If you really want to elevate the look of your home, inside or out, lighting is key… and the Philips Hue range remains our perky pick
PHILIPS HUE GO
Accent lights easily add ambience to a living space. They’re most useful to highlight architectural features like an alcove or bookshelves, or you can use one to show off a picture. Put simply, they can generate an instant atmosphere –and they’re one of the most effective ways to use smart lighting.
That’s certainly where the Hue Go portable accent light comes into its own. While its 6W bulb with 520 lumens definitely isn’t the brightest, it makes up for this in flexibility: the in-built battery means it can be taken to different rooms while it’s on. Battery life isn’t stunning –you’ll get a mere 2.5hrs at full brightness –but you can extend this significantly with less showy light settings, with 18hrs possible if you choose the flickering candlelight effect.
Follow that gleam
In reality, this lamp is likely to be used in a single location most of the time, as it’ll usually be plugged in. It doesn’t feel especially high in build quality as it’s plastic, but the advantage of the translucent shell is that the whole edge of the lamp radiates the same colour.
The plastic build is also unlikely to matter that much if it’s just providing a highlight in one room of your home. It also means this lamp is pretty robust.
MORE PHILIPS FANCIES
This tower of colour-changing light isn’t just a lamp –it’s a statement piece. Standing at 146cm tall as one solid strip sprouting from a cylindrical base unit, it’s bold and elegant. Available in white, black and oak finishes, the real magic of the Signe Gradient Floor Lamp lies in its ability to paint any room with light, with its lighting bar split into gradient zones for mixing shades.
£280 /philips-hue.com
If you’re looking to give your garden, balcony or patio an easy upgrade, then a few connected Lily spotlights should do the trick. Easy to install and robustly made, these smart lights offer a full spectrum of colours for any mood, and can be screwed to fence posts or stuck in the ground and angled to uplight your favourite plants or trees
