Ideas anybody??

amulford

I am building some bookcases for the house. I want to put some regular curio style lights in the top, three altogether, with them being controled by one switch.

I want to install the switch in the trim that will go against a wall, but do not want to use a regular sized house switch. That would look like crap.

I'm looking for something small. Does anyone have any ideas?

madmax

How about one of the X10 controls which are operated by an RF remote control. www.x10.com (I think). Control $15, remote $15
madmax

phoneisbusy

Amulford,

What sort of trim are we talking about? Wainscotting perhaps? Or are you talking about the trim around the doors and windows?
Do you want it to be inconspicuous or just scaled down?

Are the bookshelf free standing or built ins?

120V lights or 12V halogens?

Have you considered building the switch into the bookshelfs?

No suggestions yet, just a few questions.

regards

Dave

amulford

They are going to be built in taking up an entire wall. The trim is going to be a fluted casing about 3" wide, with pedestal and rosette blocks.

The lights I want to be 120V, hard wired. That is because when they are installed, I don't want to have any modules to go bad, which they may.

I looking for inconspicuous installation.

I moved out a section of the original baseboard. It has an outlet cut into it. I was think of removing that outlet and replacing it with the switch, but that would put the switch down almost on the floor. At this point the outlet was moved out with the baseboard.

I just don't want it to look funny.

Frank Z

How about a Lutron Spacer Dimmer with an IR remote. Costs about $50 at Home depot.

phoneisbusy

Hmmm...
So the trims is the face frame for your bookshelves?
Would wiring up the outlet to be controlled by a wallswitch
be acceptable? You could have the wall switch installed on
an adjacent wall or anywhere in the room.

It should be straight forward electrical wiring that an electrician
can do or you yourself if you're handy.

Only other things I can think of currently is if the bookshelves
have crown moulding, you could mount the switch on the roof
of your bookshelf and the crown moulding would hide the
electrical box.

Perhaps make your wallplate out of the same material as your
bookshelf so that it'll blend in with the case?

Interesting problem. Let us know how it turns out. I'll ponder
it some more (cuz I'm kinda slow you know... ).

regards

Dave

amulford

The problem is solved. I went ahead and put in a lutron slide type dimmer in the space previously occupied by the outlet.

We never use that outlet, and the ol' lady was cool with it . She was NOT receptive to me putting a hole in the wall for another switch (we have plaster that is in really great shape, don't wanna mess with it and possibly open another can of worms)

I did have an interesting twist. The lights wouldn't fit in to the space I wanted them to. They were big and would have showed.

Cured that one by doubling the lights (one in each end) and mounting the assymetrical. looks pretty decent, too.

Thanks for the ideas, guys.