fiber optic lighting question

[Dover]

I'm wondering if anyone can help me brainstorm about lighting options.

Here's the situation: I have 8 ft. ceilings and in my kitchen I've got cabinets that reach to about 7ft. high. So there is about a 12" wall space between the cabinets and the ceiling. The top of these cabinets is finished with a wide molding that sticks out from the wall about 3". So I'm making a wooden shoji-type grid to go around the top of the cabinets that will sit on this molding 'shelf' and go to the ceiling. This shoji screen will have either a thick rice paper, or more likely a translucent white plastic behind it to filter light.
So I need a light or string of lights to either attach to the wall/ceiling/ or shoji screen that will fit in that -3" space between the shoji screen and the wall that can go on a dimmer and won't produce any dangerous heat problems. I've considered christmas lights, and possibly very thin fluorescents (like those that go under and in cabinets) as well, but wonder about other options. I'm just not familiar with fiber optic or alternative choices but am thinking maybe that would work.

The length of the shoji screens will range from 6-8 feet each, so it has to be a really long light or a series of small ones.

Thanks.

[Dora]

1. Would rope lights would do the trick?

Something like this, except up high and behind a screen, no? http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/rm_kitchen_bath_counters/article/0,1797,HGTV_3745_1374329,00.html

http://www.residential-landscape-lighting-design.com/light-rope.htm

I think you can hard-wire them and put them on a dimmer, too.

[Dover]

2. Yes! That looks like it would work great! I wonder if they are dimmable?

But I'm very 'electricity challenged' and am a little confused about how they get wired up to your power source and switch.
These rope lights look very affordable. Thank you!

My neighbor suggested I do a google search using 'cove lighting' as my key words.
Sure enough, it brought up a lot of options, from flourescent to LED.
This site looks like it has EVERY OPTION in the book for ANY lighting situation. But some of the cove lighting kits are pretty pricey like the Xenon lights:

http://www.pegasusassociates.com/products/covelight/covelt.html

[Kolesar]

3. Be sure that your "screens" are flame-rated

This is wholly outside the lighting issue.

You want to select materials that will self-extinguish if exposed to a flame and then the flame source is removed. For example, if the toaster catches fire, burns something, then goes out, you don't want a lick of flame to get up to the screen and start it burning after the toaster fire burns out.

Therefore, the plastic material seems "best".