It wasn’t that long ago when the first smart bulbs took the world by storm, and now we’ve got the next generation of smart lights slowly taking over. Nanoleaf isn’t exactly a newcomer in the smart technology scene, and neither are its wall light panels, having originally launched back in 2016. But, while its products gained a somewhat slow momentum, it’s certainly gathered speed in the last couple of years, with the company expanding its roster considerably in 2020.
The Nanoleaf Shapes line was part of that expansion, hitting the streets back in the summer of 2020 when boredom was at an all-time high and everybody was shopping their way through it. In a way, it was an ingenious move. Everyone was in lockdown and had nowhere to go, and so most people turned to home-based hobbies like playing video games, sprucing up their space, and throwing virtual DJ dance parties in their living room. And, Nanoleaf Shapes was just the ticket.
Not that these wall light panels wouldn’t have skyrocketed to fame otherwise. Nanoleaf Shapes, along with the other light panels, are the natural evolution of smart light bulbs, which are now the new normal. They are not just another great way to “smarten” our homes, they also make us feel like we’re living in the future, but in a Back to the Future way that’s also ironically nostalgic. There’s a lot of comfort in that.
Nanoleaf Shapes launched in May 2020, but wasn’t the first wall light panel line from the company. It followed 2018’s Nanoleaf Canvas, which in turn followed 2016’s Nanoleaf Light Panels. Shapes, however, start off at a more accessible price than its predecessors. The Mini Triangle Starter Kit is $119.99 / £89.99 / AU$189.99 and gets you five 4.5-inch triangle light panels, five mounting plates, five linkers, six mounting tapes, a 42W power supply unit, and a power plug – essentially everything you need to get you started.
If you do want the flagship 9-inch triangles or hexagons, however, a starter kit will cost you $199.99 for seven panels. In the UK, you can get a four-panel, nine-panel, or 15-panel triangle starter kit, starting at £89.99 or a five-panel, nine-panel, or 15-panel hexagon starter kit starting at £119.99. In Australia you can get a five or nine panel hexagon kit from AU$229.99 and a nine-panel triangle kit for AU$349.99.
Whichever you choose, Nanoleaf Shapes isn’t going to be a cheap purchase as far as lights go. You are, after all, paying for the privilege of having a smart, modular, customizable, and feature-filled device that’s both functional and decorative.
What’s more, once you set up that starter kit, you’ll start to realize that having four or five light panels is not going to be enough, especially when you’re trying to achieve a certain look or design. Since Nanoleaf Shapes is all about expandability, expansion packs and accessory packs are on hand, which means spending more. A three-panel Shapes expansion pack will set you back $69.99 / £49.99 / AU$119.99.
