Effective and economical lighting is a key aspect of modern life. With the increase in global energy consumption, it is important to pay attention to alternative solutions that consume less electricity. Twinkly LED garlands not only add coziness, but are also characterized by high energy efficiency, which makes them a worthy equivalent to the main sources of lighting.
Twinkly’s energy efficiency
Twinkly garlands with innovative technology successfully combine bright light, stylish design and energy efficiency. By consuming significantly less electricity than traditional lamps, LED garlands will allow you to reduce lighting costs. This is important for both households and enterprises, since rational consumption of electricity is the key to reducing costs and impact on the environment.
Smart lighting all year round
LED garlands can be relevant regardless of the season due to their versatility. They will add a spring, summer, autumn or winter mood, creating a soothing and fairy-tale atmosphere at any time of the year. Thanks to the bright colors and various lighting modes of Twinkly garlands, you will be able to elegantly complement the interior of the room with accents that will always be to your liking.
Multifunctional curtain Twinkly Curtain RGBW 400
A curtain for doors and windows, a background for a photo area or as a stylish decorative accent in the interior – there are many options for use. Given that the stretched curtain covers an area of 3 × 2 m, it can become the main source of lighting in the living room or game room. 400 LED lamps are enough not to turn on the garland at maximum power, saving even more electricity.
Strip with smart lights Twinkly Dots Lights RGB 200/400
The flexible strip is available in lengths of 10 and 20 m, equipped with 200 and 400 LEDs, respectively. The 10 m solution will come in handy, for example, in the kitchen: by decorating the area above the countertop with a ribbon, you can provide uniform lighting for comfortable cooking. A 20-meter strip will be suitable for decorating the area around the dresser to get good lighting around the mirror. Twinkly Dots Lights guarantee a nice diffused light without harming the vision.
Classic yet colorful Twinkly Strings RGBW 600 string
A garland with excellent characteristics, as for a classic model: the number of LEDs is 600, the length is 48 m! With such a garland, it is easy to create decorative accents or randomly distribute it in the room. The length and number of lamps are quite enough for Twinkly Strings RGBW 600 to serve as the main lighting in the room. It is also worth considering the color of the walls and furniture: the lighter they are, the brighter the room will be.
Twinkly Squares Wall Square Panels
Twinkly Squares LED wall panels will look very relevant in the gaming room thanks to their seamless design and unique features. By folding the panels into a rectangle, you can also simulate a picture in the living room, which will illuminate the room at the same time. Images or colors on the panels can be changed at any moment, creating the appropriate atmosphere in the room.
Take note!
All Twinkly devices must be connected to a Wi-Fi network, and the proprietary Twinkly App is used to configure and control effects from a smartphone/tablet. This allows you to group up to 10 devices with the same type of LEDs to realize even more incredible and vivid scenes.
Since ancient times, the main Christmas symbol in a Ukrainian home has been didukh. Nowadays, many Ukrainians don’t even know what it is. It’s time for some to learn about it, for others to remember it. It’s time to understand how and when it became a tradition to decorate a Christmas tree and in what way. Where it started and how it has evolved. How to do it now.
Didukh is a Ukrainian Christmas decoration, a decorated sheaf of ears, a symbol of the patron saint, the founder of the family, a symbol of harvest, prosperity, and wealth. Didukh looks like an upright sheaf made up of the best grain from the first harvest. It was stored until Christmas, and on the eve it was decorated with colored ribbons, dried flowers, wild flowers, flax, viburnum, and fruits. Before the Christmas Eve dinner, the master would solemnly bring didukh into the house and put it on the edge of the table in a place of honor. After that, the family would sit down to dinner at the Christmas Eve table.
The first or last sheaf, or another part of the harvest, has a special meaning in most agricultural cults and is endowed with magical powers in beliefs. The sheaf is a common symbol of unity, integration, and strength. Didukh is formed from a sheaf, so it has a special meaning. But why was it forgotten, why is it now a tradition to decorate a Christmas tree in our homes? Has it always been like this? Not always.
There was a time when families honored and decorated only the didukh for Christmas. Then there were times when the Ukrainian tradition honored both didukh and the Christmas tree at the same time.
