You Might Not Think You Need IKEA’s Drawer Lights, But Have You Ever Tried to Snack Late at Night?

Don’t you just hate it when you have to sneak into your own kitchen to grab a snack at night like you’re some kind of burglar? In your own home? In order not to wake anyone up, you tiptoe to the cabinets, opening them as quietly as possible, navigate your kitchen inventory in the dark, and never slam anything or even think about using the microwave. But as stealthy and conscientious as we try to be, finding food in total darkness can be annoying. Luckily, furniture megastore IKEA has a genius solution.

The LED light strip (called OMLOPP)  is designed to be easily installed, switches on and off automatically (no feeling for light switches in the dark), is energy efficient, and lasts for 25,000 hours (which translates to 20 years if used three hours a day). The lightbulbs are already included, so you don’t need to buy separate ones (you won’t be able to replace them anyway—good thing these lights last for like, a quarter of our lives).

IKEA offers a variety of sizing options (14’’, 17’’, 23’’, 29’’, and 34’’) to suit your space. Need lights for your utensil drawer? Your pots and pans cabinet? The secret spot you keep your Girl Scout cookies? Just measure those spaces and select which size(s) work best. The light strip is affordable, too, starting at $17.99 for the 14’’ and $29.99 for the 34’’ option. 

Most customers have given the OMLOPP the thumbs up. One review states, “I bought these lights for all my lower drawer cabinets…everyone [comments] on how neat that is especially in the evening with low lighting, you can see everything in the cabinet.” Another says, “I love being able to walk into my kitchen at night, open a drawer and see [everything] in the drawer with such ease.” #Goals. 

The drawbacks? One reviewer states that some of the lights have a slight delay, while another customer wasn’t happy that the cord and plug are sold separately (when shopping at IKEA, always double check to see if the product you’re interested in is meant to be sold by itself, or needs accompanying tools). Overall, customers seemed pretty happy with how the lights functioned and supported their nocturnal noshing needs.