Hey everyone, I wanted to share my experience with setting up a smart lighting system in my kitchen. It’s been a fun project, and I think it’s working out really well so far!
I have a mix of Hue light bulbs and strips, a Cree bulb over the oven range, and some non-smart fixtures over the island that I control through a smart dimming outlet. The goal was to create a system that could handle both bright lighting for food prep and softer, more relaxed lighting for evenings.
For the bright setting, I created a SmartThings routine that uses the Hue bulb over the sink as a key. It sets the island and oven lights to 100% brightness. It’s super handy because I can trigger it with a simple voice command like, ‘Hey Google, kitchen bright.’
For the evening setting, I wanted the lights to dim and the oven light to turn off. Since the Cree bulb and the dimming outlet don’t respond directly to Hue color commands, I used the color temperature of the sink bulb to set everything where it should be. It’s a bit of a workaround, but it works perfectly!
I also set up some Hue scenes for different moods, like turning the kitchen blue for a calming effect. It’s amazing how a little color can change the whole vibe of the room.
One thing I learned is that integrating multiple brands requires a bit of creativity, but it’s totally doable. The key is to use the strengths of each device and let them work together. I’m really happy with how it all comes together, and it’s made my kitchen a much more enjoyable space.
If anyone has tips or suggestions for improving the setup, I’d love to hear them! Happy tinkering everyone! 