Wardrobe lighting - what do you need?

At MS Lighting Design when we discuss lighting with our clients, we often recommend wardrobe lighting. We know that it can be very frustrating to find accessories or shoes on the bottom shelf in near darkness, because the only light is 3m away in the room.

Unfortunately, we often see examples of wardrobe lighting that has not been considered or designed properly. These issues include sensors which switch the light off, or cold white light, that is shocking when you open the door. We also see problems such as dots on the LED strips, and poor colour rendering.

Here are the key points you should check for when you are designing and fitting wardrobe lighting.

1.     Make sure the colour temperature matches the light outside the wardrobe, so there are no jarring transitions (we recommend 2700K most of the time).

2.     Make sure the lighting has a high CRI. Ideally Ra Value will be a minimum 90+, and ideally all values should be above 90 (including the tricky R9 red value).

3.     If using LED strips, check the depth of the channel, and make sure it is more than the pitch (spacing between chips) of the LEDs. This will prevent spotting.

4.     Make sure the right switches are used. We prefer IR door switches over sensors, so that you don't have to do a little dance every 30 seconds to keep the lights on.

5.     Plan early in your build. We are normally trying to design all of this before the electrician is even started on site.

If you want help and advice on any joinery lighting, including wardrobe lighting, then please get in touch.