Transform Your Space with Custom Neon Lights: Tips and Ideas
Neon lights are known for their bright colors. These signs rely on the construction of glass tubes filled with neon gas. That neon gas remains under low pressure. When plugged in, the electrons in the neon atoms are ionized or removed, causing the atoms to excite and produce light. During the 1920s-1950s, these signs became quite popular, particularly in pop culture.
They were installed throughout famous cities like New York, where Times Square helped propel them into popularity. Famous buildings all the way down to small shops had bright, colorful signs made. They lost their popularity during the economic fall of the 1970s when it was harder to afford the replacement for broken neon tubes. This resulted in the still quintessential sign of hard times represented by a flickering neon sign.
But today custom neon lights are back in action, seeing a resurgence in interior design. Custom neon lights offer a versatile and trendy decor option for every room of the house.
Custom neon lights
Custom neon lights are lighting designs that are created for your home or office. You can choose words, phrases, images, or a combination for a unique design using different colors, shapes, and sizes.
With custom lights you can have a new light you plug into a bedroom, office, or kitchen that boost mood, enhance lighting, and add personality to the space.
How custom neon lights can be used for different rooms
Custom neon lights provide a way to add style to any space, but how you use it in each room will differ slightly.
Living Room
In your living room, you can use neon lights to create a warm, welcoming space. What you choose should have the colors that match the space, with complementary combinations like blue and orange or red and green. These complementary colors can produce a visually appealing sign compared to a sign with a single color.
- Consider installing neon lights as accent lighting, strategically installed as a piece of art, or near a mirror.
- You can backlight your television by installing custom neon lights behind it, making movie nights even more entertaining.
Bedroom
In a bedroom, consider creating a custom neon light in the shape of an iconic landscape or building that speaks to the decor of the space.
- Do you have a French style in your bedroom, complete with photos from your study abroad, lace, movie posters, and souvenirs? Consider making a neon light with the shape of the Eiffel Tower or the Moulin Rouge.
- Do you have a Mediterranean seaside theme with rustic colors and wooden furniture? Consider creating custom-made neon lights in the shape of seashells, beach umbrellas, or buckets of sand.
Home Office
If you have a home office, you can make it stand out with custom neon lights for room work and play in one. A neon sign with a motivational phrase might read “Katie’s Office” or something motivational like “Be better than you were yesterday.”
In any office space, LED neon lights custom made also provide a way to accentuate the space, customized to fit your style while also brightening up the room.
When you create a playful sign, the colors should be strategic, enhance your focus and concentration, while also boosting your mood. You can even consider incorporating custom made neon lights with existing task lighting for a fuller, brighter effect.
Kitchen and Dining Area
In a kitchen or dining area, neon lights add color against what is typically a white or beige backdrop. With so many design options, you can customize something like:
- The shape of favorite foods
- An icon like the Eiffel Tower
- A sign with the family name
You can even invest in a custom design that lends itself to increased safety, like a sign with an arrow directing kids to the table, one that identifies separate trash and recycling bins, and neon lights that brighten the walkways leading to and from the kitchen.
Children’s Room
LED neon lights can be custom-made and can provide a way to create a unique atmosphere in any space. In the bedroom or nursery for a child, these lights provide a way to make the room colorful, with mood lighting that encourages calmness or tranquility, even playfulness during the day. What’s more, custom-made neon lights can be designed to highlight something important to a child, like:
- Their name
- Their favorite animal
- A quote or phrase important to the family
Installation Tips for Custom Neon Lights
Once you have your custom neon lights, you need to know how and where to install them.
Placement and Positioning
Start by choosing a location where your sign can be most visible, such as over a doorway, on an otherwise empty wall, or behind a home bar. If you are using the neon light in combination with other task lighting, be sure it is positioned in an area where it will reach the most light.
There should be a power source near to where the neon lights are hung. You should not use an extension cord or have exposed wires, so you might consider hiring an electrician to install a new, dedicated outlet near where you want the neon to be if you do not have any other installation location.
If you have a large quote, silhouette, or other important image as your custom neon light, don’t overcrowd the location where it will hang. Keep it visible, with enough space that it draws the eye.
Mounting Options
When you have custom made neon lights, you need to be sure they are mounted safely. Depending on the size of your neon light, you will need to drill holes in the wall where it will hang and install the appropriate hardware. You might consider additional mounting safety options if you have a particularly heavy light.
Safety Considerations
Custom neon lights can break if they are not handled correctly. They are very fragile. You should always consider the mounting and placement so that the neon signs are out of the reach of children and pets.
Maintenance and care for custom neon lights
As is the case with any lights, custom neon lights should be cleaned regularly. You can do this by taking a microfiber cloth or damp cloth and wiping down all of the parts. This will make it easy to keep the right colors looking great.
Note: If your sign has been plugged into the point that it is hot, turn it off and let it cool before you wipe it down.
Unlike traditional lights, it is better for neon signs to remain plugged in full-time. Otherwise, they wear out sooner because the transformation of plugging them in and unplugging them regularly will wear them out.
You want to leave the neon lights plugged in, but you also want to leave them turned on a lot if you can.
If you handle the neon, especially if it breaks, always wear protective clothing and glaves, as neon can be dangerous if it comes into contact with your skin or if you inhale too much of it.
Always have broken neon fixed quickly and repair any exposed wires too.
Conclusion
While the flickering neon light might be emblematic of hard times and struggle, custom-made neon lights for room designs are now emblematic of style and personality. You can explore different ideas and designs based on the transformative potential of custom neon lights. With these, you can leave a lasting impact on personal and commercial spaces.