Wardrobe Lights

Where the light goes

Light each storage level separately. A wardrobe is a stack of dark boxes, and each one needs its own source.

The rail is the position worth spending on, and we make it in two shapes. The W1 profile is an oval aluminium extrusion that works as the hanging rail itself while housing the strip inside it, so it is one component instead of a rail plus a separate light. It comes in silver anodised aluminium in 1 and 2 metre lengths - the 2 m W1 oval hanging rail suits a standard double section - with covers available separately in 1, 2, 3 and 20 metre lengths. End holders and single or double extension arms are ordered alongside. Because the aluminium doubles as a heat sink, the strip inside it runs cooler than one stuck to the underside of a shelf.

The W2 profile is the round version of the same idea, supplied as a set with cover and two end holders, in 1 and 2 metre lengths and four finishes: chrome look, silver anodised, black and white. It takes E-series diffusers, so covers are interchangeable with our surface profile range.

For shelves, frame edges and shoe racks, work from the surface profile range instead. The slim sections are the ones that disappear: K0 mini, KL2 micro and the 7 x 7 mm ME2 extrusion all fix to the underside of a shelf without eating headroom, and a corner profile does the same job where the light needs aiming at the contents rather than straight down.

Which strip belongs in a wardrobe

COB, in neutral white, at moderate output.

COB packs the chips into a continuous line instead of spacing them out, so there is no dotting on the clothes. Inside a wardrobe the strip sits 300 mm or less from what it lights, and at that distance an SMD strip projects a visible row of bright points onto every hanging garment.

Colour temperature is a judgement people get wrong in the other direction from the bathroom: warm white flatters a room but lies about clothes. 4000K keeps navy separate from black, which is the entire practical purpose of lighting a wardrobe. Our COB range runs 2200K through 6500K at 9.6 to 19 W per metre with CRI90+, and includes a tuneable CCT strip if you want warm for the dressing room and neutral inside the doors.

Output matters less than position. A wardrobe interior is a small, pale, enclosed space, and a high-output strip in it produces glare, not visibility. Moderate wattage in the right five places beats maximum wattage in one.

Sensors: the part that gets skipped

A wardrobe wants a sensor, not a switch. Nobody reaches for a switch with both hands full, and a strip left on inside a closed wardrobe is the most common way these installs waste power.

Three types, three uses.

PIR, surface-mounted. Detects body heat in motion. The ZONA MINI PIR mounts on the surface, is rated IP65/20 and comes in white or black. Suits open shelving and walk-in sections.

Microwave (HF). Detects movement through the door itself, so the sensor can hide behind the panel with nothing visible. Our HF mini is IP20 with a maximum load of 100 W, which is ample for a full wardrobe run.

Two-range adjustable PIR. A 180 degree detection angle at IP44, in white or black, with adjustable range so a walk-in does not trigger from the bedroom. This is the one for a dressing room, not a cupboard.

Full range in sensors, plus door switches and manual options in switches.

Powering the run

Every strip needs a driver matched to the total load, with headroom, never at the ceiling. In fitted furniture the driver usually hides in the plinth or above the top panel, which makes an enclosed power supply the sensible choice: it survives dust and stays quiet.

Plan the cable route before the carcass goes in. Retro-fitting a sensor into a finished wardrobe means taking the wardrobe apart, and that single point decides whether this job is easy or miserable.

Five mistakes worth avoiding

1. Planning the lighting after the wardrobe is built. Cable routes and driver space have to exist before the carcass is fixed.
2. Relying on one light at the top. It shadows the clothes it is meant to show.
3. Choosing warm white. It makes dark colours indistinguishable from each other.
4. Ignoring the lower sections. Shoes and folded stacks sit in the darkest part of the unit.
5. Fitting a switch instead of a sensor. It gets left on, or never used.

FAQ

1. What is the best way to light a wardrobe?

Light every storage level separately: along the hanging rail, under each shelf, inside deep drawers and at the lower sections. Use neutral white COB strip in aluminium profile, and switch it from a door sensor rather than a manual switch.

2. Can I add lights to an existing wardrobe?

Yes. Slim surface channels fix to the underside of shelves and along frame edges without cutting into the carcass, and the run can take its supply from a nearby socket through a driver hidden in the plinth. The harder part is the cable route, not the light.

3. Where should I put LED strip in a wardrobe?

Under each shelf, along the top of the hanging section, inside deep drawers, along the inner frame edges, and at shoe-rack level. Aim the strip at the contents rather than out into the room, which is what a corner profile is for.

4. What type of light is best inside a wardrobe?

COB strip in aluminium profile, at 4000K. COB gives a dot-free line at close viewing distance, the profile acts as a heat sink and the neutral colour temperature keeps dark garments distinguishable from each other.

5. Do wardrobe light sensors work in all wardrobes?

PIR sensors need line of sight to detect movement, so they suit open shelving and walk-in sections. For a closed cupboard where the sensor would sit behind a solid door, a microwave sensor detects through the panel instead, or a door switch triggers on opening.

6. Do LED wardrobe lights use much electricity?

Very little. A wardrobe run draws around 10 to 19 W per metre only while it is on, and on a sensor circuit that is minutes per day, which puts the annual consumption well below a single mains bulb left on in the same room.