The right combination of ambient light and color can shift your state of mind and make a room feel more joyful and welcoming. In spaces with balanced light, you can almost feel a specific mood imbued in the play of lights. Rooms without accent lighting may be well lit, but they can feel flat and dissatisfying.
Wouldn’t it be great to infuse your home with subtle light and color that improve your mental and emotional health? LED strips turn rooms into works of art that you can change to suit your desired mood. Learn how to make the most of this subtle, yet powerful home decor supplement.
Use Current Light Fixtures
Include current light fixtures in your ambient lighting project. For instance, if you have tall lamps with linen lampshades, use them to add luminous layers and dimensions to accent lighting. Consider investing in custom lampshades if your current shades feel outdated or if you want to use more than ambient light to renew your home’s decor.
Light fixtures also draw the eye to specific furnishings, room elements, and decor details you wish to highlight while using accent lighting. You may reposition lamps while adding ambient light, but think about how you use the light fixture. For example, keep a lamp near a couch or armchair if you like to read in those spaces.
Include Task and Indirect Lighting
Who says you can’t enjoy practical lighting while invoking a subdued mood in different rooms? LED strips are great for task lighting in areas such as the bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom. Run a strip of warm lights behind your bed’s headboard, so you can read before bed without worrying about the light disrupting your sleep patterns.
Other great spaces for task lighting include a writing desk, sewing station, workbench, and drafting table. Decide what color temperature and light intensity work best for specific tasks, and experiment with LED strip placement until you find a setup you love.
Indirect lighting harnesses the power of shadow to shift how you see familiar spaces in your home. Stretch your hallway into infinity by running LED lights along the edges of the floor and ceiling. Indirect lighting’s also great for illuminating the bathroom at night without disturbing others or straining your eyes to see.
Install Dimmers
Say goodbye to “good enough” lighting by installing dimmer switches with LED lights. Dimmers let you mold silhouettes and shapes of light according to your desires. While entertaining guests, brighten lights near the ceiling and dim lights along the floor. For a serene atmosphere, dim ceiling lights and raise lower lights.
You may not need to hire a professional to install dimmers. LED light dimmers work via a control unit, which relies on computer software to work.
Know Which LED Strips To Buy
You may feel overwhelmed by the many LED options available, such as RGBW lights, plain white LEDs, and RGB strips. Narrow your choices by focusing on the light’s features. Some lights you can program to change colors, while others remain static. You may prefer LED lights that shift hue by the section or ones that assign a single pigment to the entire strip.
While creating your ambient lighting budget, consider whether you may need additional supplies. You can link LED strips without soldering, but you’ll need connectors or solderless clamps. Buy LED light strip channels if you want to diffuse light for more options.
Double-check your measurements before buying lights, so you don’t risk buying a strip that’s too long or too short. It may help to draw a diagram of the room that notes connection points, outlets, the power supply, and other lights.
Say goodbye to lackluster home lighting. A few well-placed LED strips turn your house into a cozy oasis of your design.
