Desk lighting is usually either a harsh panel or nothing at all, and it rarely adds anything pleasant to look at. This build tackles both issues at once: a light bar that sits above a dual monitor setup and shines warm light down through a bed of preserved moss onto the desk surface. The maker describes it as a mix of tech and nature, and the goal is calm, ambient lighting plus some visual greenery for the workspace.
The construction looks nicely methodical. DIY Ed started by measuring the monitor width, roughly 100 to 120 cm across the top, and drew a dimensional sketch on paper before cutting anything. A cardboard prototype box with moss glued inside tested the concept first, which seems like a sensible way to check the idea cheaply. The final frame is pine battens joined with wood glue and 2.5 mm screws, with a thin backboard cut using a utility knife and screwed to the rear. Walnut stain was tested on scrap first, then applied to the pine with a sponge.
The electronics side stands out too. A flexible COB LED strip labeled warm white was measured, cut to length, and its solder pads exposed, then power leads were soldered on and the strip was pressed along the frame's interior top edge. Wiring exits through a pre-drilled rear hole and runs to a 12V Zigbee controller via a screw-terminal barrel plug connector. Control comes through Alexa and HomeAssistant, with a white circular smart push button acting as a wireless desk switch. My favorite touch is the mount: an articulated wooden arm from an earlier plant light, shortened with a hand saw, holds the whole fixture.
One open item remains. The maker mentioned possibly adding rear bias lighting behind the fixture in the future, and a question about whether the moss needs any upkeep has not been answered yet.
Project by DIY Ed. Watch it on their YouTube channel: