Welcome, 2023! We’re glad for a new year and all that the future holds. Everyone at HitLights is looking forward to serving customers, home improvers, and independent contracting pros with all the LED strip light projects you plan to tackle this year.

If you’re looking ahead to a wonderful 2023, too… but maybe you need a little inspiration or want to know what lighting trends you’ll be seeing in all the best places and spaces, we have the inside scoop on five trends that are influencing lighting installations this year.

Each of these trends are sure to get your creative juices flowing and excited about changing up the look of your home, office, or business. Better yet—the outstanding guidance you can get from HitLights tech team never goes out of style, so you can be confident that whatever lighting look you want to create this year, you’ll be able to make it happen with HitLights.

Let’s see those trends for 2023!

1. Is recessed lighting on-trend for 2023?

Recessed lighting is everywhere in 2023. If you have a flat surface—put a LED strip light on it. (Okay, we’re kind of kidding… but only kind of.) Recessed lighting is when LED strip lights are installed in coving (like on crown molding); in shelving (providing a softer version of spotlighting); archways and cased doorways; or any location where you can add a highlight in such a way that the LED strip isn’t visible, but the glowing light is. 

Many lighting designers are adding recessed lighting in multiple spots in one room. The bigger theme of the recessed lighting trend (which you’ll see again later on with some of our trend forecasting) is soft, luxurious glow. Recessed lighting throughout a room allows you to have a room that appears lit (that is, enough light to feel like the lights are on) but a gentle, glowing, nearly ethereal feel that cannot be achieved by overhead or direct lighting. 

LED strip lights are perfect for the recessed lighting trend because of the easy installation to flat surfaces; the dimming capability that can be easily synced and controlled (whether by actual switch or convenient app); and the ability to cut the LED strip lights to exactly the space you need to cover in the recessed area. LED strip lights are the perfect solution to capture the recessed lighting trend.

How can you get in on the recessed lighting trend?

• Install LED strip lights in built-ins, shelving, archways, crown molding and more 
• Pick from any of HitLights premium lines and choose dimmable, cut-to-fit strips
• Explore our new line of SleekTone CV products that easily connect entire systems of LED lights and connect to innovative dimmer switches

2. Create a spa-like environment in your bathroom with lighting

Bathrooms are getting a lot of attention in 2023—especially when it comes to lighting. Get ready for lush touches in your lavatories like piles of fluffy towels; elegant black and white color schemes; cool, hip attention-grabbers like chandeliers hanging above deep soak tubs. What can LED strip lights bring to these sumptuous environs? Let LED strip lights create a glow in your bathrooms reminiscent of a spa. Install LED strips in toe kicks; under bathroom counters; along molding. In this set up, usually the LED strips are strictly for accent—LED strips are for setting mood, not necessarily for bathroom task lighting. Let other direct lighting provide the task lighting in your trendy 2023 bathrooms. 

One of the coolest ways to bring this spa-at-home feel to your own bathrooms is with a back-lit mirror. Using the mirror is a top-tier activity, so don’t overlook your looking glass. Consider using our Eclipse kit (the kit we love to recommend for creating the back-lit look on computer monitors and mounted TVs) to create a back-lit mirror. The look of LED light peeking out from behind your mirror is nothing short of glamorous. 

How can you maximize the spa-like lighting bathroom trend?

• Pick LED strip lights that can dim and produce a color temperature in the warm white range (to get that glow!)
• Try the backlighting effect on a wall mounted mirror
• Plan for all the spaces in the bathroom that can be lined with an LED strip light
• Don’t forget! Bathrooms are damp environments! Pick waterproof LED strip lights and opt for premium double-sided mounting tape to make your installation a success

3. Luxury is IN—especially when it comes to lighting

Have you noticed a certain note of fanciness to our previous trends? Luxury is a must for 2023— but think luxurious touches, not complicated overhauls or remodels. Lighting can be especially helpful in bringing luxe to all your spaces, no matter if you have a major or modest budget to work with. Updating fixtures or adding a small, stylish table lamp are inexpensive and easy ways to add luxury into your room designs. 

LED strip lights are also helpful to add luxury due to the ease of installation and the wide palate of colors (technically referred to as the color temperature of the lights) to choose from in some of our premium lights. Did you know that you don’t always have to pick a highly saturated color when you go for something other than white light for your LEDs? We often think of bold, modern colors when we think of LED lights. That’s not your only option! You can select sophisticated, subtle hues or tones that convey beauty beyond the basics of primary colors. 

Plus—stay tuned—we’re going to have some exciting news about luxury in the months to come. But until then…

How to get some luxury in your lighting for 2023:

• Simple updates (like new light shades) or other easy upgrades are easy, affordable ways to increase the luxury-feel of any room through the lighting
• Examine the color tone of your existing lights (make sure all the color tones of your lights in one room match or are complimentary—nothing looks worse than clashing or competing color tones!)
• Pick from HitLights’ premium line for any of your LED strip light installations

4. Sustainability is here to stay

Energy saving isn’t optional anymore. When a trend comes and stays (like what has happened with LED strip lights) we refer to this as a standard. LED strip lights are now a standard, and the energy savings that people experience with LED strip lights is standard now, too. 

If you are checking the product listings to figure out what’s going to save the most energy with your LED strip light installations, you aren’t the only one. We are happy to show off the efficiency of our HitLights LED strip lights and know you’re going to love the energy saved.

If you are a long-time LED fan, you will be happy to know that efficiency and sustainability concerns aren’t going away. In fact, with this trend you’ll be joined by so many people who share your efficiency goals. 

How can you start saving energy right away?

• Pick any of your favorite LED strip lights from HitLights
• Read the product descriptions to get all the facts about the strip that’s striking your fancy
• Have questions? Call any of our knowledgeable Tech Staff team members who will help you from idea to installation

5. What is Mix-n-Match Lighting?

Our final lighting trend for 2023 we want to present to you involves mix-n-match lighting. Remember back in the bathroom entry the suggestion of a room lined with LED strip lights and a dramatic focal point like a chandelier over the tub? That’s a perfect example of mix-n-match. Modern with natural; stone with metal; soft and muted complimenting bright and big. All of these are great examples of the combinations you’ll see this year in lighting design. 

You can also find some opportunities to mix in rooms that are looking a little too “matchy matchy.” What about a brass lamp in a room that mostly features chrome? It’s okay to strategically mix metal finishes. What about LED strip lights in a room that’s a little more traditional? Experiment with this trend to see what can come together with a diverse selection of lighting elements. 

How to max out the mix-n-match trend:

• Is there a room you’ve passed on bringing in LED strip lights? Give that room a second look in terms of looking for a mix-n-match opportunity
• Peruse the HitLights website and check out lighting options you might not normally look at—this is all about breaking out of former patterns. Check into what’s out there!
• Look for dominant themes and see if you can bring in some “opposites” to explore this trend

Consider yourself equipped! Not only do you have a great idea of what’s ahead in lighting for 2023, but you have a whole team ready to help you make your ideas a reality.

What trend do you like the best? Is there any trend you would like to know more about? Any trends you want to see expire before mid-year? We want to know it all.

If you are looking for some pro help to get you started with all your 2023 give our tech team a call. Give us a call now at 1 (855) 768-4135 and get started today. On behalf of everyone at HitLights, we wish you and yours a prosperous 2023!