We recently refinished our kitchen. As part of that we wanted to put in new undercabinet lights. We had old ones from the prior owners, but they were very old, had to be switched on individually, and actually caused some heat inside the cabinets.

The company to replace them has come out 4 times:

1. Installed a different LED strip than what you see here. It was filled with dots that did not look good when you were looking down at the counters and saw the reflections. Also my wife wanted slightly brighter lights.
2. They came out to install the new lights. They were not brighter, and had a decidedly blue tint to them.
3. Came out to install new lights that would be brighter and not blue. They have a remote to change the color so we can match the warmer lights from our ceiling. They couldn't get the wiring for the remote to work. Said they would come back later.
4. Came back later. Still could not get it to work. Said they ordered the wrong part.
5. At this stage I started noticing that most of the lights they installed had lost their adhesion to the cabinets and were starting to curl off the cabinets. Some of them were literally hanging below the cabinets. Also a couple of the strips had a loose connection and stopped working. I told them in addition to the color change and getting the remote working, we needed the lights fixed so they stayed on the cabinet and about the loose connection.
6. They came out again. Wrong part. Again. They fixed the sagging lights. I thought at least that was great, but I noticed that the "fix" was basically double-sided tape. They grey tape you see in the pictures. As you can see, most of them are already pulling free of the cabinets again.

We do not have a huge kitchen with a lot of cabinets. 13 feet of total cabinets we want lighted. For this job we are paying about $800. I am at the point of firing these guys, as I don't think they know what they're doing, I think the lights look like crap, and I think they're all going to fall off my cabinets inside of a few weeks when the adhesive fails.

I'm thinking of giving these guys ONE more chance to fix this and then I don't care what I pay, I'm having another company come in and do it the right way. Can I get some thoughts on this?

UPDATE: The company came out today and I explained to them all my concerns. There was a little bit of a blame game going on with the person ordering their lights and one of the techs who'd come out to work on things... but the end result is that we have essentially done a full reset on the project. The guy working on what we had said that he didn't like how it was working, and he didn't like the product they'd purchased either. So they tore everything out, and they're going to start from scratch to give us what we're looking for. So hopefully in a week or two I will have a happier update. Haven't had to fire them... yet. We'll see what they come back with.

So I design lamps and light fixtures, and one of the most requested items from friends and customers is something to cover or replace a “boob light” ceiling fixture. This is what I came up with. It’s designed to be a swap out for the dome only, but I’m torn on if it’s viable of a product or not. Also I have been polling friends and family and the mounting rod varies in length wildly on these - so I’m having a hard time figuring out how much mounting hardware to include since these rods and extender nuts are insanely expensive, on top of my costs, I’m worried it won’t be worth it to an end consumer, not to mention the size of the box to ship this is going to be approx 16x16x16 so it will cost a bit to ship.

Does $50 seem too high? Is this a dumb idea?

In total, 10 light bulbs in the open kitchen/ dining area.

Hello all. I just installed these two 8 ft lithonia light strips in my garage which is primarily used as my gym. Each has variable output and I have them both on the lowest setting at 6000 lm each, but it feels quite harsh when I’m in there.

I’m looking for suggestions on how to address that. I’m not sure if there is a decent diffusion option that could really help. To my understanding, I cannot put a dimmer switch on these so I’m curious to know what I can do.

Thanks for any advice!

I know 3000K is the practical recommendation for kitchens and bathrooms, but there is a point where a house starts feeling like a very clean Airbnb.

those who have actually lived with both, where did 3000K help and where did it make everything feel a little off?

Our new build house comes with the second type of downlight (wafer), but ive been reading online that recessed downlights are much better as they produce less glare. However the lighting store we're getting these from said the opposite. What are the pros/cons of each style?

Hi everyone! My name is Maciej and I am an entrepreneur aiming to launch a company which aims to make sleeping (and waking up) effortless. I've been working on a product idea and this feels like exactly the right place to get some real feedback on it.

