Indirect lighting behind the TV or headboard

Indirect lighting is a hidden light source, whose bulb is never visible, and whose output diffuses via a wall, ceiling or intermediate surface. The result is soft and enveloping light that seems to come from nowhere.

The self-adhesive LED strip has democratised this technique, once reserved for professionals. For £50, anyone can install indirect lighting behind a headboard, TV, low unit, mirror or cornice. The effect, once reserved for high-end hotels, becomes accessible.

Two uses dominate. Behind the TV to reduce eye fatigue and give depth to the screen. Behind the headboard to create a soft bubble that prepares you for sleep.

1. Choosing the right LED strip. Five criteria.

- Length: measure the perimeter to cover (often 1.5 to 3 m for a TV or headboard), strips are sold in reels of 1 to 5 m. - Temperature: 2700 K for the bedroom, 2700 to 3000 K for the living room, never higher. - CRI: minimum 80, ideally 90. - LED density: 60 LEDs per metre minimum to avoid a visible "dot" effect. 120 LEDs per metre for premium strips. - Integrated dimmer or remote control: essential for adjusting intensity.

Reliable brands: Philips Hue Lightstrip (high-end, dimmable and CCT), Paulmann, Tridonic.

2. Installing behind the TV. Stick the strip to the back of the TV, on all four sides or just the top. Ideal distance between the TV and the wall: 5 to 10 cm to let the light breathe. The effect: the wall behind the TV is gently lit, the screen "floats" and eye fatigue (eyes switching between absolute black and a bright screen) is significantly reduced.

3. Installing behind the headboard. Stick the strip to the back of the headboard, on the top edge. The light rises toward the ceiling and traces a soft halo behind the bed. Immediate cocoon effect.

4. Clean installation tip. Always run the power cable along the wall, behind the unit, to a discreet socket. A painted cable trunking in the wall colour is enough to make it disappear completely.

Luxury interior designers integrate LED strips into technical channels built into the design from the start (cornice at the ceiling, recessed joint between wall and ceiling). The source disappears entirely and only the light remains. Significant cost and work, but pure architectural effect.

A very fashionable variation: indirect lighting under suspended low furniture (floating bed, wall-mounted console, entrance bench). The strip placed under the unit projects light toward the floor and gives a spectacular impression of floating in the evening.

Philips Hue systems allow automatic scenes to be programmed on LED strips, with intensity and temperature varying according to the hour (warm and dimmed in the evening, brighter and more neutral in the morning). For home automation enthusiasts, it is the ideal companion to smart dimmers (see rule 02.6).