Don’t Write Off Those LED Strip Lights—They're Genius

When you picture LED strip lights in a home setting, it's probably not a terribly inviting scene: perhaps some abrasive bright white radiating from all around an excess of 90s kitchen cabinetry? As with many well-intentioned and poorly executed advances of the late 20th century (glass blocks, for example), in hindsight this product didn't exactly leave a great impression—but it's actually pretty genius. A slender strip of miniature bulbs that can be adhered to any surface like tape, rendered invisible when off and emanating light when on, LED strip lights are both useful (when applied as task lighting) and aesthetically pleasing (when used creatively). Designers seem to have figured this out because we're suddenly seeing them everywhere—and they're wonderful.

The key to using strip lighting is to not go overboard—you don't want your cabinets looking like they're about to blast into outer space—and the second is to think creatively about where to put them. Right under your cabinets, above a kitchen counter or desk, is traditional and smart (you can actually see what you're doing!), but you can also use these little radiating stickers to illuminate larger areas: the space above a wall of cabinets, tucked inside a recessed architectural feature, right underneath a banister, or even inside bookshelves or glass-front cabinets. (Bonus: They act as built-in night lights.)

Another upside: They're extremely inexpensive. (Think under $10 for over ten feet.) Typically you find them in big spools that can be easily trimmed, using scissors, to fit the exact length of any place you'd like to install them, the only catch being that typically they must be hard-wired at one end. (So, not exactly a renter-friendly thing.) An electrician can, of course, help you install them effectively, and the mighty little LED bulbs will last tens of thousands of hours before they need to be replaced. If you're designing a home or embarking on a reno, that might sound fine, but are there LED strip lights for renters? Yes indeed. Look for those with a traditional plug on the end, like these that also come with an on-off switch, from Home Depot.