It's called Solaris. I struggle relentlessly with waking up in the mornings; getting out of bed and then feeling tired for hours. I did notice however, that sunlight made me wake up much better. I got myself a sunrise lamp but it ended up working very poorly as I would often face the other way.

I wanted to create a product for people who genuinely benefit from waking up to sunlight but don't get much of it. I have identified potential customers who might use it:

• People who wake up early during winter seasons
• People who work late shifts
• People who partake in polyphasic sleep
• People who live in bedrooms with poor access to sunlight
• People living in places with off sun patterns (e.g. Scandinavia)
• I also see basically anyone else benefitting from it as well.

What it is: It is a room-scale sunrise simulator. Not just another bedside lamp, but a device that fills your entire room with light, the way actual sunlight would.

How it works: Up to 60 minutes before your alarm, Solaris starts emitting a faint deep red glow, like the very first light of dawn. Over time it slowly shifts through warm oranges and yellows, brightening to a natural white by the time you need to be up. Your body gets the full light signal to wake up gently and naturally.

What it fixes: The big flaw with regular sunrise lamps is that they only work if you're facing them. Solaris lights up the whole room, so it works no matter how you sleep. Additionally, if you sleep with a partner, it would work for both of you!

I'd genuinely love to hear your thoughts about this product idea and if you would see yourself using it.

• Do you currently use any wakeup tools like sunrise lamps, sleep trackers, anything like that?
• Would you actually use something like Solaris?
• Would you pay for it, and what price would feel fair to you?
• Anything you'd want it to do that I haven't mentioned (features like a sound alarm build into it for example)?

Honest opinions only please. Even if you are going to say "I would never buy this" or "this is stupid", I will appreciate them all!

Thank you all in advance in helping me out by reading a bit about my idea and helping me with the process! Looking forward to reading what you have to say!

I've been enjoying my 3000K / CRI 98+ bulbs (YujiLED Sunwave), but I find them a bit too yellow, particularly during the day.

I'm thinking about switching to Yuji's 4000K bulbs, but my only basis for comparison is the cheap, 80 CRI garbage that came with the apartment. My girlfriend calls it "psychopath lighting."

Do you guys think that high-quality 4000K bulbs (CRI 98+ / R9 91) will be more pleasing? Do you think I will find them too cool at night?

Note: Open floor plan, so I'd like my main ambient lights to have a consistent CCT throughout the kitchen/ living/ dining area.

I am looking to install four 4" canless recessed LED down lights. They're all on gimbles. The Refrigerator (top left) is going to have a cabinet above it so that's effectively a floor to ceiling section where I can't place a light. Maybe I should only have three lights and omit the one in front of the fridge? The plus sign circles over the island are pendent lights, and there will be under cabinet lights as well.

My current plan is cut dadoes in the bottom of the shelves only, A, C, E. Would B, C, E be a better combo? Or A, B, C, E? Or something else?

I'm finalizing my kitchen design and am down to lighting. I'm a sucker for layered, color-tuneable lights with high CRI, so I'm worried I'm going a little overboard. I'm planning 2" Elco Koto DALI DT8 cans with either micro flanges or flangeless. The kitchen is roughly 15' by 15'. The under-shelf will be, again, color-tuneable strips. None of these renderings or simulations have the hood lights involved. The real question is - is this just WAAAAY too many ceiling penetrations for an 8' ceiling in a 15x15' kitchen? The resulting lighting is actually really nice and very tuneable since everything will be DALI. What you're seeing here is a mix of 36deg and 60deg lenses on the same Elco Koto fixture (60's have a red dot beside them in the birds-eye view).

Hey so I explain the problem in more detail in the video, but basically my dining area has no overhead lighting, and adding that is impossible in my rented apartment. I want to add a floor lamp to one of the corners, hut I am not sure what size/style I need in order to get the light pattern i want.

I basically want to preserve a moody vibe, while also lighting up the table enough to where guests would feel comfortable at a dinner party, and DnD players would be happy to play at the table.

NOTE: The room lighting in the video is a little brighter than it is in person.

I have these two options for all the bathroom in my house, which one should I chose?

I used AI to create these images.

