Professional interior designer and sleep expert Jennifer Adams returns to answer your questions and provide more helpful advice! Today, Jennifer responds to a reader’s question about whether or not to install a smart lighting system in their home:
Can Lights Have a Brain?
Hi, I really appreciate you reaching out to me with your question about smart lighting! To help bring everyone up to speed, let’s start by talking about what smart lights are. Modern smart lighting technology has come a long way since The Clapper was first introduced through a barrage of snappy TV commercials in the 1980s!Today’s smart bulbs do a lot more than just turn on and off whenever you clap your hands. And while I am known more as an interior design and sleep quality consultant than as a “tech” expert, I can tell you that the latest trends in home lighting focus less on the aesthetics of light fixtures, and more on the functionality of the lights themselves. In short, today’s smart lighting now has a brain of its own.
How Are Smart Lights Different from Regular, Old “Dumb” Lights?
Generally speaking, smart lighting is lighting that can be directly controlled by you in remote fashion, either through an app on your personal device or through a voice-activated smart speaker. Smart lighting systems do more than just allow you to directly turn lights on and off through your app. You can also choose how bright you want your lights to be, and can create schedules for when specific lights turn on and for how long. And if your lights feature colored LEDs, you can even select whatever color of light you’re in the mood for at the moment. Pretty neat!
Are Smart Lights a Smart Investment to Make for Your Home?
Are smart lights a smart investment for you? That really depends upon how comfortable you are with modern technology, and how “connected” you’d like your home to be. It should be said up front that smart lighting systems aren’t particularly cheap, but they are becoming more affordable as time goes on. If you’re someone who appreciates innovations that can make your home more customizable and convenient, then smart lights are probably worth your consideration. And if you’re already using smart technologies in other areas of your home, then the inclusion of smart lighting should certainly be on your radar.
Some Smart Lighting Options to Consider
If you’re shopping for smart lights, one of the biggest names in the game continues to be Philips Hue. Philips started out as an innovator and market leader in the smart lighting arena, and their products are a nice choice due in part to the fact that they offer such a wide range of lighting products. Their lighting systems include everything from standard bulbs, to flood lights, to light strips and other ambient lighting, too the common light fixtures. The Hue line can certainly make taking charge of your entire home lighting scheme easy.
And while Philips may have blazed the trail, many more makers have since entered the smart lighting space and are now offering some solid products as well.
LED Bulbs Are a Smart Choice Either Way
Whether you end up investing in a smart lighting system or not, at some point you’ll still need to replace the light bulbs you have now. Regardless of your final thoughts about whether to go with smart lights, choosing LED lights when it’s time for bulb replacements is one smart step you can take either way. LED lights use just a fraction of the energy required to fire up a traditional incandescent bulb, and they’re also more efficient than compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. LED lights will definitely pay for themselves in the energy cost savings you’ll see over time, as opposed to using other types of bulbs. LED bulbs are also incredibly long-lasting, so you won’t have to replace them nearly as often, either.
Smart Lights Aren’t the Only Way You Can Customize Your Home!
Smart technology like smart lighting can be a fun way to make your home more functional, practical, and convenient. But gadgets aren’t the only way you can customize your home. It’s also important to personalize your living space to make it bomb and feel more comfortable for you, in a way that matches your unique tastes and style. I encourage you to take the opportunity to explore our many signature collections at Jennifer Adams! Whether you’re looking for some new bedding, luxury sheet sets, mattresses, decorative area rugs, unique home décor, and more, we’ve got what you need!
