Lighting impacts your mood, experiences and memories. It can change your circadian rhythms and interrupt long-held sleep patterns. In a word, lighting is powerful. It shapes how we experience the world. In the coronavirus era, lighting has a surprising role to play, particularly if you’re living in isolation or spending more time at home.
Since March 2020, the Gizmodo Australia crew has been working from home. Without a trip into work, drinks after or friendly catch-ups, the world has started to feel a bit monotonous. Most of us wake up, sit down at our laptops and start typing away with little of the friendly banter our days used to be filled with. There’s not much to break up the quiet, but with some handy tricks, you can make it feel like you’re living and working in a whole new space.
Here’s where the new Nanoleaf Triangles come in. The latest set includes two variants: Mini Triangles which measure about 11cm and larger Triangles that measure in at 22cm. The Mini Triangles come in packs of five for $189.99 while the Triangles come in packs of nine for $349.99. If you’re looking to freshen up your living space, they’re pricey but absolutely worth it.
I’ve written about Nanoleaf lights before. They’re fairly simple app-controlled smart lights which can be programmed to any pattern you choose. You can touch them and they’ll flash in different patterns. You can play music and they’ll respond to the tunes. You can use them as a regular light, or as an accent in your room. If you have other Nanoleaf Shapes, you’ll also be able to connect them up and create new and terrifying designs. In short: they’re pretty fantastic.
The Triangles are my favourite of the new lot, mostly because they fit perfectly on IKEA’s classic Billy bookcase. Like other Nanoleaf products, you’ll need to tape the lights to a wall or another surface to keep them stable. If you can’t put them directly on your wall (if you’re renting, for example), the Triangles are versatile enough to fit lengthwise on most furniture.
The Mini Triangles are also a viable option, being much smaller than the mainline Triangles.
These operate the same way, but they’re much easier to place and you can stick them on any surface. Attaching these to a desk or bookshelf can really change your space. It’s just one of the little ways you can make your home office seem brighter while you’re working your life away.
The new Nanoleaf Shapes range boasts bright and colourful shades that’ll soak your room, particularly in darkness. Using the lights before bed is great for invoking a deep sense of calm and making your room seem a bit more magical. (No matter your age, colourful lighting is still the bomb.)
Colour theory states warmer reds and dark pinks are perfect for a great night’s sleep, largely because they emulate the atmosphere of being in the womb, where life was much simpler. With the right colour shades and settings, the new Nanoleaf Triangles can emulate those desired womb-like shades for the perfect rest.
My sleep has improved significantly while I’ve been using the Nanoleaf lights, as has my mood. While it’s hard to properly gauge the exact impact in numbers, I’ve noticed I’m much more relaxed using the devices to read before bed. Like being in a warm bath, they’re great for carving out time for yourself and focusing on your mental health.
In the daytime, they also serve to light up any space and give a sense of freshness to your working life. The difference between a blue day and a pink day isn’t a whole lot, but it’ll give you a sense of change — and in the coronavirus era, that’s a real blessing.
While you will need to fork out for the new Nanoleafs ($350 is a big investment for smart lights) they really are fantastic. They inject any day with a sense of fun and make for very stylish accessories to boot. They’ve helped me immensely while I’ve been stuck at home and if you’re in a similar position, they may just help you too.