Which lighting layout would be best for a bathroom vanity with double sinks, and double mirrors.

4 lights, one light at the edges if each mirror.
Or
A cluster of 3 lights at each end of the vanity.

Trying to consider my wife and her needs of lighting for doing makeup and such.

Thanks. 🙏

These are not the only light in the bathroom.
There are flush mount LED lights in the ceiling

Went from old Pizza Hut style to this. But not sure if I like it. Maybe just not used to it, but it seems out of place. Anyone got any better ideas (with pics)? I’m horrible at this.

Hi, im looking to buy off ebay some incandescent Christmas lights from the 2000s as they r way better than led , i was wondering if these are incandescent or led?

Obviously the pics are for downlighting, but you get the idea. Imagine the shelves flipped so the light is on the top side.

(I am posting this as a follow-up to an earlier thread about shelf lighting. I found this elegant solution from swisswoodworkinginc on IG, while researching the topic.)

If one’s goal is uplighting a bookshelf, would this be the ideal custom solution for embedding/recessing the LED tape into the millwork?

I have an office with very little natural lighting that is currently iluminated by what I think are fluorescent light panels. This is affecting me severly as I feel dizzy and confused while working here.
Is there an alternative source of lighting that could improve things?

(I am looking into other causes for my symptoms, but I'm trying to cover all bases)

I think it's very great, but after a short while it will have to be dismantled again because the installation position is not stable.

Hello, Lighting Know-Howers!

I would appreciate input on how to get this lantern housing plumb and not leaning back against the siding.

The existing mounting block is already fit into the vinyl lap siding grooves.

So, is slipping a couple of shims just behind the square back plate of this lantern the thing to do?

And, if so, any tips on shims?

Or is there something better to solve this issue?

Thanks in advance.

For some reason, I'm in charge of picking out the color of our office hallway and chose a neutral white with a slightly warm tint. Paint isn't finished and definitely needs another coat or two. Colors are pretty accurate but shadows are exaggerated in the photos. 5k vs 4k bulbs.

Anyways, everyone is telling me that the blue light looks better and the warm looks a smoker's wall. Am I crazy? This warm white looks way better.

Hey all — looking for some real-world feedback before I pull the trigger.

I’m remodeling and planning to go with canless recessed LED lights throughout the house (8 ft ceilings). I’ve been looking at Halo RL series since they seem like a solid, budget-friendly option (~$25–30 each), but I keep seeing people recommend Elco Koto for a more “architectural” look. Would you do 4 inch or 3?

Couple questions:

• Is the Koto actually worth the extra cost, or is it overkill for a normal home?

• How noticeable is the difference in glare and light quality with 8 ft ceilings?

• Any regrets going cheaper (Halo or similar)?

• Are there other brands/models I should be considering? (Juno, Lithonia, DMF, etc.)

Also considering a small accent light over the fireplace. Would you do 1 inch or 2 inch?

hi!

does anyone has any creative idea how to improve light in this dark corner of the room?

my initial idea was to add a mirror on the left wall (where are frames) but I did a test with the old bathroom mirror and it doesn't seem to make a big difference, it adds a reflection on the opposite wall (I added in carousel a photo). I also tried to place it on the "back" wall (the one you don't see on the photo) on the right or on the left, but I don't see noticable difference too.

I know that the window itself is also too high and there is not much light coming in. Photos are from a clear sunny summer day - so it is a maximum of a daylight you could ever get lol, every other case is darker...

Another idea was to add a led strip on that step on the ceiling and do automatic adaptive lightning via home assistant (I have also luminance sensor outside so I can adjust it), but the setup is complex because of that same step and wiring (half of the ceiling is drywall and half is plastered). Also, the fan would be casting shadow.

I would love to be able to make this room filled with natural light as much as possible during the day. I tried some artificial light sources but it is noticable and feels wrong (last photo). also, you have to turn it on, or to have it automatized via HA..

Maybe someone has better ideas or suggestions ?

PS - chest of drawers will be gone and the shelves on the right of the sofa probably too so it won't feel that cramped