Illuminating Trend

As technology advances in illumination techniques, many traditional home fixtures are now enabled with light-emitting diode (LED) installations. There is a green benefit to this rising trend: LED lights use less power up front and generate less heat than other light fixtures. Replacing old lighting with LEDs not only will make your home eco-friendly and energy-efficient, it also will modernize your space.

		Kitchen: No need to hassle with under-cabinet lights or illuminating bookshelves and the inside of cabinets—Element Designs’ (www.element-designs.com) Eluma aluminum frame LED panels are fully illuminated panels that can be installed as a backsplash, shelving, fixed panels, custom signage and more. Panel options include brushed finish frames with the look of stainless steel, simulated wood finish frames, acrylic or etched-glass inserts and a variety of color options for the light.
		Another option for your kitchen is the SplashLite illuminated glass backsplash by Celsius Glass (www.celsiusglass.net.au) and LedFX (www.ledfx.com). These backsplashes have edges lit by LED lighting, and come with single-color illumination or color-changing abilities that can be paused on any of the 4,096 colors available.
		Bathroom: A rising trend in bathrooms are products that offer chromatherapy—the use of color and light therapy to balance energy wherever a person’s body is lacking. One new chromatherapy bath product is the Hansaclear Lux showerhead by HANSA (www.hansaamerica.net). Completely transparent, the showerhead reveals how water flows and moves within. The handle contains the touch-button to select the color of the light and a small battery pack that requires an occasional, brief recharging.
		Another bath product offering chromatherapy is Mr. Steam’s Chromasteam System (www.mrsteam.com). The system incorporates LED lights to shine an array of mood-elevating colors into the steam room—from soothing shades of blue and green to energizing colors like orange and red.