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LightingDesign DilemmaLiving Rooms
robsouthgate

LED light strip - uplight or down?

Rob
5 months ago

We’re redecorating our north east facing living room. As you can imagine it doesn’t get much light.

We’ll be painting the walls Lick Pink 02 (warm pink). The ceiling height is 220cm so we’ll have a flush main light fitting.

I’m planning on getting some LED light strips around the edge of the ceiling/wall. Probably combined with some coving, profile and diffuser.

I’m favouring pointing them down the walls, but most examples I find are of people pointing them up at the ceiling.

The effect I’m looking for is a nice layer of light to brighten/warm the room - but not the primary light source.

Would up or down lighting be the best way to achieve this? Do they have different effects/benefits?

Comments (11)

  • tim_baker921
    5 months ago

    Hard to visualise but I prefer not to be able to see the"bulb" so for me up.

  • Jonathan
    5 months ago

    Personally I think it’s uncomfortable to sit watching TV with all the light from above. Personally I prefer multiple light sources. So I would be considering table lights, lights under furniture and plants, picture lights, walk over floor lights, illuminated glass cabinets or shelves, a fish tank, garden lights, a fire that glows and candles.

  • Rob
    Original Author
    5 months ago

    Yes, I’d have other sources too. Would have the leds dimmed too to ensure they aren’t too overpowering.

    And the coving would hide the leds so it would be indirect light.

    What’s the difference between bouncing light off the ceiling, versus lighting the walls?

  • tim_baker921
    5 months ago

    Naturally light comes from the sun so light from above feels more natural. Downlighting walls will highlight any imperfections in the plasterwork.

  • Loki
    5 months ago

    You’ll see every lump and bump in the plaster and every spec of dust. Anything on the walls like pictures etc will cast a shadow and have a glow on top. Definitely light the ceiling as opposed to walls

  • Sonia
    5 months ago

    I’m not sure what you mean. Do you mean something like this?

  • Rob
    Original Author
    5 months ago

    @sonia yes (but not the spotlights). Is one more effective than the other?

  • Jonathan
    5 months ago

    I’m still not sold on this idea. A ceiling height of 2.2m is lower than average so you can’t afford to lower the ceiling with a tray ceiling (like on Sonia’s lovely pics). I’m aware you can get coving designed to accommodate LED Cob lighting but given that must be placed slightly down the wall in order to allow the light to spill over the ceiling I worry this will make the room look shorter too. I think you should have no coving, full length curtains on a rail placed just under the ceiling and think about an alternative for the ceiling LED strips.

  • Rob
    Original Author
    5 months ago

    Hmmm. I wasn’t thinking a tray ceiling for these reasons. But yes the ceiling is low. I guess that’s why I thought I could use led coving and point it down to the wall (we have normal coving atm).

    But not going with led strips in the ceiling would save a good amount of money.

  • Juliet Docherty
    5 months ago

    How about wall lights? They always seem to cast the warmest friendliest glow. I am extremely sensitive to bad lighting, I don't like LED's of any kind and would only use the highest CRI ones if starting from scratch. Wall lights with two bulbs on each light with a dimmer will be a must for me in my next house.

  • Sonia
    5 months ago

    Rob, I’m not sure, it isn’t my kind of thing I’m afraid. But then I live in an older house with picture rails. What era is your home? Im a great fan of floor and table lamps which create a lovely soft glow. Sorry!
    This is my NE living room at night.

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