Around the eighteenth century, decorated Christmas trees began to appear in cities, not in villages, where the traditional celebration was with didukh, but in some places. From the middle of the nineteenth century, Christmas trees became a part of the urban tradition of Christmas celebrations. This is well known from the correspondence and memoirs of the Ukrainian intelligentsia of that period or from the stories of writers. The custom of decorating the home with a Christmas or New Year’s coniferous tree (fir, pine, spruce, etc.) among Ukrainians and Slavs in general is a rather late cultural borrowing, probably from the Germans, where this tradition appeared in Alsace around 1605. The tradition of the Christmas tree was gradually adopted by other European nations. This was a fashionable copying and spread primarily among the wealthiest segments of the population. The massive spread of the tradition of decorating a Christmas tree before Christmas began only in the nineteenth century. In Ukraine, as elsewhere in Europe, the Christmas tree first appeared in the homes of lords and aristocrats. The press of the time and memoirs mention «German Christmas trees» that spread through Kyiv after the mid-nineteenth century and became a fashionable phenomenon of urban life and public events in orphanages, boarding schools, gymnasiums, and later in public schools. By the end of the nineteenth century, the Christmas tree was gradually democratized, becoming a part of the celebrations of the urban population. But for a long time, the didukh, a sheaf, was the only alternative decoration for the peasant interior at Christmas. Gradually, already in the 20s and 30s of the twentieth century (only some 100-90 years ago!), the Christmas tree was squeezed into peasant life, beginning to perform both aesthetic and religious and magical functions, sometimes together with didukh. Now, despite the fact that didukh is a traditional Ukrainian symbol of Christmas, the Christmas tree has acquired a dominant status, and is mistakenly considered by most to be an unquestionable symbol.
So, as you can see, the tradition of putting up a Christmas tree is, firstly, not Ukrainian, and secondly, it is not that old, and therefore not unquestioned. Older people still remember well that it has always been a Ukrainian custom to put up a didukh on Christmas Eve. Even in the 1960s and 1970s, even in the Kyiv region, not all families adopted the tradition of Christmas with Christmas trees, cherishing the tradition if not with a didukh, then at least with an ear of first harvest near the icons. Or they put up both didukh and Christmas tree as a reasonable compromise: the Christmas tree was decorated in the morning or before lunch on December 24, and the didukh was brought in on Christmas Eve, when the first star rose and the family sat down to dinner.
At the beginning of the Christmas tree tradition, the tree was decorated with various delicacies: nuts in brightly wrapped packages, candies, even vegetables. Real wax candles were burning on the branches. Shiny balls and electric garlands came later. The top of the tree was crowned with the Star of Bethlehem.
During the Soviet period, they wanted to displace the Christmas tree, but, strangely enough, they failed. So they decided to ideologize it. They shifted the celebration and decorations from Christmas to New Year’s Eve, and invented Father Frost and Snow Maiden as opposed to Santa Claus. They made the Christmas tree an ideological product of the New Year with a red star on top, with toys in the shape of corn, spotlights, spacecraft, etc.
It is believed that we have always had a tradition of decorating the Christmas tree for the New Year’s holiday… Human memory is so short. This tradition with red stars and a red Father Frost is less than a hundred years old. It’s a pity for children’s memories, but we need to get rid of these Soviet distortions of tradition. In Ukraine’s original tradition, the festivities with gifts begin before Christmas, long before the New Year. And this is done mostly for children. Santa Claus started giving gifts to children, but children received some small gifts on Christmas Day as well. While a mistress would prepare the festive dinner in the morning on Christmas Eve, the home would be decorated during the entire week before Christmas. It was not only about decorating the Christmas tree or bringing didukh, which was mostly done by adults, but also about decorating the whole house: doors, windows – this role was mostly given to children and young girls.
Know about didukh, read about it – there are a lot of materials available nowadays. Many craftsmen make didukhs of different sizes and decorations. This year, online offers to buy didukhs have already begun to compete with offers to buy a Christmas tree!
Together with the ancient Ukrainian symbol of Christmas, didukh, which imbues the home with family warmth and well-being, you can introduce a unique and stylish detail to decorate the festive interior. Together with modern technology from Twinkly, you can create a magical lighting accent, emphasizing tradition and celebrating the importance of didukh in our hearts. This combination of old and innovative will create an atmosphere of wonder and comfort that we are all looking for.
When faced with the dilemma of whether to decorate your home with a didukh or a Christmas tree, we advise you to make a gentle and compromise decision – to celebrate Christmas with both a didukh and a Christmas tree. Let’s let the ancient didukh return to our homes. And later, perhaps, the didukh will remain alone or next to the Christmas tree, but let it be this beautifully decorated sheaf or a bundle of wheat, barley, or rye ears – a symbol of the didukh. And with this ear we will feel the acceptance of our entire Family, as it has been for many hundreds or thousands of years of our existence. There is great power in our traditions! Let’s protect and revive them.
The decorative possibilities of Twinkly products are almost unlimited. Garlands are available in a variety of shapes, colors and sizes, which allows you to realize the most unique and boldest design solutions in the interior.
