I Added Tape Lights To My Jewelry Storage (And Hate It!)
Yesterday, I worked on some really boring stuff in my walk-in closet, like sanding the drywall mud on the ceiling and getting it ready for primer and paint. I realized that this really did need to be done before I start on the floors, so the floors will have to wait until Thursday. Anyway, after working on the ceiling for a while, my back needed a break, and I desperately wanted to work on something fun. So I decided to add the tape lighting to the jewelry drawer and necklace bar area.
I’ve been so excited about doing this. In my mind’s eye, I thought it would be amazing and really take that area to the next level. Sadly, that’s not quite how it turned out. Let me show you the issues I ran into and you can tell me your thoughts.
I started by adding lights just to the back wall of the necklace area and then running them around the whole perimeter of the glass-top jewelry drawer.
On this attempt, I put the tape lights underneath the wood frame for the glass countertop as close to the edge as I could get without them showing through the glass.
But when I stood back and looked at it, I didn’t love it. The first problem was actually a defective section in the strip of lighting. There are two dead lights followed by four very dim lights. I have no idea why that would happen. All of the lights before those and after those work perfectly. I didn’t cut the strip anywhere near that section, and I only cut the excess off in the area where it says you can cut the lights. But that dead spot is very noticeable, especially in person.
You can see here, when you’re standing right at the drawer, the dead area followed by the dim area is very noticeable. So that was disappointing right off the bat. Also, I was disappointed that they only really lit up the outer sections of the jewelry organizers. The other sections were still pretty dark.
But also, lighting the back of the necklace area didn’t look anything like how I had envisioned it in my mind. I thought the lights would make the sparkly necklaces sparkle. That didn’t happen. Instead, they just all look like dark silhouettes.
So I removed all of the tape lighting and redid it. The tape is very sticky, but I imagine that you can only remove and reposition it once or twice before it starts to lose its stickiness. This time, I thought it might help if I wrapped the lights around the sides of the necklace area. I also decided to add the lights along the sides and back of the cabinet just under the jewelry drawer countertop rather than having them underneath the glass top frame. I thought that with the lights shing out instead of down, that may shed some more light into the center of the drawer rather than just lighting up the perimeter sections of the jewelry organizers.
But when I stood back to look at that, it really didn’t improve the look. Plus, that put the dead lights right in the center of the back of the jewelry drawer. In other words, those dead lights were now in the most visible spot. Of course, if I liked the idea, I could have just exchanged this strand of lights for one that worked, but I still wasn’t sold on the overall look. Wrapping the lights around to the sides of the necklace area still didn’t have the effect I was hoping for.
I also didn’t like that the light shines through above the jewelry drawer…
And it also lights up the area between the necklace pull out and the cabinet. I don’t necessarily want those areas emphasized.
So I decided to try one more thing. This time, I abandoned the idea of lighting up the necklace area since that wasn’t turning out like I had envisioned it. Instead, I just added the lights to the jewelry drawer. I liked that better, and the good thing is that this arrangement only required the section of lights right up to that dead spot in the light strand, so I was able to cut those off completely.
But I still didn’t love the light shining through just above the drawer.
So I just don’t know. It’s disappointing to have an idea that looks so good in my mind but just doesn’t work out in reality like I had envisioned it. Should I abandon the idea completely? Do you have any suggestions? Am I just not doing it right? Should I be using different lights?
I do still really like the idea of lighting the necklace section somehow, but lighting from the back isn’t the answer. It seems to me that lighting them from the top is the way to go, but that means that lights would have to be attached to the underside of the drawer since that’s the only thing above the necklaces. And if I attach lights to the underside of the drawer, they can’t be corded since I have to be able to pull the drawer out. I could try some sort of battery-operated lights so that the whole thing can be attached to the underside of the drawer with no need to plug in lights, but then I think it’s all getting way too complicated. Battery-operated lights wouldn’t last very long, and then I’d be stuck changing batteries regularly. That seems silly.
So at this point, I’m tempted to abandon the idea completely unless someone has a great suggestion for how I can salvage this idea. Maybe the answer is obvious, and I just can’t see it. What say you?
In the meantime, I’ll be priming and painting the ceiling, prepping the back wall for wallpaper (it needs a bit of sanding as well), and getting the whole bedroom suite cleared out and cleaned up and ready for the floor to be sanded. Since I missed my opportunity to do the sanding yesterday, the next opportunity I’ll have to do that will the Thursday since that’s my next full, uninterrupted workday. I really don’t want to rent the sanders for longer than 24 hours, so the day I do it, I need to have everything ready the night before so that I can be at Home Depot first thing in the morning to rent the sanders and be able to use them all day long. I’m aiming for Thursday, but if I don’t have everything ready by the time I go to bed Wednesday night, then I’ll aim for Friday. That’s the plan, at least. But y’all know how plans go. 😀
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Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
I added these motion-activated LED lights to all of our pantry closets and attached them to the underside of some cabinets for additional light. No batteries to fuss with. Occasionally I plug them into a USB port to recharge for a couple of hours and they’re good for several months. You could use one or two of these on the underside of the cabinet above your necklaces. They’re held in place by thin magnetic strips that adhere to surfaces.
https://www.amazon.com/Lighting-Rechargeable-Operated-Magnetic-Wireless/dp/B0CYLBH4F9?pd_rd_w=bJRe4&content-id=amzn1.sym.c059d191-c5ca-4dcf-9149-1b498928668e&pf_rd_p=c059d191-c5ca-4dcf-9149-1b498928668e&pf_rd_r=NR9M62GX249AZW7MDVMZ&pd_rd_wg=9XmHt&pd_rd_r=58802c78-a670-478b-a4a1-162648d35a11&pd_rd_i=B0CYLBH4F9&ref_=pd_bap_d_grid_rp_0_61_nped_pr_t&th=1
Thanks for that idea!
