced to make them symmetrical.
- Drill the holes. Turn off the lights to prepare the workspace. Then, using the appropriate size drill bit, drill out the areas you have marked.
- Wire the setup. Begin to thread the lights through the lighting holes one at a time. If the wire ends up being too long, simply tie up the excess length and set it off to the side. Install a transformer that you will then connect low-voltage cables to. Thread these cables through the holes to attach the lights.
- Connect the lights. Attach the wires to the plinth lights using cable connectors after stripping the wire ends.
- Install the fixtures. Place the lights into the holes you drilled for them.
- Test the lights. Turn the power back on and ensure that the lights are working as they should.
- Refit the kickboard. Once you have installed the kitchen plinth LED lights and their wires, simply put the kickboard back in place. This can be done by drilling or gluing.
How Plinth Lights Can Create Ambience in the Home
As discussed, plinth lights can provide both functionality and atmosphere in the home beyond using them in the kickboards. Below are some other ideas to get you started planning your plinth lighting design:
Living Room
Dress up your entertainment centre by installing plinth lights around it. This can create a theatrical look that enhances the function of the space. Installing lights on shelving units and bookshelves is another popular option for showing off decor and books.
Bedroom
Use plinth lights under the bedside table or bed frame to create a romantic and indirect glow. For task lighting, you can install them in your closet or wardrobe to make it easier to select your outfits.
Dining Room
Installing plinth lights in display cabinets can draw attention to the finery within.
Home Theatre
If you have a dedicated home theater, you can get that cinema feel by lining the paths and steps into and through the theater itself.
Choosing the Best Colour Temperature for Your Kickboard Spotlights
Colour temperature, otherwise known as the coolness or warmth of a light, is an important thing to consider when purchasing plinth lights. Measured in degrees Kelvin, colour temperature exists on a scale of 1,000 to 10,000, with higher numbers indicating cooler lights and lower numbers indicating warm lights.
They can dictate the mood of the room, and so choosing the right one for various settings is crucial. When it comes to domestic settings, warm lights are generally preferred. That said, some people prefer to have a bright and cheerful kitchen instead.
Warm light is generally recommended for plinth lights. This is especially true if you want to use them to create a cosy and warm atmosphere. For this effect, it is recommended that you choose between 2700k to 3500k lights.
How To Space Kitchen Kickboard Spotlights
All kitchens are sized differently, so the spacing between the kickplates lights may vary from house to house. Even so, there are some general guidelines you can follow to determine how yours should be spaced.
- FIGURE OUT THE INTENSITY OF ILLUMINATION – Think about how bright you prefer the area to be. If you want to use them mostly for ambience, you won’t need as much light and can space them out further.
- DETERMINE THE KICKBOARD LENGTH – Measure the length of the kickboards so you can understand the total area you need to cover.
- PLAN OUT THE SPACING – For subtle ambience, decorative lighting or mood lighting, lights can be spaced 45 to 60 centimeters apart from one another. If you want something more functional, 30 to 45 centimeters between them would be ideal.
- KEEP IT SYMMETRICAL – However you choose to space them, be sure that you are using an even number of lights and are creating a sense of balance and symmetry with their placement.
Plinth Lighting Ideas
Generate illumination in any room in the house with the LSL009 Round 1 Watt Acrylic Recessed LED Kickplate Light. This kickplate light features a sandblasted acrylic diffuser that covers the entire fixture, softening the light. It shines 70 lumens of light, making it perfect as an indirect light source. Whether you want to install it in concrete or wood, it comes with fittings for both. Overall, it measures 46 millimeters in diameter.
Get a modern look along your kickboards with the LSL008 Square 1 Watt Acrylic Recessed LED Kickplate Light. This square-shaped light gives a contemporary touch to any room in which it is installed. It generates 70 lumens of 3000k warm white light that is diffused through a sandblasted acrylic plate. The product is well suited for installation in drywall, wood and concrete alike. The semi-recessed light measures 46 millimeters by 46 millimeters in size.
With the LDC880 1 Watt LED Plinth Lights Build Your Kit, you can install plinth lights on kickboards of any size. Each light measures only 23 millimeters in diameter with a depth of 27 millimeters. It shines 122 lumens of 3000k warm white light to generate a soft glow in any room. The fixture is offered in various colour finishes, giving you the option between gold, rose gold, polished chrome, silver, white or black to complement any decor.
