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Ambient/Mood/LED Lighting

euphoria

euphoria

Bluelight Crew
Joined
Dec 23, 2004
Messages
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I'm a big fan of LED lighting of any kind. Recently I've been starting to decorate my apartment. I'm trying to create a very chill, relaxing, inspiring atmosphere. Basically when I walk in the front door I want to feel like I've entered the chill zone. So I want to add some kind of really soft, muted, ambient lighting. Any kind of lighting that isn't coming from a direct light source, the light is more soft and scattered. I can't seem to find exactly what I'm looking for. I am really interested in making my own custom lighting fixture with LED lights. Does anyone have any cool examples of things I could look into?

Here's what I've found so far that I like, but they're a bit more on the pricey side. If I can find a DIY option, I'd love to do that instead. I like style that is very minimal and organic.

51aVPRcs9ML.jpg

http://www.amazon.com/Philips-81856...TF8&coliid=I3GIR73U4TLX91&colid=2EJJMWPNAB0L4

31mU9jwX3eL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

http://www.amazon.com/Equinox-Trans...TF8&coliid=I1D1YXC5QLUINQ&colid=2EJJMWPNAB0L4

41uGLDEKHSL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

http://www.amazon.com/Cielux-Color-...TF8&coliid=I1JG00IMSRWO74&colid=2EJJMWPNAB0L4


Rice paper/vellum lamp shades are really cool and that kind of achieves the look I'm going for. Does anyone have any cool stuff they made or bought somewhere to share with me?
 
xmas lights - used appropriately - would seem to fit your bill. experiment a bit - string them up, put them in transparent and translucent objects, etc.

they have the added benefit of being incredibly cheap.

alasdair
 
Alasdairm beat me to it, but I was going to say to get some of the rope-style Christmas lighting. We have a "snack bar" thing in our kitchen and because of the height of the shelves above it, finding lighting that didn't produce a glare for us was tough--The rope-style Christmas lighting was something we tried after trying at least a dozen light fixtures and while it doesn't produce a ton of light (I personally like a little bit more while eating), it's adequate. I think it would fit the bill for what you're looking for. :)
 
I have been a fan of mood lighting for years! I cant stand overhead fan lights and house lights all the time, and I am a very visual person, so i tend to go nuts decorating.

As other people have suggested rope lights and solid color strings of christmas lights both work really well, and are so much cheaper than something like track lighting.

You should also consider lamps of different types. I love pretty hanging lamps, and using a lampshade of a certain color often helps give a "mood lighting" feel. I love asian and indian styles so i have a bunch of asian paper lamps!

Here is an example of my current room lighting set up when im in chill mode.

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Another techniqie i use: I will drape something like one of my sarongs over a lamp with a lampshade like a pink or blue one which gives the light an extra colored glow. Just be sure you are very cautious with the heat of the lamp, never ever let the fabric your using touch a bulb, and always check the lamp every once in awhile to make sure nothing its warm. If it is TURN IT OFF!!!

Im gonna try and dig up some of my past examples of lighting set up too!
 
We have both white fairy lights and lamp lighting - I hardly ever use the overhead lights, it's almost always one lamp on and the fairy lights. I prefer things darkish with just a soft light source in the background, always have.

I go mental in lighting stores; I just love them and these days you can find cheaper options around.
 
euphoria i got somethin cool for u.. my friend just ordered one from ebay. they make LED shower heads! they change color in the shower. idk i thought it was cool, google it up.
 
I love ambient lighting so much - I bought strings of these from a market in Thailand, and while it's not LED, they are *so* pretty:

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My husband goes crazy over shiny LED-type things, and has a laserpod, Oggs, strings upon strings of solar and electric-powered LED lights. He also has a plasma ball.

I saw a fantastic use of LED light-strings and the large Chinese lantern (the paper ones that are expandable) at Rainbow Serpent a few years back - they charged the LED lights, then wound them up in a ball and put them inside the lanterns and strung them up around the camp site. It looked amazing and actually provided a decent light source for the site too. :D
 
We have a set of these led candles in the bedroom, and although it sounds really naff, they are actually really effective.
http://www.dusk.com.au/store/index.php?cPath=28_525

They are wax with a small led lit hidden where they flame is and they flicker exactly like a real candle or you can set them on full. They have no scent which I love, come with a remote control and you can forget about them all night and not risk burning your house down.
 
IMG_3745.JPG


This is the light I made for myself in the last place I lived. Its about two dozen 6 in diameter chinese lanterns tied with fishing line to the dome light fixture its covering. Two compact flourescent lights supply the illumination, and the light is warm and room-filling, despite what the cell phone pic would indicate. One could change the character of the light by changing the color of the lanterns.



n4928683_46518519_3604.jpg


Nearby, there was this thing, which is still with me, and is a go to "lets get it on" light, which is remarkable, because my partner doesn't really like it. ;) Its got two strings of icicle lights stuffed into it. The light passes through the welded wire grills and casts the most interesting patterns on the walls— kinda like sierpinski triangles

That's all I got— I'd die if I lived in a house that had lighting like a night club, but to each his own. :-\
 
Samadhi said:
My husband goes crazy over shiny LED-type things, and has a laserpod, Oggs, strings upon strings of solar and electric-powered LED lights. He also has a plasma ball.
Click to expand...

your husband and mine should chat. we have a laserpod and laserstar. this is what they look like on the ceiling together

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yay!! thanks for all the suggestions guys! I feel so inspired. Pander I love those lamp hacks you did. That is really sort of the thing I'm thinking of doing.

I found this cool tutorial on instructables (which I love btw) that I might try and do this weekend.

a_c, I would love to have something like that! HOly crap how cool is that!!!
 
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