Special Lighting

Some lights are bought for the effect rather than to light a room. A strip behind a television. A projector throwing colour across a ceiling. A lava lamp on a shelf, a salt lamp on a bedside table, a lantern carried out to a table on the deck.

This section gathers the decorative and accent lighting in the store, including LED strips, sunlight and colour projectors, novelty and moon lamps, and camping and candle lanterns. None of it is meant to replace a room light. Accent lighting is layered on top of a working light, and it earns its place by being the thing you switch on when the main light goes off.

What's in this range

There are 30 products in this collection, priced from 40 to 150 AUD, so nothing here runs past the price of a mid range room fitting. The recorded wattages run from 0.2 W on the smallest decorative pieces to 48 W at the top. Heights run from 2.4 cm for adhesive strips up to 180 cm, and diameters from 6.5 cm to 40 cm.

LED and integrated LED are the sources throughout, with a G9 socket on one fitting. Materials listed include ABS, ABS with PVC, wrought iron with acrylic, resin, and metal with a glass chamber on the lantern styles. Power is where this range differs most from the rest of the store: USB at 5 V is the most common option, alongside DC over USB and mains AC, which means many of these run from a power bank or a laptop rather than needing a power point. Controls include a 24 key infrared remote with colour and mode selection, touch control for changing colour, and hands free automatic on and off. Mounting covers self adhesive strip, surface mounted, free standing and wall mounted with screws. Colour temperature is stated where relevant, including a cool white around 6000K, a warm white 3000K for night visibility and a selectable 3000K, 4000K or 6500K option. A few products carry an outdoor rating, listed at IP65 and IP67, while others are marked as indoor use recommended.

How to choose

Decide whether it is decoration or lighting

Ask what the product is for before you compare models. A projector or a lava lamp is an object you look at. A strip behind a screen or under a shelf is light you look by. Both are useful, but only the second one changes how a room feels to be in, and neither replaces the ceiling fitting.

Power decides where it can live

USB powered products can sit anywhere within reach of a cable or a power bank, which is why so much of this range ends up on desks, shelves and bedside tables. Mains powered products need a point. Rechargeable products need neither while they are running. Check the power line on the product page against the spot you have in mind, because it rules out more options than the size does.

How you will control it

A remote is the practical choice for anything mounted behind or above something, since you will not be reaching for the fitting. Touch control suits a lamp within arm's reach. Automatic on and off suits a light you want to stop thinking about. Several strips here also respond to sound or pair over Bluetooth, and the control method is listed on each page.

Where it will actually mount

Adhesive strips depend on the surface. Clean, smooth and dry holds. Textured paint, dust and heat do not. If the run has to go around a corner or along an edge, measure the length you need before ordering, because a strip that ends short is not easy to extend neatly.

Indoor or outdoor

Only the products that carry an IP rating belong outside. In this range that means the ones listed at IP65 and IP67, plus one strip described as splash resistant. Everything else is marked for indoor use. Taking an indoor product onto a balcony because it is covered is the most common way these fail.

Frequently asked questions

Can accent lighting replace a ceiling light?

No. Accent lighting is designed to be seen rather than to light a room, and it is layered on top of a working light. Use it with a ceiling fitting, not instead of one.

How are LED strips powered and fixed?

The strips in this range run mainly from USB at 5 V and mount with self adhesive backing. Some are controlled by remote, some by app or Bluetooth, and some respond to music. The length, the power source and the control method are on each product page. The LED strip lights range lists them together.

Can I use these outside?

Only the rated ones. Look for an IP rating on the product page. Where there is none, or where the page says indoor use recommended, keep it inside. For anything permanently outdoors, start with the outdoor lights range instead.

What suits a bedside table?

The small USB and rechargeable pieces, because they run on a low draw and many of them dim. A salt lamp or a moon lamp gives a warm glow without lighting the room. The night lights range gathers the soft bedside options in one place.