Proper under-cabinet lighting in the kitchen throws essential task light onto counters during meal prep, and it can also create just the right ambiance when you’re entertaining. The upgrade used to mean hiring an electrician to hardwire the fixtures and mount them to the underside of your upper cabinets. But there are now a bunch of DIY-friendly options that make the project easy for anyone to tackle.
Our top picks:
- Most versatile: Cync Reveal HD+ Smart Undercabinet Light Fixture
- Easiest to install: Philips Hue Smart LED Solo Lightstrip Base Kit
- Best mood lighting: GE Lighting LED Battery-Powered Puck Light
Here are three picks from our team in the Good Housekeeping Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab. Find the one that’s right for you, and you’ll see the light in no time.
Cync Reveal HD+ Smart Undercabinet Light Fixture
Cync Reveal HD+ Smart Undercabinet Light Fixture
Winner of a Good Housekeeping Home Reno Award, the Cync Reveal was the industry’s first Wi-Fi–enabled under-cabinet fixture, offering hassle-free wireless installation and the ability to control the light by voice command or through the smartphone app. I love that you can choose any color you like—from bright white during meal prep to a warm yellow over dessert to something bright and festive during holiday parties. All five of our expert testers who installed the Cync Reveal gave it perfect marks for brightness and overall quality. The Cync app makes it easy to set schedules, including programming the lights to turn on and off when you’re away from home to deter would-be burglars.
Philips Hue Smart LED Solo Lightstrip Base Kit
Philips Hue Smart LED Solo Lightstrip Base Kit
Peel-and-stick strip lights are the simplest type of under-cabinet lighting. Philips pioneered the smart lighting category when it launched its Philips Hue smart bulb in 2012, and it’s still a leader in the field. The light strip builds on the same app-controlled, color-changing technology, but its true beauty in under-cabinet applications is ease of installation. Simply cut the strip to your desired size, peel off the backing, and stick it to the bottom of the cabinet. The lightstrip comes in 10-, 16-, and 33-foot lengths, so it’s a great solution for kitchens of all sizes, where it can crank out up to 1,700 lumens of continuous task lighting.
GE Lighting LED Battery-Powered Puck Light
GE Lighting LED Battery-Powered Puck Light
Under-cabinet pucks are known for the elegant pools of light they drop onto countertops. That might not be the ideal form of task lighting, compared with linear strips, but it sure adds ambiance. I like these battery-powered pucks from GE Lighting, especially if you don’t have a discreet outlet in the cabinet for a plug-in fixture (yes, there will always be an outlet on the kitchen backsplash, but then you’re left with a dangling cord). To install, either screw the lightweight pucks to the cabinet bottom or stick them in place with the 3M adhesive pads. The dimmable fixtures are operated by the remote control that’s included with the 3-pack.
