My rental kitchen has a single overhead light positioned directly above the center of the room. This means that when I stand at the counter, my own body casts a shadow on my cutting board. I have been cooking in my own shadow for three years.
Fixed it in an afternoon.
Under-Cabinet LED Strips
Adhesive LED strips mounted under the upper cabinets. They plug into an outlet inside the cabinet (there's always one — look carefully). Cost: $28. Install time: 20 minutes. The counter is now perfectly lit, no shadows, warm and functional.
The Pendant for Ambiance
I added a plug-in pendant over the corner of the counter I use for prep. It's not functional lighting — the LED strips handle that. It's aesthetic. It makes that corner feel like a destination rather than a surface.
The two together — task light below, ambient pendant above — cost under $100 and make my kitchen look designed. My food photos no longer look like they were taken in a bunker.
Shop this post: kitchen pendant lights and under-cabinet lighting
