✨ Cove Lighting Planner
Cove Lighting Calculator
LED strip sizing, power supply planning, reflected-light logic, and mounting guidance for cove and valance lighting.
Effect preset — quick start
Room & cove geometry
Sum of all walls with strip (e.g. 4-wall room: 2×L + 2×W)
Distance strip is recessed from front of cove lip
Height of cove front panel hiding the strip
Strip specification & reflectance
LED strip type
Diffuser?
Ceiling colour
Ceiling finish
Colour temperature
Cross-section preview
LIVE
Lighting output
–
Total lumens
–
lm/ft (effective)
– lux
Est. reflected ambient
–
Lighting role
– W
Total load
– W/ft
Strip density
–
Strip runs / feeds
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Power supply planning
– A
Total current draw
– W
Recommended driver size (80% rule)
–
Power injection points
– ft
Max run per feed (voltage drop)
–
Mounting & specification guidance
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Colour temperature
–
–
Lighting role & layering
–
–
Dimming scene guide
Great cove lighting adapts throughout the day. Tap a scene to see the ideal brightness and CCT for that moment.
Relax
10-20% · 2700K
Entertain
40-60% · 2700K
Movie
5-10% · 2200K
Nightlight
1-3% · 2200K
Full ambient
100% · 3000K
Cove setback and reveal depth guide
The setback distance (strip to front lip) controls whether you see the strip, see hotspots, or get a perfect even wash. This is where most cove lighting fails.
2″
Too shallow
Strip will be visible from normal viewing angles. Dot pattern almost certain on SMD strips.
⚠ High hotspot risk
4″
Minimum
Acceptable with COB/dotless strip or opal diffuser. Marginal for standard SMD. Use milky cover.
⚠ Caution with SMD
6″
Recommended
The sweet spot for residential cove. Even wash, no hotspots, strip not visible. Works with SMD + milky cover.
✓ Optimal for most setups
8″+
Deep reveal
Maximum beam blending. Ideal for high ceilings or very large rooms. Light must be brighter to compensate.
✓ Best diffusion + blend
Why indirect cove lighting feels premium
Cove lighting triggers very specific psychological responses — understanding them helps you design the right intensity and placement.
Ceilings appear taller
Bright ceilings create an illusion of height. Upward-directed cove lighting makes an 8ft ceiling feel closer to 10ft — one of the most cost-effective architectural tricks available.
Zero glare to the eye
The light source is completely hidden. No direct filament or LED array enters the field of view. This is why indirect lighting feels restful — the brain doesn’t have to fight any brightness.
Textures become visible
Bounced light grazes ceiling texture, plasterwork, and architectural details that flat direct lighting completely kills. Indirect light is what makes vaulted ceilings look expensive.
The hotel-lobby effect
Luxury hospitality design is dominated by indirect light because it creates comfort without visual fatigue. Guests stay longer, feel more at ease, and spend more. It is not accidental.
Common cove lighting mistakes
These failures are expensive to fix after the ceiling is closed — understand them before you buy a single strip
Strip visible from below — If any part of the LED strip can be seen from a standing or seated position, the entire effect is ruined. The lip must fully conceal the strip from all normal viewing angles. 6″ setback minimum.
LED dot pattern (hotspots) — SMD strips at shallow setbacks show individual LED dots rather than a continuous wash. Use COB strip, an opal diffuser, or increase setback depth to at least 6 inches for standard SMD.
Voltage drop on long runs — 24V DC LED strips show visible brightness drop after about 16ft from the injection point. Use multiple injection points, a higher-voltage system, or constant-current drivers for runs over 20ft.
No dimmer installed — Cove lighting without dimming produces exactly one mood: conference room. A 0-10V or TRIAC dimmer transforms it from fixed ambient to a scene-capable architectural feature.
Wrong CCT for the application — 4000K cove lighting in a residential bedroom or living room looks institutional. Warm cove (2700-3000K) is almost universal for residential. Save 4000K for kitchens and functional commercial spaces.
Underspecified strip output — Cove lighting loses 30-50% of rated output through diffusion and ceiling absorption. A strip that looks bright in a roll looks dim when bounced. Always start with the recommended output from the calculator, not the minimum.
Design guidance only. Results are estimates based on standard formulas and the values you enter. Actual illumination varies with room geometry, surface finishes, and strip binning tolerance. Voltage drop calculations assume standard AWG wire — verify with your electrical contractor before purchase.