I’m sharing a first look into my new Copenhagen apartment and showing you how I use Philips Hue lighting to elevate my space for every mood.
The renovation has taken about a year and I’m so excited that the apartment is now more or less done. Deciding on the look and feel of my new home wasn’t exactly an easy task, especially since I wanted it to reflect me, my personality and interests. I wanted my home to feel inviting, calm and with interesting elements that make the space unique. Now that it’s all coming together, I feel like I finally nailed the interior style I had in mind.
Some element that really stood out in the designing process that reflects my personal style very well are, firstly, the tropical vintage patterns I tend to go for – from the black and white wall mural in the living room to my precious dinner plates from London to posters and notebooks.
Then there are the velvet materials that are used throughout the apartment, which gives the apartment quite a feminine look. I also love the soft purple/heather colour of the sofas in the living room and the dark grey padded bed and headboard in the bedroom.
And lastly, the industrial black-framed windows that separate the kitchen, dining room and living room. I love the look of these, and I think it really adds something to the apartment. I used to pin tons of photos of these windows on Pinterest because I loved the cool New York vibe it gives.
Now, I thought I had everything I needed for the apartment until Philips kindly sent me their Hue White and Colour Ambiance starter kit with E26 lights to try out, and I must say, it has changed the game completely.
Not only does the Hue app let you choose between 16 million different colours so you can adjust the lights based on every mood and occasion, but there are also many practical ways you can use it. These are the features I’ve found super helpful in my everyday life:
- Voice control: Being able to dim or turn off all of the lights using Siri on my phone has been a lifesaver. I just ordered an Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Generation), which will allow me to use my voice only, instead of having to reach for my phone. Philips Hue also supports other smart speakers, such as Google Home and Apple Homekit accessories.
- IFTTT: There are tons of cool applets on IFTTT.com that allows the Hue app to speak to other apps and products. For instance, you can set up your lights to turn blue if it starts raining outside, or make the lights blink a certain colour if you receive a text or a call from a specific person. It’s small details like this that makes life easier!
- Daily activities: On the Hue app you can set your routines from when you wake up to when you go to bed. There are also several useful settings, such as ‘Energize’ when you’re waking up in the morning, ‘Concentrate’ for when you want to get work done and then the ‘Read’ or ‘Relax’ settings for the evening. This has been so helpful for me, especially when I work from home.
- Syncing the lights with entertainment: This is a super cool feature that takes movie nights to the next level. The Hue app can be synced to your laptop and then when you play movies on your Smart TV using a Chromecast, the lights will change with the colours displayed in the movie.
I especially love putting on warm lights, because I’ve heard so much about how harmful blue light can be if working in front of the screen for an extended period of time.
The routine feature on the Hue app sets the lights to a warm light setting and gradually fade out to help prepare for a good night’s sleep. This is a perfect time for me to put away my phone and write some reflective pages in my journal.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on my apartment reveal below and if you’ve tried any of the Philips Hue products.
Juliana is a fashion blogger and content creator, who is based in Copenhagen. She spent the last two years living in London, where she studied Fashion Communication, while building her career in digital storytelling.