How do I plan accent lighting inside NB upper cabinets?

Interior cabinet accent lighting transforms upper cabinets from simple storage into a design feature — and in New Brunswick kitchens, it's one of the most impactful upgrades you can make for under $500 if you go the DIY route.

The most popular option for interior cabinet lighting is LED strip lights or puck lights, mounted along the front interior edge or top of the cabinet box. LED strips give a continuous, even glow that works beautifully with glass-front doors, while puck lights create focused pools of light better suited to solid-door cabinets with display shelving. Both are available in warm white (2700-3000K) — the right choice for kitchens where you want a cozy, inviting tone rather than the clinical feel of cool white.

Planning Your Layout

Start by deciding which cabinets you're lighting. Glass-front uppers are the obvious choice — the light shows through and creates depth. Open-shelf cabinets are also excellent candidates. For a cohesive look, light all the cabinets on one wall rather than alternating, which can look patchy. Measure the interior perimeter of each cabinet — most LED strip kits come in 1-metre or 5-metre rolls and can be cut to length at designated cut points.

Power source is the key planning decision. Plug-in LED strip kits are fully DIY-friendly — you route a thin wire through a small drilled hole in the cabinet side and plug into an existing outlet inside the cabinet or at the back of the cabinet run. Hardwired systems look cleaner (no visible cords) but require an electrician and potentially a permit if you're adding a new circuit. In most NB kitchens, plug-in systems are the practical choice unless you're doing a full renovation where an electrician is already on site.

NB-Specific Considerations

New Brunswick's dry winter air (indoor humidity dropping to 15-25% with forced-air heating) means LED lights are actually the right call — they produce minimal heat, which matters inside enclosed wood cabinets. Older incandescent or halogen puck lights generated enough heat to dry out cabinet interiors and warp shelving over time. Stick with LEDs exclusively.

If your home is pre-1990s stock — common across Moncton, Fredericton, Saint John, and rural NB — check that the outlets near your upper cabinets are on circuits that can handle additional load. Most LED strip systems draw very little power (5-15 watts per cabinet), so this is rarely an issue, but it's worth confirming.

Practical Tips

Choose LED strips with an adhesive backing and a separate aluminum channel — the channel diffuses the light so you don't see individual LED dots, and it protects the strip from dust. Add a dimmer switch inline if your strips are dimmable (most quality strips are) — being able to dial the brightness down in the evening makes a real difference. If you have multiple cabinets, look for connectable kits that run from one power source rather than requiring a separate plug for each cabinet.

When to hire a pro: The plug-in version is a genuine DIY project — no permit required, no electrical knowledge needed beyond plugging something in. If you want hardwired lighting integrated into your cabinet run with a wall switch, that's electrical work requiring a licensed electrician and likely a permit through your municipality or Regional Service Commission. Don't skip the permit on hardwired work — it protects you at resale.

If you're planning a broader kitchen refresh alongside this, New Brunswick Kitchens can match you with a local renovator who can incorporate hardwired cabinet lighting into the overall project scope — get matched for free through the New Brunswick Construction Network.