Getting enough light into a roombox and a yard (in addition to their individual lamps)

[Pamela]

As many ideas as possible would be very welcome!

What kinds of ways can we bring enough light into a roombox to let people enjoy it? 

What kinds of ways can we light its yard/garden?

I'm nearly done with my  first roombox and am planning an adjacent back hall and garden. Both rooms will have a ceiling light and several lamps, but those won't really light up the spaces very well.  I'm working with limited knowledge, having never wired before (I took Tim Kraft's wonderful workshop, though), so there must be a variety of good ways to approach this that I haven't thought of.  I do know to make the interiors warm light and the exterior cool or full-spectrum. From there I need help.

My first idea was to put strip LED's hidden at the top-front of each box, at an angle 45 degrees from protective glass and ceiling, but I have doubts about the light reaching to the back of the room without over-lighting the front. Also, I don't know how to tell how much light each strip puts out - doesn't anyone list that?  I see 1/8" strips for sale now in addition to the usual 3/8" strips - much easier to hide, but do I assume they are a lot weaker?  What are other alternatives?

For the 13 x 18" garden I was considering sticking striplights to the 'sky' (the shelf above the two boxes and garden), and adding a skirt up there to block our view of the strips. I'd like to continue the run in the 7" between the back of the boxes and the back of the shelf they sit on, so that light comes in the windows, too.  How do I calculate the length and spacing of light strips? Can I buy a roll of strips, cut it up, and turn corners  with connector wires in series, or is there a noticeable voltage drop if I do that? Is there a better/simpler/easier/more realistic-looking way to light things than this?

-Pam

[WeekendMiniaturist]

Hi Pam, welcome to the Fine Miniatures Forum!  I think lighting is a very important subject... I do like LED lights as they do not throw off heat; I've not used LED strip lighting yet, and it has taken a while for me to warm up to LED overall in real life & miniature.

I tend to research the period and attempt to light the same way things are illustrated in magazines or in museum settings of entire rooms.  

I was a participant in Frank Crescente Dining Room last year at the Chicago show and we put in canned lights in the ceiling, this was a demo in progress picture of Frank's box.  

Tamra

 

 

[Pamela]

Thanks Tamra. The room box is beautiful- I'll bet it was an excellent workshop. The light the can lights put out is really quite nice, but since this is a period room I wish they were invisible.

I also do a lot of research and my lights will be true-to-period in style. True to two periods, since I designed the architecture as turn of 20th c. and the inhabited interior as early 1920's, which gives me a lot of leeway for 'updating' or not. Those visible fixtures are incandescent. The lighting I'm puzzling over now is to be hidden  and its purpose is to 1) add some even light to the interior, and 2) to make the exterior look like a sunny June day. That's why I'm exploring strip lights. 

An aside: I want to share a site I just found,  fact and opinion for people who get into details: Ken Roginski, The Old House Guy.  An example below - I was hunting for 1900 under-porch lattice orientation.

https://www.oldhouseguy.com/porch-skirting/

Pam

[Mesouth]

Pam, you are on the right track (no pun intended)! I add LED strip lighting to most of my builds to be able to see into the room. I have some where the lamps and overhead lights are on one circuit and the indirect LEDs are on a separate circuit, so you can see how the room might look in RL, but you can also view the details with enough indirect light.

I place the LED strip lights at the front or viewing edge of my room boxes on a 45° angled strip of wood and the light reaches the whole room very well. LED strips usually run in a series of 3, so I put enough sets of 3s to cover the width of the room. I mostly use the 3014 LEDs and buy them on a reel and solder the connection wires to one end of the run. The tape they are on is about 1/4" wide.  The only time I have ever had a problem with the indirect lights being seen is when there is a mirror in the room.  I usually purchase the reels from Carl Sahlberg @ cr2s.com.  Tim Kraft is another source @ lumenationsbymrk.net.  Both sell these with the series of 3 (or multiples thereof) already cut and with the connection wires attached. Incidentally, both of these gentlemen are excellent teachers and very helpful with your project!

