How Do You Feel About the LED Mood Lighting Trend?

Interesting discussion recently amongst friends about the proliferation of coloured LED lighting in the home as noticeable trend that has spilled from the hospitality field into home decor. The tech segment of friends liked adding mood lighting via LED light strips and noted the option to switch colours to set a mood was fun, while the other half found them a bit tacky and uneasy on the eyes ("they make rooms feel like a "hip" hotel lobby). What do you think about using LED inside the home?

Comments (8)

While I think most people end up using it in a tacky way I love the idea. For me the trick is to use it as filler and contrast, but not as the sole light source. Dim an overhead light or have a small floor lamp and then some low level accent/mood lighting. It fills out the lighting situation nicely. It is also great for av/computer equipment because it is easy on the eyes.

You've got to do stuff like that with a very, very, very light hand (no pun intended). The picture above, for instance, is wretched and overdone. Lighting behind a headboard, though? I think that can be very subtle and interesting.

I put a string of white rope Christmas lights on top of the armoire in my bedroom and plugged it into a "Clapper" that is nearly inaccessible and, fortunately, not visible except if you're right next to it. The setup gives nice soft light and can be easily turned on and off.

it definitely depends on the way you use it. i recently saw this philips "living colors" lamp in europe and i haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. it has 16 million color settings including white light http://www.consumer.philips.com/c/livingcolors/11637/cat/gb/

Remember that loft apartment from the show "My Two Dads"? That's where this belongs. (I have seen white LED lighting that worked well in small doses, on the other hand.)

I agree. I like led best in plain white for home use. Who wants to live in a lobby? One of the things I like about them, is that they are cool (not hot). Although they cost more they last a LOT longer than regular lights.

I think the big problem with it is that they al seem to cycle thru the 6 primary colours and white - no nice shades of offwhite, light blue, etc ever seem to come from them.

Great if you are a strip club or riced out car, not nice for a subtle accent.

I've only seen it done well once, in a private residence. The master bedroom (destroyed in by a hurricane) was redone with cove lighting that incorporated very subtle LED lighting in the cove, shining up onto the ceiling. It wasn't done in the bright, garish colors pictured above, but in soft, almost imperceptibly rosy or bluish tones to give the room a cooler or warmer feeling, depending on what the homeowner wanted. In general, though, most of the products I've seen commercially available are awful, even when executed by professional lighting designers.