With Twinkly garlands, it is easy to create bright decorative accents at home or in a cafe, to add extraordinary charm to art installations in a modern institution, thus reinforcing its brand style. And due to the availability of various lighting modes, it is easier than ever to set the desired tone of the atmosphere: cozy and warm, light and light, or dynamic and energetic.
Twinkly Strings RGBW 600 (Special Edition) is a symphony of colors
The Strings RGBW Special Edition collection combines the advantages of the previous two collections – Multicolor Edition and Gold Edition – in one type, namely RGB colors and warm or cool white tones of the AWW spectrum. This collection is colorful and classic at the same time.
The cable length of the new model has been increased to 48 m, the number of LED lamps is also greater and is 600 pcs.
Twinkly Curtain RGBW 400 is a multifunctional curtain
A sequence of long, vertically hanging Strings type segments on a horizontal carrier. It is suitable for hanging on the wall in a room with a TV and a multimedia center, and can also be used as a curtain for doors and windows, a background for a photo area or as a stylish decorative accent in the interior.
Stretched garland covers an area of 3 × 2 m with a total of 400 LED lamps.
Twinkly Dots Lights RGB 200/400 is a strip with smart “lights” for endless decorating possibilities
If you need to make hidden lighting or decorate decorative elements in the room, then the garland of the Twinkly Dots Lights series will come in handy. With the garland, it will be possible to create an elegant light decoration, and the solution will also be suitable for furnishing a gaming room or a children’s play area.
Twinkly Dots Lights flexible strip is available in 10m and 20m lengths, equipped with 200 and 400 LEDs.
Twinkly Squares is a revolution in decorative lighting
Twinkly Squares LED wall panels radically change the perception of decorative lighting. Each Squares wall panel is equipped with 64 app-controlled premium addressable LEDs that reproduce a wide range of color shades (16 million).
By combining the main panel with additional panels and using the Twinkly App, you can synchronize groups of Squares to create huge displays with adjustable effects, animations. GIFs and pixel art playback are also available on the panels.
Take note!
All Twinkly devices must be connected to a Wi-Fi network, and the proprietary Twinkly App is used to configure and control effects from a smartphone/tablet. This allows you to group up to 10 devices with the same type of LEDs to realize even more incredible and vivid scenes.
In addition, due to the use of energy-saving LED lamps, garlands consume a minimum amount of electricity, providing pleasant lighting. So it is thanks to this that you can effectively use Twinkly garlands as the main source of lighting in the room and at the same time save electricity.
New Twinkly solutions are now available in Ukraine! So, it’s time to take a look at the features and benefits of Twinkly products!
At the end of 2023, the Twinkly range was expanded with the following products:
- Twinkly Strings RGBW 600;
- Twinkly Curtain RGBW 400;
- Twinkly Dots Lights RGB 200/400;
- Twinkly Squares.
It is also worth noting solutions that, although not new, definitely deserve attention because they have significantly expanded the range. In addition, they have not yet been described in previous reviews, namely:
- Twinkly Flex;
- Twinkly Line;
- Twinkly Light tree;
- Twinkly Festoon.
But before you get acquainted with the new solutions, we recommend watching a Twinkly video review, which shows how to connect and set up garlands and light decorations, life hacks for their use, and much more interesting information.
Now, let’s briefly talk about what Twinkly is and how to navigate the brand’s wide range of products. Twinkly is a new generation of LED decorations based on three types of LEDs. They can be controlled by a controller that is included in each set or by the free Twinkly mobile app.
By the way, the app has also been improved: it has updated intuitive visuals and functionality. Therefore, it will not take much time and effort to master all the intricacies of its use. Each user can customize Twinkly garlands according to their own preferences, creating a special mood for family and guests.
The Twinkly range consists of three series: each series uses a specific LED type — RGB, AWW, and RGBW. These types are indicated in the name of the Twinkly products, so it is easy to distinguish the products not only by name but also by the powerful effects they create. In addition, each package has intuitive icons that also help to navigate the product features.
So, as for the correspondence of the LED types to the series names:
- The bright, colorful Twinkly RGB collection, known as the Twinkly Multicolor Edition, has more than 16 million colors and their tones;
- the elegant AWW collection is Twinkly Gold Edition. The solutions are designed for the realization of classic light show scenarios with cold and warm shades of white;
- the brightest RGBW collection, also known as Twinkly Special Edition, combines the advantages of the previous two, namely RGB colors and warm and cold white tones of the AWW spectrum.
The huge range of Twinkly LED decorations can be divided into two groups by purpose and design: garlands and lighting devices, which are further divided into design series.