The LED ribbon lights run in a series of 2 and the tape is 1/8" wide, and are very bright. I've used this smaller LEDs to light up a fish tank that is on a bookshelf.

If I'm understanding your garden question, and your garden is seen through the windows, I have used a set of 3 LEDs at the top of the outside of the window to illuminate the garden and to look like sunlight is coming through the window. There again, you might put these on a different circuit. I have also used  LEDs behind a false door the was slightly ajar, although I think I need to use a piece of semi-opaque plexiglass to diffuse the light because it is a bit too bright. I've also heard of painting an LED with a neutral colored acrylic paint to dim it. I've never tried to myself, but since they don't generate heat ... I'll have to check with Tim or Carl on this before I do it!

I took the same Frank Crescente class as Tamra, but did my lights differently.  I did not use the recessed overhead lights. I used a center chandelier and wall sconces as well as the indirect LEDs as described above.  I tried to attach a couple of pictures but my files are too big, 1003.52kB as opposed to the 1000kB allowed. Tamra, or anyone, any suggestions?

 Welcome to the Forum and I hope I haven't inundated you with info! Martha

[Mesouth]

I think I may have just figured it out! First picture is room with indirect LEDs illuminating it. Second is a view of the LEDs from inside the room. I had to turn them off because they are too bright to photograph well when viewed directly (You are seeing a part of my RL Dinning Room in the bottom half). Third is my Southwest Room with 2 lighting ideas for you - the light under the bathroom door (needs a bit of diffusing) and the lighted fish tank  (using the 1/8" ribbon LED.

[Pamela]

Martha, Thank you for all the info! You did exactly what I was thinking about: strip lights at the top front of the box at a 45 degree angle, on a circuit separate from the lamps so you can a) light only the lamps for period ambience or b) light up the whole thing for clearer viewing. You have plenty of light but not too much, so that answers a big question. I would love to see more pics, if you're in the mood. I also wish the files could be bigger so we could enlarge for detail, but I suppose we can share links to albums in GooglePhotos or whatever. Anyway, do you have a frame around your box with a front glass that slides into place, and if so, did the 'cornice' in front show beyond the frame pr interfere with the wiring?

The mirror issue you mentioned makes me wonder if I'd have the same reflection problem with a reflection in the window glass. Time to experiment...

Your fish tank looks great. Under door: I read a guy's blog post in which he said he painted his street lamp bulbs yellow to mimic gaslight's glow. I wonder how that works long-term.

As for the garden, here's a quick drawing of the layout - it'll be off to the side and include a strip behind the rooms. Behind everything I will put a photo of my IRL garden to fake distance. Second photo is my experiment with that. The flowers up front are stuck into window boxes to see if the two could mix. (Yes, I know these are giant perennials; I will 'transplant' them into the garden when I build it and put smaller plants into the boxes). Having something there provides a bit of transition to the photo.  I need to light the garden and strip like the outdoors, so I was assuming this would mean a meandering snake of flexible strip or ribbon lights hidden by a skirt board. I have no idea how much light I need for that/how far apart to adhere the strips.

Pam

[D Taylor]

Hi Pamela

Gorgeous work! I love the wooden trim on your walls and fireplace. Did you design it yourself? Would you be willing to share your source?  

Peace. D Taylor, DVM

[Pamela]

Hi, D. Taylor, 

Thanks for the compliment! I designed and made all the woodwork but I didn't create the fancy trim at the top of the wainscot, windows and door - it's actually called Fancy Trim or Bouquet Fancy Trim and I got it at Manchester Woodworks. You can find the same trim on eBay and Etsy if you google for it, and there are a couple of alternate patterns. If you look at it closely at the first pic you will see on the shorter piece that I cut off the Greek key part with a razor saw (sloow work) and used it for part of the cornice. Be forewarned that it is more like 3/32" thick, not 1/16", and is denser than basswood, so 1) you will have to shim your other pieces to make the depths equal and 2) it will take stain a little differently (will absorb less and less-quickly).

Pam