Kitchen Plinth Lighting - A Small Upgrade That Makes A Big Difference
Posted by Navdip Gahir on 31st Jul 2025
You’ve probably noticed that many high end kitchens have a soft glow around the floor, more specifically where your kitchen cabinets are.
You’ve also probably noticed that it looks very, very chic.
It’s called under-plinth lighting, and the good news for you is that it’s easier than you think to add it to your kitchen.
And depending on the size of your kitchen, all it takes is a few metres of tape to transform it into something from a premium kitchen brochure.
Let’s take a deeper look at how to do this, and why you should add strip lights to your kitchen.
Why Add Strip Light To My Kitchen Plinths?
As mentioned in the intro section, under-plinth lighting adds a completely new wow factor to your kitchen, without having to spend thousands on new units and worktops.
On top of the aesthetic value, kitchen plinth lighting also serves a practical purpose too, in that it can act as low-level lighting early in the morning or late at night, without blinding you before your eyes have adjusted - ideal for a quick late-night snack if you’re feeling peckish.
And as a nice added bonus, they provide a nice boost to the overall perceived value of the space, at a relatively small up front cost!
Choosing The Right Tape For Kitchen Plinths
The main thing to bear in mind here is that you’re not after general illumination - you just want a nice glow that adds some nice ambience to the kitchen.
It’s for this reason that we’d recommend an 8W tape, as it’s not too bright that it will overpower the space.
As far as colours are concerned, we’d stick with single colour for most kitchens.
You can opt for Warm White (3000K) to create that cosy, inviting vibe, or if you have a modern kitchen with clean colours and minimalist design, then you could go a step cooler with Day Light (4000K).
Whilst you can get away with IP20 tape as it won’t be directly water facing, you can install IP65 tape as a precaution to protect against accidental spillages and mopping.
Best Placement For The ‘Floating Kitchen’ Looks
It goes without saying that the strips need to go under the plinth. But for optimal installation, you’ll want to stick them set back so that they’re totally out of sight, so that you can’t even see the sides of the chips. Remember, all you’re after here is the downwashing glow.
Beyond that, it’s simply just a case of running it continuously in as straight a line as possible for even light distribution.
For a really premium finish, you can optionally use corner connectors if you need to run the tape round 90o corners.
Optional Accessories
Besides the tape, driver and 2-core cable that you will need for your single colour installation, there are some extra bits that can take your kitchen plinth lighting up another level.
We’ve already touched on the corner connectors that give you a really neat finish for 90o bends, but an Aluminium Profile could also be an option for a) a neat installation, but also b) a safer install.
This is because the Profile will protect the tape from knocks whilst cleaning, and even the odd accidental kick too.
A really fancy option that would help you to automate your lighting to a certain degree is the motion sensor. It’s as simple as it sounds, in that your lights will switch on automatically when the motion sensor detects that someone is in the space.
If the idea of automation sounds appealing, then you may also want to consider smart lighting options using our 5-in-1 Wi-Fi Receiver. This gives you the opportunity to set up scenes like “night mode”, where your plinth lighting comes on but at, say 50% brightness (though this will require a dimmable driver to do so).
Don’t forget that under cabinet lighting is also a great thing to have in your kitchen. Not only does it look great, but it also serves as brilliant task lighting directly above your worktops.
Getting Your Kitchen Upgraded With LED Strip Lights
Buying and installing LED strip lights underneath your kitchen plinths is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to radically transform your kitchen space. All it takes is a few metres of tape, some core cable and a driver and you’re all set to go!
It helps make your kitchen feel very premium, without having to rip out all your current units and spend thousands in the process. Crucially though, plinth lighting can make it look like you have spent thousands on it.
If this is something that you want to know more about, and fit in your kitchen at home, then our team can help. They can put together bespoke quotes for you, and handle all the cutting and soldering for you too.
All you need to do is give them a call on 0116 321 4120, or send them an email to sales@wled.co.uk.
You can also send us a message on our Facebook and Instagram pages too. For all things LED lighting, you can also check out our YouTube channel.