Nanoleaf Elements look like wooden smart light panels on your wall

By Patrick Hearn Published April 25, 2023

Nanoleaf has long been known for its innovative, brightly-colored decorative light panels. The company has earned a spot on the wall of almost every Twitch streamer, but the latest release caters more to earthy, rustic themes than the gaming.

Nanoleaf Elements is the newest lighting experience from Nanoleaf, designed to look like natural wood tiles. It follows a hexagonal design but retains Nanoleaf’s modular system so users can create custom designs on their walls. The idea is that, even when the lights are turned off, Nanoleaf Elements will serve as a standalone piece of art in your home.

It’s not just a new shape and style that sets the Elements apart, though. Nanoleaf has implemented dynamic lighting effects that allow each apex on the light panel to illuminate independently of the rest. It creates a more organic motion akin to embers in the fireplace, providing a warmer light perfect for relaxing in the evening or unwinding after a long day.

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This new feature means users can also control each corner of the hexagons to create truly custom scenes. You can set each corner to be a different color temperature and take full advantage of the backlit panels to create a double-lit effect.

There are no color options on the Nanoleaf Elements. Instead, the light changes from cool to warm white, with a color temperature between 1500K and 4000K. There are 11 preset lighting scenes, including the new “organic” motion. Of course, you can browse through the Nanoleaf app’s Discover tab to find thousands of existing RGB scenes — each of which will be recalibrated into white lighting.

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The classic Nanoleaf features you expect are also present, including Rhythm Music Sync, Schedules, Touch capabilities, and Circadian lighting. You can set the panels to adjust throughout the day in time with your body’s natural rhythms or wake up to gentle lighting effects first thing in the morning.

Nanoleaf Elements come in a Smarter Kit with seven light panels, as well as Expansion Pack add-ons that each contain three light panels. Nanoleaf Elements are available today through the Nanoleaf shop and will be available at Best Buy online later this month for $300 for a Smarter Kit and $100 per expansion pack.

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Patrick Hearn writes about smart home technology like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, smart light bulbs, and more. If it's a…

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