Decorating
How to Transform Your Home With LEDs
In the dark about how to use LED lighting to create certain effects in your home? Let this expert guide illuminate you
The revolution in LED bulbs has opened up a whole new range of opportunities for lighting our homes. The flexibility in how LEDs can be used, combined with their cost-effectiveness, makes them the all-round best option in lighting design today. However, there are a number of factors involved in achieving the perfect look and feel to suit your home, including early planning. Here’s what to consider to help you get the most from your LED lighting.
Make the most of their bonus features
There are further benefits to choosing LEDs over halogens and incandescents. LEDs do not heat up, which aids energy-efficiency and cost-effectiveness, and also greatly improves safety in the home.
LEDs contain no poisonous mercury or easily shattered glass, meaning they’re less of a safety hazard if they break. They also turn on to full brightness instantly, unlike their low-energy alternatives, CFL lamps.
It’s worth investing in the better LED lamps available, as they will function for many, many years, saving you the effort and money of replacing them frequently.
Find out more about the cost effectiveness of LEDs
There are further benefits to choosing LEDs over halogens and incandescents. LEDs do not heat up, which aids energy-efficiency and cost-effectiveness, and also greatly improves safety in the home.
LEDs contain no poisonous mercury or easily shattered glass, meaning they’re less of a safety hazard if they break. They also turn on to full brightness instantly, unlike their low-energy alternatives, CFL lamps.
It’s worth investing in the better LED lamps available, as they will function for many, many years, saving you the effort and money of replacing them frequently.
Find out more about the cost effectiveness of LEDs
Consider the effect you want to create
The style of light you choose will have a great effect on the atmosphere of a space. The three ways you can control this with LED bulbs are through the colour warmth, the true RGB colour and the CRI score.
Here’s a little more about each of those terms:
The style of light you choose will have a great effect on the atmosphere of a space. The three ways you can control this with LED bulbs are through the colour warmth, the true RGB colour and the CRI score.
Here’s a little more about each of those terms:
Colour warmth
As illustrated, colour warmth refers to the scale from cold white/blue light to a warmer yellow/orange appearance, which is traditionally associated with incandescent bulbs.
Colder white light is more common in bathrooms and kitchens, where it’s important to see clearly, as it appears brighter and crisper. The warmer the colour temperature, the more comfortable the light usually feels, so light closer to yellow/orange tends to suit living areas and bedrooms best.
It all comes down to personal preference, but either way it’s important to plan early in order to create the desired atmosphere in your lighting design.
As illustrated, colour warmth refers to the scale from cold white/blue light to a warmer yellow/orange appearance, which is traditionally associated with incandescent bulbs.
Colder white light is more common in bathrooms and kitchens, where it’s important to see clearly, as it appears brighter and crisper. The warmer the colour temperature, the more comfortable the light usually feels, so light closer to yellow/orange tends to suit living areas and bedrooms best.
It all comes down to personal preference, but either way it’s important to plan early in order to create the desired atmosphere in your lighting design.
Colour RGB
Perhaps the most exciting innovation in LED bulbs is the potential for lighting your home with up to 16 million colours. LED technology can reproduce colour RGB (red, green, blue, which are the three additive primary colours). This means that any combination of pure red, green or blue can be mixed to emit light in almost any colour.
The implications for combining colours and creating scenes is almost limitless, and you can control how these work in a number of ways, more of which in Mood lighting, below.
Perhaps the most exciting innovation in LED bulbs is the potential for lighting your home with up to 16 million colours. LED technology can reproduce colour RGB (red, green, blue, which are the three additive primary colours). This means that any combination of pure red, green or blue can be mixed to emit light in almost any colour.
The implications for combining colours and creating scenes is almost limitless, and you can control how these work in a number of ways, more of which in Mood lighting, below.
Colour rendering
All bulbs have a quality rating out of 100 for how well they reveal colour, which is called the colour rendering index (CRI). This is especially something to look out for when researching LED bulbs.
80-100 is considered very good and almost essential for the bright lights in a working environment, such as over a kitchen worktop, where it’s useful to clearly see what you’re doing. A score of 60-80 can be suitable for a relaxed living room atmosphere, but anything below 60 and the light will be very poor.
All bulbs have a quality rating out of 100 for how well they reveal colour, which is called the colour rendering index (CRI). This is especially something to look out for when researching LED bulbs.
80-100 is considered very good and almost essential for the bright lights in a working environment, such as over a kitchen worktop, where it’s useful to clearly see what you’re doing. A score of 60-80 can be suitable for a relaxed living room atmosphere, but anything below 60 and the light will be very poor.
Types of LED Lights
Spotlighting
An LED bulb emits very directional light, as opposed to traditional bulbs, which scatter light in all directions. This makes them particularly effective as ceiling spot lamps, which are very popular in modern lighting design.
Swapping halogen bulbs for LEDs will quickly cut your energy bill, as halogen bulbs are designed to heat up until they glow red hot and give off light as a result, which is very energy-inefficient. You also won’t have to worry about replacing blown bulbs for a very long time, due to the longevity of LEDs.
