Open drawer with integrated LED lighting and oak cutlery insert under warm under-cabinet light

Features · Lighting

Under cabinet lighting and integrated kitchen LED

Good under cabinet lighting is the most useful light in a kitchen: an even, shadow-free line on the worktop where you work. Around it we plan quieter layers — glass cabinets, drawers, plinths and handle channels — so the kitchen looks finished at night.

Design your kitchen Visit the showroom

Illustrative interior

01Task light first

Planning under cabinet lighting

Ceiling lights sit behind you, so at the worktop your own head casts the shadow. Under cabinet lighting solves that: a continuous LED line set toward the front of each wall unit lights the worktop and the backsplash evenly. On polished stone or gloss tile, we position and shield the strip so you see the light, not the dots reflected in the surface.

Brightness is easy to over- or under-buy. Nolte’s own guidance for worktop lighting is 300–500 lumens per meter of worktop — about 90–150 lumens per foot. Some US guides quote 300–500 lumens per foot, which is a much brighter target, so we agree the level with you and plan it on a dimmer either way.

02Light zones

Where LED goes in a Nolte kitchen

Under wall units
Task lights in different lengths, including sets with a dimming sensor, under every wall cabinet run.
Inside cabinets
Glass-door cabinet lights, lit glass shelves and shelf planks, and ring lights in the cabinet base.
Drawers & pull-outs
Sensor-switched drawer lighting that comes on as you open it; battery LED in the Le Mans corner unit.
Plinth / toe kick
A soft line at floor level that makes base units appear to float and doubles as a night light.
Handle channels
MatrixArt recessed profiles — horizontal and vertical — can be LED-illuminated.
Wall & niche profiles
LED upstand profiles above the worktop and lit rail systems along the backsplash.

White and wood kitchen with LED-trimmed island and bar stools — Nolte Küchen design

03Color & control

Warm, cool or both

Color temperature changes how fronts and stone look. Warm white around 2700–3000 K flatters oak, walnut and cream lacquer in the evening; neutral to cool white shows true food color while you cook. Nolte’s Emotion technology lets zones switch between warm white 3000 K and cool white 6000 K, by remote, app or smart home.

Nolte’s Intelligent Lighting adds four-channel control, adjustable color temperature, integration of external Zigbee lights, and control by app, remote or voice. A simple starting point is three scenes: cooking, dining and night. You can preview 2700–4000 K light in the 3D configurator.

04Planning values

Kitchen LED at a glance

Worktop brightness (Nolte guidance): 300–500 lm per meter (about 90–150 lm per foot)
General room light (Nolte guidance): About 300 lm per m² (about 28 lm per sq ft)
Tunable white (Emotion): Warm white 3000 K to cool white 6000 K
Evening ambience: We recommend about 2700–3000 K
Control: Dimmer, remote, app, voice; Zigbee integration with Intelligent Lighting

05US projects

Wiring, code and your electrician

Integrated lighting needs power at the right places before the cabinets arrive: feeds for the wall units, the plinth and any lit drawers, plus an accessible spot for the LED drivers. We mark these on the drawings your electrician works from. US homes run on 120 V and fixtures need US listing, so we confirm at planning which Nolte lighting components are available for your order and where listed local LED fixtures are planned instead.

California’s Title 24 energy code sets efficiency and control requirements for permanently installed residential lighting, kitchens included. Treat this as general guidance: your electrician or lighting designer confirms what applies to your permit. Lighting works with the rest of the plan — see kitchen features, hardware and gadgets and storage organizers — and you can see it in person at a consultation.

FAQ

Questions, answered

Still deciding? Call +1 (213) 776-0000 or send us your plan.

Ask a designer

What color temperature is best for under cabinet lighting?

Warm white around 2700–3000 K for most homes, especially with wood or warm lacquer fronts. If you want crisp light for cooking and warm light for the evening, tunable white (3000–6000 K in Nolte’s Emotion system) gives you both.

How bright should under cabinet lighting be?

Nolte recommends 300–500 lumens per meter of worktop, about 90–150 lumens per foot. Some US guides suggest far more. We plan the level with you and always put it on a dimmer.

Do I need an electrician for integrated kitchen lighting?

Yes. Hardwired LED, drivers and switching are electrical work. We provide the positions and loads on our drawings; your licensed electrician installs and confirms code and Title 24 requirements.

Is toe-kick lighting worth it?

Plinth light costs little when planned in, makes the kitchen look lighter and works as a gentle night light. It also outlines the base run softly, without any glare.

Can drawer lighting run on batteries?

Some Nolte solutions do: the Le Mans corner unit is available with battery LED, and the nolteneo neoBOX drawer has battery LED strips that switch off when the drawer closes. Other drawer lighting is wired and sensor-switched.