Laundry Light

This project simply aimed to solve the issue of laundry being forgotten in the washing machine. The project centers around a laser-cut pendant light integrated with HomeAssistant.

The pendant light is laser-cut 1/8" mahogany. Four different seasonal designs form the sides.

Two layers of tissue-paper are glued to the inside of each side to help diffuse the light. The sides are glued into a square, with a top piece added.

The pendant light is completed with an IKEA wired socket, which is hung from the roof. A Philips Hue smart LED bulb is installed and connected to HomeAssistant.

The washing machine (being a 110V appliance) is plugged into an IKEA Inspellning smart plug that logs power usage. An automation is run in HomeAssistant that identifies when the power usage spikes. Once the washing machine is done, a flag is set in HomeAssistant.

When the washing machine is complete and full of wet laundry, HomeAssistant turns the pendant light red to remind you to empty it. Once you've emptied the machine, you can reset the flag using an IKEA smart button so it's ready for next time!