Hello AT,

I recently came up with a great use for a pair of shoji screens. I decided to make a dramatic angular statement by leaning them against the wall in my bedroom. Then, when I was trying to decide on ambient lighting for the room, inspiration struck: why not place illumination behind the screens? However, I have no experience with lighting fixtures.

So my question is this: how can I construct a lighting element for behind the screens?...

I have the following concerns:

1: Safety. The floor is carpet and the screens are paper. I want to
avoid the risk of fire.

2: Distribution. I think a long, even light placed low would work the best.

3: Dimmer. I think the best effect would be achieved by a dim light.

Thanks for any advice!

Best, Brendan

Dear Brendan,

We LOVE your room!

For a nice cheap solution, we would buy two long undercounter lights (halogen) in white, attach them to a dimmer and place them on the floor facing upwards behind your screen. Another option would be to buy 3 or 4 small uplights (incandescent) and place them behind your screen. We would use an extension plug dimmer and plug all lights into it. All of this could be purchased at a hardware or lighting store.

Anyone else??