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5 Ways To Light Up Drawers with LEDs

Gregory Han
Gregory Han
A Los Angeles native, Gregory’s interests fall upon the relationship between design, nature, and technology. His resume includes art director, toy designer, and design writer. Co-author of Poketo's "Creative Spaces: People, Homes, and Studios to Inspire", you can find him regularly at Design Milk and the New York Times Wirecutter. Gregory lives with his wife Emily and their two cats—Eames and Eero—in Mt. Washington, California, curiously investigating the entomological and mycological.
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published Oct 18, 2013
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(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Working from a home office carved out from a dark converted living room closet means even with a desk lamp and overhead lighting, there are times when I need a little extra illumination to light my way while fumbling for a flash drive or a pen. LED strip lighting installed on the inside of drawers and cabinets solves the problem. Here are 5 options for your own home…

The Brighter Drawer: LED motion detecting drawer lights that stay on for 15 seconds each time vibrations are detecting at the pull of a drawer, powered by 3 AAA batteries. $15.00

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(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

IKEA DIODER LED Drawer Light: I have a pair of these installed in my (also IKEA) desk drawers, which help me see some of the contents located further back even during daylight hours. Note, you’ll need 6 AAA batteries compared to the three for the unit above. $14.99

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Inspired LED Magnetic Switch: unlike the two battery operated units above, this LED strip system turns on and off controlled by the contact between two magnetic switches. Also different is the fact this model will need to be plugged into a power supply, but would be most ideal used inside a home office storage unit or filing cabinet with pull out door. $20.00

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MegaBrite Wireless Motion Sensor Undercabinet Lights: with 98 out of the 122 reviews on Amazon scoring 4-5 stars, these slim profile undercabinet design LED lights are super bright. A few commenters note these set of two LED strips are available for even less at Costco. $29.99

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Philips Friends of Hue LightStrips: this last pricier option is only for those already invested in the Philips Hue app-controlled lighting system. The self-adhesive LED lighting strips can be applied almost anywhere, and like all other Hue lights, the temperature, brightness, and color can be controlled via iOS app. More details about Hue from our past review. $89.95

(Images: Gregory Han/Gregory’s Refreshed & Refreshing Home Office; as lined above)

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