The way we decorate our homes is a reflection of our personality and make a house a home. Flooring, colour schemes, furniture style and layout, all contribute to create your individual style.
For a long time, decorating with light was limited to choosing lamp shades, the location of light sources and some dimming. LEDs, with their incredible versatility, have changed that, opening a world of possibilities to interior design.
LED lighting lends itself particularly well to contemporary design ideas, as it naturally looks futuristic. Open-plan living has become everybody’s aspiration it seems, but it can be tricky to make a large space look good and divide it into smaller spaces with different functions. Light can be used as a design element to structure space cleverly and elegantly. Say goodbye to feature walls, LEDs can be used to create focal points in a room too.
As LEDs are small and can come in flexible strips, they can be installed pretty much everywhere. Thinking about re-upholstering that armchair to change the look of your living-room? How about fitting it with LEDs instead and turning it into a spectacular item? Positioned under the seat for example, they will project a glow that seems to be coming from nowhere, adding character to an otherwise plain-looking piece of furniture.
LEDs can also be integrated into fabric such as curtains to produce festive and warm cascades of light, ideal to lift your spirit on a dull day. In door handles, tableware items and small appliances, they are another way to create a sci-fi interior.
Kitchens may have been the first room where LEDs were used to create under-cabinet, localised lighting or add a modern touch to cabinet plinths, for example, but you can now find them in every room. Perhaps some of the coolest applications are to be found in bathrooms. Washbasins suddenly come to life with supernatural looking glow and lit mirrors make you feel like a superstar. But that’s not all! LEDs taps and showerheads are easy to find and will transform your daily ablutions into a light show – and if you have children who don’t like washing, it is a great way to lure them and make bath time fun.
LEDs in a flexible strip can be shaped into anything and offer a wealth of decoration options, whether you buy them in a shop or decide to do it yourself. They can be combined with many materials such as wood to create unique items – Man-size illuminated twig designs are very popular.
LEDs come in different colours; they can be programmed into light patterns, and their level of brightness can be adjusted, which gives you an incredible number of options to play with to create just the right mood for all occasions.
You don’t want to go overboard and fit every single piece of furniture and soft furnishing in your home with LED lights, but strategically used, they will create an unforgettable space.