This is a popular retrofit option for simple LED efficiency. However, planning ahead for integrated lighting design with LED bulbs offers far more potential.
Spotlighting
An LED bulb emits very directional light, as opposed to traditional bulbs, which scatter light in all directions. This makes them particularly effective as ceiling spot lamps, which are very popular in modern lighting design.
Swapping halogen bulbs for LEDs will quickly cut your energy bill, as halogen bulbs are designed to heat up until they glow red hot and give off light as a result, which is very energy-inefficient. You also won’t have to worry about replacing blown bulbs for a very long time, due to the longevity of LEDs.
This is a popular retrofit option for simple LED efficiency. However, planning ahead for integrated lighting design with LED bulbs offers far more potential.
Display lighting
Spot lamps also work really well in display units. Because LEDs don’t heat up, they can be concealed more easily; the risk of heat damage or even fire makes it very hard to install halogens in small spaces like these, whereas LEDs, being cool to the touch, are much safer to work around.
You can also use this effect in the kitchen for illuminating underneath units and inside cabinets, or in the bedroom inside wardrobes.
Discover more ways to use concealed lighting
Spot lamps also work really well in display units. Because LEDs don’t heat up, they can be concealed more easily; the risk of heat damage or even fire makes it very hard to install halogens in small spaces like these, whereas LEDs, being cool to the touch, are much safer to work around.
You can also use this effect in the kitchen for illuminating underneath units and inside cabinets, or in the bedroom inside wardrobes.
Discover more ways to use concealed lighting
Mood lighting
LED lights are the perfect solution for mood lighting in the home, with their colour-changing effects not possible with any other bulb type.
The RGB capabilities of LED bulbs mean any colour can be emitted and also changed dynamically. You can set the colour via mobile or tablet control, or integrate it with your home automation system – for example, you could set your bedroom LEDs to fade into red and orange for a sunrise effect in the mornings.
Strips of LED lights and spot lamps can be combined to further develop the atmosphere, as seen in this wine cellar.
LED lights are the perfect solution for mood lighting in the home, with their colour-changing effects not possible with any other bulb type.
The RGB capabilities of LED bulbs mean any colour can be emitted and also changed dynamically. You can set the colour via mobile or tablet control, or integrate it with your home automation system – for example, you could set your bedroom LEDs to fade into red and orange for a sunrise effect in the mornings.
Strips of LED lights and spot lamps can be combined to further develop the atmosphere, as seen in this wine cellar.
Garden lighting
Using LED lights in the garden offers yet more potential for dramatic effects and displays. Where lighting is largely decorative and part of the integrated design, the durability and low power of LED bulbs provides the perfect solution. The lack of heat emission from LEDs compared to halogen bulbs also makes them safer for plants, wildlife and wooden decking, as seen in this creatively lit south London garden.
Considering beam angles and colour temperature can also create some fantastic effects in the darkness of the garden. The contrast of a soft, warm glow on featured plants against a focused bright spotlight on the decking or path works very well.
Using LED lights in the garden offers yet more potential for dramatic effects and displays. Where lighting is largely decorative and part of the integrated design, the durability and low power of LED bulbs provides the perfect solution. The lack of heat emission from LEDs compared to halogen bulbs also makes them safer for plants, wildlife and wooden decking, as seen in this creatively lit south London garden.
Considering beam angles and colour temperature can also create some fantastic effects in the darkness of the garden. The contrast of a soft, warm glow on featured plants against a focused bright spotlight on the decking or path works very well.
Plan it right
The best integrated LED lighting has to be planned ahead of major renovations to work in all the best design features I’ve touched on here. Professional specification is also important as, once LED fixtures are built in, they can’t easily be reached for maintenance. This also ensures allowances are made for locations of the drivers, which control LED lighting.
With all the incredible features of LED lighting, combined with proper specification and planning, only your imagination is the limit of what you can achieve.
TELL US…
Have you used LED lighting for dramatic effect in your home, or do you have any exciting plans for the future? Share your thoughts and tips in the Comments below.
The best integrated LED lighting has to be planned ahead of major renovations to work in all the best design features I’ve touched on here. Professional specification is also important as, once LED fixtures are built in, they can’t easily be reached for maintenance. This also ensures allowances are made for locations of the drivers, which control LED lighting.
With all the incredible features of LED lighting, combined with proper specification and planning, only your imagination is the limit of what you can achieve.
TELL US…
Have you used LED lighting for dramatic effect in your home, or do you have any exciting plans for the future? Share your thoughts and tips in the Comments below.
LED technology encompasses all the best features of traditional bulbs, as well as having additional benefits.
Modern LED bulbs now have the dimming capabilities of halogens and incandescents without the wasted efficiency. However, it’s important to specify the right driver (which works like a transformer to step down the mains voltage) and a compatible dimming switch due to the very low voltage of LEDs. This can prevent issues after installation, such as buzzing noises and flickering lights.
It’s also possible to control LED lights remotely from mobile devices. This has an added security benefit, as you can set the lights to come on when you’re away or be triggered by alarms and movement.