# Interior Drawer Lighting Options for Kitchen Flatware



## Lovegasoline (Sep 27, 2009)

I'd like to get some input on options for lighting the inside of two kitchen flatware/utensil drawers.
Drawers are approximately 18.5" (L) x 12.5" (w) x 4.5" (H) and will be mounted on Blum Tandem/Blumotion undermount slides.

The cabinet specs are as follows:
-Built-in
-IIRC the cabinet face frame was fabricated using biscuit, not M&T (I need to consult my notes!).
-Countertop shown in the photo is a temporary mock up but the actual one is the same dimension and profile. 
-A cutting board slot (which will be populated by a cutting board eventually) resides above the drawers separated from the latter by a face frame rail. 
-The aforementioned face frame rail above the drawers and below the cutting board slot measures exactly 1" tall. This rail will need to contain low-profile rabbeted wood slides spanning the cabinet's depth for the cutting board to slide on. I've been recently rethinking this area of the cabinet and think it would be a good idea to add a (plywood?) full width rail behind this face frame rail (perhaps 4" or so deep?) to keep the face frame rail straight and offer it some support. 
-If I do include a support rail, any lighting would likely need to be embedded in a routed - or cut out - recess. Such lighting would need to be low profile, 1" or less in height, in order to fit behind the rail with all the wiring cleanly routed to clear drawers and cutting board. 
-L.E.D. lighting.
-Automatic on/off upon drawer/opening closure. 
-No harsh cool kelvin temps ... mellow warm color light of the correct lumens to reveal the drawer contents. 
-Maybe an option for smart lighting? At present there's no smart anything. 
-Design: inexpensive, well made, reliable, not a clunky artifact from some unskilled lighting designer. 

-Other Real Estate: the stile between the drawers will very likely include a 3/8" or so diameter hole drilled in the center of the stile and 1/2" or below the cutting board slot, into which a metal rod will be inserted the full depth of the cabinet with a small dia. brass knob threaded onto it outside the cabinet, and captured at the back of the cabinet where it's other end will have a large leather backed steel washer (or similar) which the rear of the cutting board will make contact with: pulling on the knob will move the rod forward and the cutting board with it, so that its end stands proud of the cabinet so it can be removed. The rod will likely have a captured spring at the back so that it returns flush with the cabinet when released ... like the rod that launches the ball on a pinball machine. (The reason for designing a contraption like this is there's only 1" of clearance between the cutting board and the rear of the cabinet. I'd prefer to use a small spring loaded door/drawer catch but I don't think they make one in under 1" length that would work. The cutting board cannot be shortened as it will be dimensioned to fit a vintage double farmers sink and cover either side of the sink completely, sliding on the sink's rabbeted ledge from one side of the sink to the other and creating a large secondary work surface atop the sink. 

Any suggestions or comments?


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## Lovegasoline (Sep 27, 2009)

Image showing hole location in rail for cutting board pull-out rod:


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