Installing LED strips above a bed; best placement and angle?

9 years ago

Hello there -

We're thinking about putting in some strip lighting in the bedroom of our condo. There is a sort of bulkhead, 12.75" deep, that runs along the wall over the bed; we suspect it contains pipes but aren't totally sure (photos attached). We'd like to run a strip of lighting along that would create a sort of ambiance/mood light, and then add something like a strip of moulding in front of it so that you don't see the ugly LED strips from below. It'd be sort of like cove lighting, but not. ;)

I'm trying to figure out what the best placement and angle would be. Here's what's crossed my mind:

- If I just stick the strips on the bulkhead facing down, they'll be glaring in our eyes in bed. We could add a channel and frosted diffuser, but that bulkhead runs 15.5' so that's a lot of extra stuff and expense, and more hassle replacing the strips when they start to weaken.

- I could stick them on the moulding facing the wall - not sure what the light and shadows will come out like.

- I could take some sort of angled wood to put the strips at a 45 degree angle slightly downwards - also not sure about the resulting light and shadows.

Another question is whether the lights should go closer to the front or the back of the bulkhead area. I'd want to gently illuminate the painting that's over the bed without just creating some glaring light on the top of it, and also not block the painting too much with the moulding.

Does anybody have any experience or suggestions? I suspect this is mostly going to require just getting the moulding and lights and plugging them in and moving them around to see what works, but I thought maybe somebody here might have a better sense of lighting design than I do...

Thanks!

Featured Answer

leelee

9 years ago

Wouldn't this be nicer than LED lights???

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Comments (14)

leelee
9 years ago
LED strips not a good idea above the bed.

Get two hanging lights for each side of your bed.
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leelee
9 years ago
Or
Hello Kitty
9 years ago
I've stayed at hotels where they installed angled, recessed spotlights in bulkheads similar to your situation. Even though they are angled, you can still see the "interrogation lights" when lying in bed (and highly annoying). If the electrical works for that bulkhead, I would do the hanging pendant lights over the night stand as previous people suggested! You can see how Mandarin Oriental in Las Vegas does it (pendants) vs the Palazzo (overhead lights). I'm no lighting designer but I have been in enough hotels with strange overhead lighting to know what is annoying.
Kirsten thanked Hello Kitty
Kirsten
Original Author
9 years ago
Well, the hanging pendant lights would be nice except I'm really not sure what's in that bulkhead and whether we can dig around in there or not - hate to open it up and then find out it's pipes too close to the bottom to mess around with. I've thought about wall sconces though - that'd be a safer bet...
Hello Kitty
9 years ago
I was going to say sconces too! But hanging pendants would add so much drama. :-) Either way, adding electrical in a condo can be kind of drama-filled, went through it myself recently! Good luck with your experimentation. Can't wait to see how it turns out!
suzyq53
9 years ago
You don't want to lie in bed looking at rigged leds and its too skinny anyway. I'd find some other lighting. Swags?
Hello Kitty
9 years ago
Have you asked the HOA or architectural committee at your condo about the bulkhead and whether there are restrictions/problems with electrical work in that area (sconce or pendant)?
PRO
Flo Mangan
9 years ago
You could put some shelving along the wall (cantilevered style) and put remote controlled faux candles of varying heights and shapes to give mood lighting if that is what you are after. I love the idea of pendants, but that might be difficult. Surely check that out for feasibility. But LEDs are anything but easy on the eyes.
Kirsten
Original Author
9 years ago
Hello Pity - no, we haven't actually asked about it, and it might turn out that it's not a big deal after all. But it is right under the upstairs neighbour's kitchen so piping seems likely.
Flo Mangan - that is an intriguing AND inexpensive idea! I like it! Will give that some pondering...

In any case, you guys have all convinced me LEDs aren't the way to go! Thanks for saving us a lot of hassle :)
leelee
9 years ago
How were you planning on installing LED's if there's not a way to wire them in?
PRO
JudyG Designs
9 years ago
I use strip lights on top of a molding to illuminate up, not down. You need sconces.

Kenmore Master Bedroom A · More Info
PRO
Flo Mangan
9 years ago
You could do molding, but might be a larger installation challenge than my previous suggestion. Just have to decide how much work you want to take on. And cost.
suzyq53
9 years ago
For me, in bed, anything hanging down over my head or in my direct eyesight, feels creepy. Like spiders are going to come down and go in my mouth while I sleep. Weirdly, I'm fine with it being on the sides. So maybe pendants or swags on either side?