Thus, the group of garlands has nine design series:
- Strings. Strings or threads.
- Icicles or rain.
- A curtain.
- A cluster.
- Spitzer. A starburst.
- A series of garlands that are pre-installed and customized on Christmas trees, Christmas lights or wreaths right at the factory.
- Twinkly Light Tree. A light cone made of garlands.
- Festoon. Garlands with retro-style lamps.
- Twinkly Dots. Garlands that look like glowing beads.
By the way, there are variations of garlands with a different number of lamps — from 20 to 600. Moreover, the products can have different colors of the garland cable: from the popular classic black to transparent, white or green.
The group of lighting devices consists of three series:
- Twinkly Flex;
- Twinkly Line;
- Twinkly Squares.
All Twinkly devices can be expanded using add-ons, physically or virtually, and combined into an ensemble via the Twinkly app. The main limitation when synchronizing into a single group is that the products must have the same LED type, but they can belong to different design series.
For example: you can combine Curtain RGBW and Strings RGBW into a group through the Twinkly app because they have the same LED type (RGBW), while this is not possible for Curtain RGBW and Strings RGB because the LEDs used are different in type.
Now it’s time to take a closer look at the updated products.
Twinkly Strings Series
The garlands of this series have the most traditional design — a sequence of a certain number of lamps spaced 10 cm apart. But at the same time, Twinkly Strings are revolutionary in terms of implementation and effects.
The series has products for 100, 250, 400 and 600 lamps, which also differ in LED types — RGB, AWW and RGBW.
This year, the series has been expanded with the Twinkly Strings RGBW 600 Smart LED garland.
Previously, the maximum number of 600 lamps was available only in the RGB variation, and now it is also available in the RGBW version, which makes it possible to enjoy the colors of both 16 million colors and shades of white. And all this with a maximum length of 48 m! This combination of LEDs and length opens up endless possibilities for creativity and space decoration.
Twinkly Curtain
This garland is essentially a sequence of long, vertically hanging segments of the Strings type on a horizontal carrier. It is suitable not only as a curtain for doors and windows, but its «strands» can be assembled into braids, tied as ribbons and many other ways of application.
Previously, in this series there was a model with 210 lamps (Smart LED Twinkly Curtain RGBW 210), and now with 400 LEDs (Smart LED Twinkly Curtain RGBW 400) and RGBW colors in almost twice the size – 3 m × 2 m, as opposed to the previous model of 2.1 m × 1 m.
Twinkly Dots Lights
Smart LED lamps Twinkly Dots will help you add universal light and color to your space. Thanks to Dots, you can realize any idea! With this miniature, flexible premium filament, you can implement many interesting lighting solutions. The Smart garland is available in several variations: with 200 (Smart LED Twinkly Dots Lights RGB 200) and 400 (Smart LED Twinkly Dots Lights RGB 400) lamps 10 and 20 meters long, respectively. The LEDs of the series have a flat, matte head, providing extraordinary brightness. The wide color gamut covers more than 16 million shades. Moreover, this solution is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.
Twinkly Squares
LED wall panels Twinkly Squares radically change the idea of decorative lighting. Each Squares wall panel in the basic version has six squares (Smart LED Twinkly Squares 1+5 RGB) – one main/supervisory and 5 additional squares. However, it can be expanded by 3 squares with the Smart LED Twinkly Squares 3 RGB, which is connected to the basic set and does not function independently, as it does not have a «master square».
Each square is equipped with 64 premium addressable LEDs controlled via the app, which reproduce a wide range of color shades (16 million). Physically, you can combine each main panel with 15 additional panels and use the Twinkly App to synchronize groups of Squares to create huge displays with adjustable effects and animations. You can also play GIFs and pixel art.
But there are some new products that have been added to the range that we haven’t talked about yet, namely:
- Flex;
- Line;
- Light Tree;
- Festoon.
Twinkly Flex
Twinkly Flex: the solution is similar to a gradient light strip that can be bent to create shapes, inscriptions, contours and other creative lighting and decorative objects that will effectively emphasize the interior of the room and add bright accents.
Twinkly Line
Twinkly Line – a 1.5-meter-long LED strip with a hundred RGB LEDs arranged one behind the other at 1.5 cm intervals and an adhesive backing on the back. Such a garland is very convenient for decorating furniture, various surfaces, zoning rooms, and, most importantly, such decoration is appropriate at all times.
The basic set consists of an LED strip and a controller. An additional set can be connected to it, which does not include a controller but adds another 1.5 meters of strip with 100 lamps. The connection can be made in two ways: one-to-one or via a special connector, which provides additional opportunities for imaginative decorating.