For the necklace area, how about some slim under counter rechargeable LEDs with a remote that you can attach to the underside of the drawer? As for the jewelry drawer, you could look into how jewelry stores light their display cabinets.
This was my thought as well–how do jewelers light their cases? Part of it is that those cases are typically pretty tall, allowing the light to cast down and Kristi doesn’t really have any “down” avaailable. 🙁 I know the look isn’t what you had envisioned, but for both the necklaces and the drawer I liked them both lit a lot more than unlit. The necklaces are a black hole without the light, even if it doesn’t make them sparkle. With the light seepage along the sides maybe some additional trim or even something like weatherstripping? But not ugly. Obviously. This is a tough one.
It appears that all the photos you took are without the chandelier and ceiling lights on and that may make a difference. The strip lighting looks too bright and somehow cheapens your jewelry in the drawer and your handcrafted necklaces below. I would prefer eliminating the strip lights and illuminate the area with the pretty sconces. Is there sufficient light in the closet with the chandelier and ceiling lights that you can see the jewelry in the drawer and the necklaces when they are pulled out?
A couple of thoughts… Would a mirrored back panel behind the necklaces help at all? Possibly small pieces of foam weatherstripping used behind the areas where the light shines through might help.
Oooooohhhh! I love the idea of mirrorring behind the necklace rack!
Regarding the light shining through the drawer gap: what about adding a thin, dark silicone or vinyl strip inside the top portion of the drawer frame that the drawer will touch when closed? Silicone is soft and flexible, and a flat strip would not interrupt the application if the lights inside the drawer frame. You could add shorter nines behind the necklace trim but it might not be as convenient. perhaps something like the soft, rounded weatherstrip, painted to match. I agree about the usb motion sensing lights. I have them in my kitchen. They’re pretty flat/low profile.
You could try adding some white weatherstripping to the drawer to help with the light escaping from the jewelry drawer. I’d recommend trying the kind that looks like a fuzzy brush.
For the lights in the necklace section, look up V-shape lights for display cabinets. They angle the lights so it’s not a top down view, which provides more even lighting of whatever you’re trying to display. If you added a very thin trim bar around the front of the necklace section, you could have the lights frame from the front, which should result in a better appearance, although it would mess up the clean lines you were going for. From Amazon “Cabinet-Lighting-V-Shape-Counter-Showcase” https://tinyurl.com/jz78sfaf
They also make angle trim to self-install led strip lights on, but I’ve found it easier to just buy the all-in one solution if the sizes work for what you need.
Maybe the lights need to be at an angle. I do think your necklaces are too far forward if you want them illuminated. If you moved your necklaces back a bit and put the lights at a 45° angle along the top/front or bottom/front of the cabinet would that help? Or lighting from beneath with multiple holes at the bottom of that space and lights showing through them? You could even create a cute pattern with those holes. Someone will figure it out for you.
What about a narrow strip of felt in the cracks? It would only be noticeable when the drawer opens and closes. Same with necklaces. I use motion sensor lights from Amazon. They can also be set to on. They are rechargeable.
I very often have an idea that works in my mind in theory but I don’t like it at all in reality so I really do understand your frustration. But your vision for this room is every girl’s dream and this is my favorite project right up there with your master bath! I wonder if maybe the “jewelry area” tape lighting is reading as cool (brighter or bluer) because it’s directly against and reflecting the pretty blue paint color? Where the sconces reflect the warmth of the navy in your wallpaper and may read as warmer lighting to your eye. Maybe the tape light is competing with or trying to drown out the sconce lighting? I personally would choose to use only the sconces in the mirrored area. The photos yesterday were so beautiful. That soft, pure light reflecting in the ruffly mirror is just so dreamy! 💖 Your closet/dressing room is just amazing. Great work Kristi! Your abilities and talents are really shining through on this project.
The lights are too bright. Different lights?
They can be dimmed.
Could you add a dust panel under the drawer to attach lights over the necklaces?
Personally, I’d abandon the strip lights. It was better without, imo.
Here’s how a jewelry cabinet was lit. I don’t know if there’s an idea in there anywhere. But maybe the “channel” will spark an idea.
https://www.ecolocityled.com/product/led-strip-display-case?srsltid=AfmBOoqMMAdxDj265CH3pRBErHxsM4dMe4LVKuoaidfPP53Pa0kHqa3t
Mirrors were mentioned. Maybe around 3 sides and an angled light at the front? This is a tough one because the space is limited.
I personally don’t think you need lights around the jewelry area. It makes it look like a jewelry counter at a department store where items are for sale.
I think that the light is not getting to the inner part of your jewelry drawer is due to the dividers being of material. If the I divide Al sections were acrylic the light could go through to the inner. You could one the drawer with your velvet and use acrylic strips to make your dividers. Just a thought. Also a mirror on the back wall of the necklace section might reflect the light and show the beautiful colors.
In regards to the light shining between the shelf bottom and the top of the drawer: I can’t tell if there is room for this in the build…but perhaps a thin strip of wood fixed on the underside of the shelf just behind the drawers lip would block the light shining through?