About 3 months ago i finished making this dresser. It is maple with cherry accents and trim. I made it to fit this little spot next to the door to the master bedroom.

It turned out great, except for one thing.....I never really thought about the fact that there is NO overhead light here.

It didn't occur to me that this would be a problem until it was completely finished and loaded with my clothes.

The next morning i opened up the drawer that had my black socks in it and couldn't see anything

Step 1: Get Some LEDs

So it was clear i needed light, but LED kits are pricey and not very customisable. So after a little resurch and time on ebay i decided to build my own.

I bought the following

15ft (5m) of 50-50 warm white LED strip $8.96 free shipping (i only used $2.50 worth of LEDs for this)

2amp ac to 12v power supply $4.50 free shipping

small micro toggle switch $2.25 from Radio Shack before they closed

the plug and cord i had laying around.

The switch is placed BEFORE the power supply. This is important. If you put the switch in after the power supply, you will be burning power even when the light is off.

Thankfully i had room to stash the power supply under the top. 2 amp is way more than this needed, but since it was going to be in a closed space, i wanted to make sure it didn't run hot at all.

Step 2: Now I Can See My Socks in the AM!

I'm i guy, i don't fold or organize them. that's just silly

Step 3: Before and After

Step 4: The Picture Doesn't Do It Justice, It Puts Out a TON of Light

I spent probably 40-50 hours making this dresser and about an hour making and installing the recessed light.

The irony is, every time i have someone new over and show off the dresser, i get an "oh, that is nice" but when i turn the light on, i always get an immediate "WOW!"