Naturally, we are attracted to spotlights, including illuminated bookcases and bookshelves. Every book enthusiast wants their bookshelf to stand out. For this reason, LED bookshelf lighting could be all you need for your bookshelf to look unique. Various LED bookshelf lighting ideas are simple to implement and improve ambient lighting and the elegance of your bookcases. However, some people struggle to choose the appropriate bookshelf lighting design to suit their preferences.
Continue reading to learn about some of the best LED bookshelf lighting ideas.
Know What to Look for Before You Shop
In the market, there are varieties of LED lights for bookshelves. Each type will give you different brightness levels, lighting, and temperature colors.
Only a specific type of LED lighting will perfectly suit your lighting needs.
Unlike incandescent bulbs, manufacturers measure the value of LED in lumens. In this case, a lumen measures the light emitted by the LED light.
Bookshelf lighting works best with low-lumen LED lights. It is best to go for LEDs with less than 800 lumens.
The positioning of the LED light will determine the luminance of the bookshelf. You will need to choose where the lights look best on your bookshelf.
Some LED lights give the best output when fitted on the top of the bookshelf. Moreover, you could try using a LED backlight to illuminate the bookshelf.
（Old style Incandescent bulbs ）
5 Best Bookshelf LED Lighting Ideas
Plug-In LED Light Strips
LED strip lights come in handy because of their ease of installation. The LED strips take little space, and you won’t need to modify the bookshelf during installation.
You can follow this tutorial if you are doing the installation yourself.
(A LED strip light)
Battery Powered LED Light strips
If your bookshelf is far from the wall sockets, you may use batteries-powered LED strips.
In that case, you will consider a few more factors to adequately address your bookshelf lighting needs.
Consider the batteries required for the LED strips and the LED fittings you need to light the bookshelf.
Battery-powered LED lighting can be costly compared to the lights powered from wall sockets.
（Led strip coils closeup）
Battery-Powered LED Lights
It is possible to light your bookshelf with round bulbs powered by batteries. However, unlike the LED strips, these bulbs are bulky.
You will have to consider features such as remote control and the heat generated by the bulbs.
Most battery-powered bulbs are easy to install. We recommend you go for rechargeable battery bulbs to lower the cost of operation.
(LED lamp )
LED Linear Stick Lights
The LED liner stick lights offer a permanent solution to bookshelf lighting. These are lights you can easily fit on top of the selves and can work as a backlight. They are compact and slim, and you plug them into an electrical socket.
You can run the LED linear stick lights under the shelves without interfering with the book arrangement. Moreover, these LED lights produce very little heat, improving the bookshelf’s experience.
(LED Linear Stick )
LED Accent Spotlights
Accent spotlights are best suited when you need to focus the light on a specific section of the bookshelf. Most of them come with an adhesive, while others have provisions to screw on the shelves.
(LED Accent Spotlights)
Types of Fixtures for Bookcase Lighting
LED puck lights
Puck lights are small in size, and they can fix to illuminate the shelf below.
You may need to drill the shelf and hide the cables within the wood when installing.
Here, you can use glass shelving if you want the light to cover a larger area.
(LED puck lights)
Display/picture lights
These lights focus on specific bookshelf sections and shine items in front of them. You can use picture lights to focus on your favorite books on the bookshelf.
You’ll get better results when using picture lights together with puck lights.
( Picture lights)
Horizontal LED strip lights
If you have cubicle bookshelves, you can use horizontal LED strip Lights. These lights can give ambient and display lighting for the bookshelves.
You can use horizontal lights to illuminate the shelves resembling open boxes.
Vertical LED strip lights
You can use vertical LED strip lights if you want even lighting for your bookshelves.
We recommend that you ensure that the shelves are 30 inches or less for even light distribution.
Up lights above the bookcase
You can install the lights above the bookcase to get a soft ambiance. The light will reflect off the ceiling, giving a soft glow throughout the bookcases.
Adjustable Spot Lights
You can use spotlights to illuminate the most significant books on the shelves.
It’s possible to adjust the light from some spotlights to match your preference and outshine the room’s ambient lighting.
Track lights
You can use track lights to create ambient, accent, and track lighting. You can shine the track lights on specific sections of the bookshelves similarly to spotlights.
Track lights reflect soft illumination to the room.
Why You Should Use Dimmers and Zones in Bookcase Lighting
You can use dimmers to adjust the lighting of a bookcase depending on the mood and the ambient lighting.
When working with different types of fixtures, you can use zoned lighting.
You can turn one section on with zoned lighting, especially when working with a large bookcase.
Conclusion
Generally, it’s crucial to light bookcases and bookshelves according to your preference. There are different lighting options depending on your lighting needs. When choosing a LED lighting option, you should consider the amount of light and temperature suitable for the bookcase or bookshelf.
