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It's easy to see why LED lights are gaining popularity with the savings you can make by switching to LED bulbs in your home. There are many smart lighting options to choose from, affording you endlessly creative and colorful ways to light your home.

Today we will be concentrating on the humble RGB LED strip. Many of these ideas are plug-in and go, while some need a little more tinkering and a microcontroller (like Arduino). Bring some color and light back into your life with these DIY LED strip light projects.

DIY LED Strip Light Projects for the Home

The best part about RGB LED strip lights is the reasonable price. It provides you with the opportunity to put them all over your home!

1. Backlit Wall Panels

LEDs make great alternative lighting, and with a little work, you can make it look stylish too. YouTuber Great Scott! created this detailed guide to creating backlit wall panels.

Related: How to Install an LED Light Strip in Your Home

2. Wall Hanging Uplights

In a similar vein, YouTuber DIY Perks has a tutorial video on creating wall-hanging uplights.

3. LED Infinity Mirror

YouTuber techydiy created an illusion mirror using LED light strips. His video shows how to build an elegant wooden enclosure along with the LED wiring.

4. Custom Counter Lighting

Another great place for LEDs is in the kitchen. This video from DIGS Channel shows the more practical aspects of how to install them on countertops, and how good they can look!

5. Grow Lights

You can use LED lights to grow plants indoors. In this video, YouTuber RepensTheTurtle takes you through a simple build design.

Combine this and a monitoring system for the ultimate automated growing setup!

6. Bathroom Shower

A beautiful way to get yourself ready in the morning is using LED striplights to illuminate your bathroom shower. You can set them to create the perfect mood for a sunset shower or a blue morning cooldown. TileCoach offers awesome step by step instructions for this home-reno.

7. Bedframe Headboard

If your bedroom is feeling flat, change it up using this incredibly easy tutorial from Youtuber Ana Dreaming.

8. Decorate Drawers With LED Strip Lights

By placing strip lights alongside the interior of your dresser, vanity, or workbench's drawers, you can immediately highlight the items within.

9. Picture Frame

Why not add lighting behind you favorite framed family photo? With this tutorial from Tamilan DIY Creative channel, you can light up as many photos as you want and turn everyone into a star.

10. Kitchen Pantry

Jazzcat123 used a similar circuit to add motion-controlled LEDs to their pantry. It gives your kitchen a futuristic feeling.

Smart LED Strip Projects

With a few modifications, your RGB LED strip lights can accomplish some impressive tasks.

11. Get Creative with Arduino

Using LED strips in conjunction with a microcontroller gives much more control. It also adds a level of complexity. Controlling LED strips to make a great project for Arduino beginners.

In this video, YouTuber Gadget Addict explains how to control an LED strip using an Arduino. You can also read our guide on connecting LED light strips to Arduino.

12. Get Creative With Raspberry PI.

pi mosfet dodnungde
Image Credit: dordnung.de

If Raspberry is more your flavor of the controller, here is a great simple guide for the Pi.

It's worth noting that you must use logic-level MOSFETs such as the IRL540N with microcontrollers.

With this extra level of control comes some cool options for projects. Using an Arduino and a PIR sensor, you can create an LED sunrise lamp with a motion-activated night light.

sunrise alarm

LED Tricks to Light Up Your Work Space

LED strip lights aren't just useful for your home. With their bright settings, they make excellent tools for brightening your workspace.

13. Writing Desk Lamp

This video from Darbin Ovar takes you through the build process for a simple writing desk lamp.

14. Light Up Work Desk

In a similar vein, Well Done Tips uses a piece of aluminum to create a little more light over a larger work area. Illuminating the shelves in your workshop makes life easier.

15. Light Up Shelving Units

bar lightup shelves
Image Credit: Roey Leon via Instructables.com

Instructables user Roey Leon created light-up shelves for his bar. If you need it to be more rugged, try switching the glass out for thick clear acrylic.

16. Tripod Work Light

For a portable solution, the NerdForge channel has a guide for a tripod mountable work light. This is great for your workshop, garage, photo shoot, or any general nighttime lighting.

17. Outdoor Flood Lights

led floodlight
Image Credit: Leviathan17 via Instructables.com

Instructables user Leviathan17 built a more permanent outdoor light for $15. The guide covers building the enclosure, along with adding motion activation.

Light Up Your Life!

So far we have covered practical uses for LED strips. Now, let's look into some of their fun uses!

18. Light Up Bike

If you are a bike rider, this Instructable is for you. Tater Zoid mounted LED strips to their bike making it both safe and snazzy in one fell swoop.

19. PC LED Upgrades

If you are someone who uses their computer every day, why not brighten it up? Here are ways to make your PC glow with LEDs and YouTuber Jok has the guide for you too:

20. LED Skirt

This guide by maker SexyCyborg takes you through the assembly of an underlit skirt. It works through Bluetooth and a battery pack, though you could modify it to use the IR receiver in your LED strip's kit.

21. Lab Coat

Autodesk University made interactive Lab Coats, using LED lights and sensors attached to an Arduino. The project includes code to help you make your coat reactive to whichever sensors you choose to attach.

22. LED Shoes

diy led shoes
Image Credit: Créative Mélina via Instructables.com

Along with your new jacket, how about some shoes? Créative-Mélina has a simple-to-follow guide to make cool and colorful DIY LED light shiny shoes. Perfect for the adult that wishes they still could buy light-up sneakers!

23. Tron Suit

tron suit led
Image Credit: sheetmetalalchemist via Instructables.com

Taking it up a notch, sheetmetalalchemist made a Tron suit, using a simple but brilliant leather and LED strip design. Great for a fun night out stuck inside a computer fighting for your life.

24. Lightsaber

We couldn't go through cool things that light up without including a Lightsaber. Eric Nieto created his own Jedi light sword using an LED strip, and some machined parts.

While Eric made most of the body of his saber with metal, you could create something similar using PVC pipe at home.

25. Cloud Lights

Using some cotton and LED strip lights, you can create a beautiful cloud ceiling to give any room an extra special touch.

26. Car Lights

Although you'll need to check your local laws to ensure you're allowed interior car lighting, KLEANTRIX shows off a great way to upgrade your wheels.

Related: Essential Apps and Sites for Car Owners to Save Money

You'll want to order special Govee Car LED Lights, that are made specifically for your vehicle, but the installation is easy and totally worth it.

What Will You Make With LED Light Strips?

These 26 ideas are just to get you started. Now is the perfect time to experiment given how easy it is to setup these lights. Any article on LED strips is only going to be the tip of the iceberg.

The limits are your imagination, so order some today and have some fun. If you still want to find more ways to use LED lights, check out some simple crafts you can try using various types of LED lights.