Twinkly Light Tree
Light Tree – a Christmas tree decorated with smart garland without a tree itself, i.e. it is a light cone made of garlands with a transparent wire carrier (cone lace). The height of the models varies from 1.5 to 6 m, and the number of lamps ranges from 450 to 1,000.
Life hack: the LED density of such a Christmas tree can be increased by adding, for example, Smart LED Twinkly Strings RGBW 600, and thus create an even brighter decoration.
Twinkly Festoon
Twinkly Festoon. This is a premium 10 m long garland with 20 LEDs, which is distinguished by its extraordinary brightness, a different, rounder shape of the lamps, like retro garlands, and a wide color range of more than 16 million shades. The solution is suitable for use both indoors and outdoors.
It would be appropriate to briefly remind you of other products in the Twinkly range.
Twinkly Icicle
Icicle – icicles or rain. A chain of short (with 2-6 lamps), vertically hanging segments («mini strings») on a horizontal carrier. An original solution for decorating walls or windows.
Twinkly Cluster
Cluster – a modification of «strings», in which 190 LEDs are not assembled in a chain, but arranged like leaves on a stem, branching in different directions at intervals of 1.5 cm. This garland looks especially good on window curtains.
We talked about the latest Twinkly updates, the timeless updates of previous years, and even remembered the classics from the range.
10 Reasons to Choose Twinkly
So, it’s time to summarize the 10 reasons why you should choose Twinkly, and at the same time, to point out how the brand’s products stand out from other garlands and lighting solutions for decorating the space.
The first – a unique mapping feature! After all, the Twinkly app determines the exact position of each LED through the smartphone camera, forming a complete map of them for further use and creating effects to scale. And not only on one side of the installation (2D), but also in 360° (3D). As a result, you can create incredible light compositions and color shapes!
The second reason – the grouping capability, which allows you to combine up to 10 different Twinkly Gen II garlands (Gen II is the name of the second generation of products created in the second half of 2019 and 2020) or up to 6,000 of its lamps into a synchronized group. Even more: up to 30,000 LEDs when using Twinkly PRO professional category lights! With this feature, you can decorate objects of any scale! By the way, a video review of Twinkly PRO features and settings is available for watching.
The third – the Music Dongle adapter, which enables the happy owners of Twinkly to add color and shape to any music composition. Now, every corner of the house can be transformed into a party, a romantic and cozy space, or a place to meet friends.
The fourth reason – an original effects gallery in the Twinkly app, which gives you the opportunity to enjoy incredible colorful and vibrant shows! It’s enough to choose from several preset effects of ordinary garlands. The Twinkly app has dozens of ready-made interesting light scenarios for every taste.
The fifth – the ability to create your own effects with the same app: turn your smartphone into your own creative studio where you can create your own color effects for your garlands with just one touch.
So, express your individuality – your imagination – because it’s incredibly easy with Twinkly! In addition, you can now upload pictures or «gifs», which makes the creative process even more interesting.
The sixth – a huge range of light decorations. As I said, Twinkly products are divided into 12 design series, each of which uses three LEDs types (RGB, AWW, and RGBW) and a different number of lamps, and they also differ in cable color. The series are identified by names, so they are easy to recognize and understand their features.
So, let’s recall these 12 design series once again: Strings, Icicle, Curtain, Cluster, Spitzer, Prelit, Squares, Dots, Flex, Line, Light Tree, and Festoon.
The seventh reason – a protection availability. For example, all Twinkly garlands have IP44 protection class, and Twinkly PRO has IP65 protection class. Twinkly lighting devices are a little less fortunate, as they have IP20 protection, but we believe that they will be upgraded in the near future.
The eighth – Twinkly PRO. These professional solutions for business allow you to create larger groupings and have no limits at all, opening up new horizons for professional decorating and creating effects.
The ninth – a collaboration with Razer and Omen! Now gamers have a unique opportunity to try a new way to control the gaming atmosphere. To do so, simply combine a Razer laptop, Razer peripherals, and Twinkly lights into a single, technologically advanced controlled system to create incredible, impressive sound and light scenes. By setting up your Chroma-compatible devices and connecting them to the Razer Chroma app, your space will instantly shine with all the colors of Twinkly.
The tenth, but not the less important, reason – Twinkly’s compatibility with Google Home and Alexa for convenient everyday voice control: you can turn the garland on or off, adjust the brightness, or change the colors at any time!
The new Twinkly range is available to order!
To summarize, with Twinkly smart garlands, everyone can create magic and create comfort in any corner of the house: from the living room and bedroom to the gaming room or children’s room – there are no limits to the flight of imagination! These garlands will add a special atmosphere and make every moment unforgettable.
