As soon as Bright Lab launched, I knew that I wanted a strand for Greta's room. Ca-ute! Their "Sorbet" strand matched her floral duvet almost perfectly. Sold. I thought I'd give you a little unsolicited review since they are new and a hot item.
The strands come in 2 different sizes--24 balls ($29.95) and 48 ($49.95). Initially, I admit, I had a little bit of sticker shock, especially with the $10 shipping on top of that. But (!!), once I looked at it as a sort of piece of art for Greta's room, I immediately sprung for the 48 ball strand which is 10' long with a 5' cord.
My box arrived within a week, and that was even with my second guessing. Oy. I originally modified my strand, which is a really great feature of the product. They have 38 different colored cotton balls and you can make a strand completely your own or modify one of the pre-made designs. Initially, I modified the sorbet strand swapping out the pumpkin orange for ruby red. Submitted my order and then the next day unpacked Greta's duvet to see it definitely had orange in it and not red. Curses. I sent a quick email to see if I could possibly change it back to their perfectly pre-designed strand, as it were, and Erin emailed me with a, "No problem! It's on its way!" Whew.
So they arrive and I was expecting to just pull it out of the box and drape it in Greta's room, but there is some assembly required. You see, there's a small hole (too small on purpose!) in the back of each ball for each LED light to fit into. The instructions say to snip each hole 1/4" and the ball will pop in. I found snipping a little tiny bit on each side of the hole to be most effective. Easy enough to get my light in without denting the ball, but still tight enough where the ball won't come off. I did this successfully 47 times. Snip! Slide on! Tug the strand a little to make sure it's not going anywhere. The 48th time (which was really like the 19th, but still) I snipped a little too far. The ball went on really easily, and, well, it has fallen off a couple times too. A touch of sticky tac is holding it in place.
The wire is clear so it really disappears (much more in real life than in that iphone pic above!) and it is also a circle, instead of a straight line--which makes draping so much more natural, but also has been a little bit of a challenge trying to make sure the cord leading to the plug stays put while I am trying to drape it. Could just be me?
There is no one more excited about these lights than Greta. She has already flicked the switch on (no need to unplug! woot!) in broad daylight and at night--which gives off the prettiest glow--and just smiles and talks to them.
They are positively sweet and I am so glad Jordan Ferney (of Oh Happy Day!) started this company to bring designer lights to our corner of the world. 4 and a half stars from me--I do wish they came pre-snipped--I would buy them again in a heartbeat. :)
Anyone else trying out Bright Lab? Greta's room is coming along and I can't wait to show you more next week. :)
Ps. This was unsponsored and unsolicited. With such a new product, it always helps to have a few of those kind of reviews, right?
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I love the texture of the woven cotton and could really get into the whole choose your own color scheme piece of it all. But I'm with you, at that price point they would be just that much cooler if they were bespoke AND came pre-snipped/pre-installed!
Thanks for this review with the photos. A friend bought the cheaper ones of these but they are not LED and have a messy looking white cable and her balls look smaller. I think I'll pay the extra if they come out like yours with the clear cable. Get with it people - I like that I can assemble it, so that I can choose the color pattern and the final look - that's the fun part.!!
Those lights are so sweet. Paying $60 for a strand that has to be assembled at home seemed a bit steep to me so I searched online for cotton ball lights and found them in a bunch of places for less than half the price of these ;) I love the colors you chose. I am going to order up a blue and green combo from one of the other sources. I might just add in some orange to warm it up a bit.
These are so cute! I customized a set for the big girl room makeover that I'm planning for my daughters. The oldest gets scared of the dark, so I'm hoping these will keep her in bed.
I love these! The colors are perfect for my daughter's new bedroom. We just moved into a new house and hers is the first to receive a little design plan. She will love these. Thanks for sharing!
these are adorable! love them :)
Adorable! I bought a few strands in a market place in Thailand a few years ago that were about $2 a box. Of course, I would expect them to cost more locally, but $50 yikes! I would recommend someone to at least look around for a cheaper place to purchase. Mine are still going strong. I am sure Greta is enjoying them though and a that is worth a fortune. Just putting it out there as an FYI for other people who might be looking at options. Looks great.
These are adorable, but seem a little pricey. I got a strand like this in a market in Cambodia for about $5. Granted, everything else over there is dirt cheap as well, but you may be able to shop around and find a knock off for less.
Oh. My. Goodness. I'm 27 and I'm in love with these. Haha. I just made a custom strand to hang above my headboard. Thanks for sharing! I never would have known about this company without your post!
Thank you for the review! Unsolicited reviews are SO helpful and trustworthy.
I love Jules! I am ordering some today! My kids are so scared of the dark so this would be fantastic! I'm ordering the party girl type colors for my boy and girls room. You laugh, but I will make it look plenty masculine too!
Can't wait to see!
I have been thinking about getting a metallic mix strand for our nursery. How much light do they give off? I was thinking of attaching them to wire to make a neat hanging light for over our rocking chair but unsure if it provides enough light for reading books.
Thanks!
I can only speak for the 48 light strand, but it gives off ample light for reading. I read a few books to Greta under the glow.
Awesome, I think it will be perfect then. And cheaper than what I budgeted for a hanging lamp. Unfortunately they are sold out of the metallic mix right now but I have a few more months! Thanks!
I really like these colors! Perfect for a "girly" color palette that isn't super princess-y. My daughter's room is mostly green and orange - I thought about incorporating pink, but she is very attached to her green-and-orange rug, so that kind of determined the color palette. But these lights would be really cool, and I love their texture. They do sound a bit expensive (and some assembly required!?) but I agree, as an art piece, it's worth it. Can't wait to see the entire room reveal!