Uplighting, can light recommendations?

There are a few places around my room that I would like to stick some colored up-lighting to accent wall hangings and masks. Of course LED replacements to keep power heat down are easy enough to find these days, though they are usually not dimmable. Does anyone have any examples of small lights that they are using to accomplish accent lighting or color spot lighting?

I would recommend something like this RGB LED bulb. They come in several different types of bases to fit existing fixtures. Strip lighting that is mounted to provide indirect light would work well too.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3w-e27-LED-Light-RGB-Remote-Control-16-Color-Magic-Lighting-Bulb-w-5-Modes-/201019314924

Yep, that's one of the items I've had my eye on. That one has 15 presets and some step up, step down brightness settings. The 44 key remote that came with my strip light allows you to blend together different levels of R, G, and B to make your own colors, which is pretty cool. One thing I know about the strip light is that it won't dim smoothly, only in steps. I suspect that that replacement bulb is the same way.

These c7 candelabra socket christmas bulbs are dimmable.
http://www.imaginarycolours.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=LC7Dim

The green and blue colors are much brighter than the others, and are pretty good for accent lighting. Since they are so small, I can tuck them behind furniture and tikis. I'll post pics later

I have a few different LED bulbs with the remote to select colors and dimming, and none of the ones I have go nearly as dim as I'd like. Since they're so cool (as in temperature, not as in Joe Cool), I'll probably cap them with a lens from an old pair of sunglasses or something.

The LED strip lights I use, however, dim SO well. Very smoothly, the light stays very warm in tone, and more dim than I would have guessed they'd go (though still not as dim as I'd like). To diffuse the light and get them down to the dimness of my deepest desires, I have them behind a sheet of cream-colored card stock.

I've also purchased single LED lights on a lead, they're pretty easy to work with. I use a single cool white LED to create a faux moon.

The quality and variety of LED lights is changing so fast these days, I'm not investing in much more until things settle out a bit. I haven't found anything that I feel is quite right for replacing my halogen spot lights, for instance. I have a feeling the right product is coming just around the bend, though.

On 2014-06-29 14:26, Humuhumu wrote:
The LED strip lights I use, however, dim SO well. Very smoothly, the light stays very warm in tone, and more dim than I would have guessed they'd go (though still not as dim as I'd like). To diffuse the light and get them down to the dimness of my deepest desires, I have them behind a sheet of cream-colored card stock.

Hummu, I do have a strip of 'warm white' SMD 5050 leds that dims smoothly, but the manufacturer's idea of warm differs from mine, it's still too blue of a white for me.

Do you have an RGB (multicolor) light strip that dims smoothly? I'd be all over that.

With the 44 key RGB controller, I can mix the red green and blue to get a yellow-white light that matches incandescents exactly. I'm surprised that none of the warm white LEDs I've seen even come close to it.

Do you have a 'home tiki bar' thread with pictures of your lighting?

On 2014-06-29 14:26, Humuhumu wrote:
I have a few different LED bulbs with the remote to select colors and dimming...

Heeeey Humu, would you be willing to give me a couple of detailed shots of your seashells with the Simiflame bulbs behind them that you have on your mug shelf?

My LED strips are also just warm white, probably the same ones. Could be that there was a difference in manufacturing, more likely I just happen to have them in a spot that's more forgiving (or I'm more forgiving). Also possible that my adding the cream card stock brought it back to the warmth I wanted. I use them behind a light panel I built that's fronted by tapa cloth, that might also be helping the warmth along. I don't have any good pictures of it yet, I'm afraid.

Here's the thread for my home tiki bar, Balhi Ha'i. Not very many pictures there yet, and nothing that really focuses on the lighting: http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=47635&forum=20&start=0

Re: the shell lights, I'll try to get a few pictures for you tomorrow. Those are incandescent bulbs, though, just basic C7s. I forget what wattage I went with, I think they're 7 watt, they might be 3.5 watt. I started with 15 watt and it was far too bright even with the dimming effect of the SimFlame.

On 2014-06-29 20:46, Humuhumu wrote:
I don't have any good pictures of it yet, I'm afraid.

Oh wait, I take it back: there is a pretty okay pic of the LED-lit tapa panel in my home bar thread. Here it is:

(Please excuse the light leakage at the top of the panel, I haven't made it a priority to plug that hole yet.)

All the other lights in those pictures are incandescents. The LED moon isn't represented, nor is the LED multi-color remote bulb I have in a rain lamp.

Your room is amazing. You've done such a great job of building up the varying textures that makes Tiki come to life. Is that a chair with a puffer hanging inside of it? The tapa looks great. You mentioned you had cardstock over it, then the tapa?

I went with the old school corded cheap can up-light. Regular 25 watt colored standard incandescent bulbs. Hidden behind items and plastic plants they give a great effect. Super easy to hide the black cans and bulbs are cheap so you can change the mood to what you want. Here is the type of cans I use. Have fun!

On 2014-07-03 07:11, uncle trav wrote:
Regular 25 watt colored standard incandescent bulbs. Hidden behind items

Simpler is usually better.

Take a look at some of the colored fluorescent bulbs available, I have the orange, the yellow, and a green in various places around my bar. They are a bit bright as far as total wattage, but the colors are very nice when used as a wall wash (like you have behind plants).

Don't get the black light/indigo color. They get really hot, as hot as an incandescent bulb.