Cove lighting is the default in Singapore renovations now, and most of it is done badly. Not because the strip is cheap — because the pocket is the wrong size and the driver is the wrong one. This is what to get right.
The four numbers
| Measurement | Target |
|---|---|
| Cove lip below slab | 150–220mm |
| Clear pocket depth | 60–80mm |
| Strip setback from lip | 30–45mm |
| Driver headroom | +20% over load |
Get these four right and the cove looks built-in. Get any of them wrong and it looks like a strip in a box. Clear depth means clear — measured with the aluminium profile in place, not the raw carpentry. A 15mm profile in a 70mm pocket leaves 55mm, and you are under spec without realising it. Each measurement is explained in our cove ceiling dimensions reference.
From the KAYVA range
What we would put in an HDB cove
480 Pro Strip: 480 LED/m COB, 12W/m, 24V, Ra95+ with R9 above 50. A typical HDB living-dining perimeter is 8–12m. Up to 10m (120W) runs on one 160W driver; beyond that, split into two zones with a driver each. 2700K held to ±100K with SDCM ≤5.
Choosing the strip
Two things matter, and neither is brightness.
Density. Standard strip is 320 LEDs per metre. In a deep cove viewed from across the room, that is usually fine. In a shallow cove, under a cabinet, or anywhere you see the strip at close range, you get visible dots and it looks cheap. A 480 LED/m COB strip gives a continuous line — no dots, no banding, at any viewing distance. COB vs SMD, explained.
Colour rendering. Most strip sold in Singapore is Ra80. It works, but it renders colour badly, and deep reds go first — which is why timber looks flat and skin reads slightly grey under it. That is what R9 measures, and almost nobody publishes it. Here is what the difference looks like.
The KAYVA 480 Pro Strip is Ra95+ with R9 above 50, 480 LED/m COB, 12W/m, 24V. Tested on every batch and the numbers published. For the full buying checklist, see what to look for in a COB LED strip.
How much strip do you need?
A typical Singapore HDB cove run:
| Room | Typical cove length |
|---|---|
| 4-room living room | 12–18m |
| Master bedroom | 8–12m |
| Common bedroom | 6–10m |
| Whole flat | 30–50m |
Measure the actual perimeter your carpenter is building. Do not estimate from floor area.
Colour temperature
2700K for living rooms and bedrooms — warm, hotel-like, and it is what most Singapore homes suit. 4000K if the space doubles as a study or work area.
Do not mix them in one continuous cove. You will see the join.
The driver — where most coves go wrong
Use a 24V constant-voltage driver, sized at your load plus 20%.
Driver wattage = 12W/m × metres × 1.2
| Cove length | Load | Driver |
|---|---|---|
| 5m | 60W | 80W |
| 10m | 120W | 160W |
| 20m | 240W | 2 × 160W (two 10m zones) |
| 40m | 480W | 4 × 160W (four 10m zones) |
A driver run at full capacity runs hot and fails early — usually sealed above a plastered ceiling where nobody can reach it. That is the component you cannot afford to cheap out on, because it is the one you cannot get to.
LED drivers are Controlled Goods in Singapore. They require a SAFETY Mark. The unbranded S$15 driver on a marketplace is not cheaper — it is not legal to supply here. Size yours properly. The KAYVA 24V Driver (80W / 160W) is SAFETY Mark registered and tested by TÜV Rheinland. The KAYVA driver is non-dimmable: to dim, add a 24V PWM dimmer between driver and strip. For a wall-dimmer setup you need a TRIAC/ELV-dimmable driver instead.
Voltage drop on long runs
For anything over 6 metres, feed the strip from both ends or split it into segments with separate feeds. On a single feed, the far end of a long cove is visibly dimmer than the near end — and once the ceiling is closed, you live with it.
Strip placement, corners and joins
- Fix the strip to the inner face of the pocket, aimed up the wall or straight up — never out at the room.
- Set it back 30–45mm from the lip. Setback does more work than depth for hiding the source.
- Use an aluminium profile. Straighter line, better heat dissipation, longer life. The strip lives behind plaster — heat is the thing that kills it.
- Keep the throw path clear. Anything in the pocket casts a shadow band on the ceiling.
- Cut only on the marked points — the 480 Pro cuts every 50mm. At corners, either bend the strip around the profile's minimum radius or cut and rejoin with a connector. Never crease the tape; you will break the copper and the run dies at that point, sometimes months later.
Step-by-step fixing, wiring and testing is in the COB strip cove installation guide.
Dimming
The strip dims, but the driver does the dimming. So you need a dimmable 24V constant-voltage driver — the strip itself is a passive load with no electronics.
- Wall dimmer: pair a phase-cut dimmable 24V CV driver with a trailing-edge (ELV) wall dimmer. Leading-edge (TRIAC) dimmers commonly cause visible flicker on COB. This is the single most common complaint after a renovation and it is entirely avoidable.
- App or voice: add a 24V CV controller — Tuya, Aqara or any comparable brand. The strip does not care whose controller it is. Check it is rated for your total wattage and that it dims by high-frequency PWM.
Full detail: dimming a 24V LED strip — what actually works.
Worked example: 4-room BTO living-dining
Perimeter cove, 14m, slab at 2.6m. Lip set 180mm below slab to keep headroom; pocket 70mm clear after a 10mm profile; strip set back 40mm. 2700K throughout.
| Item | Spec |
|---|---|
| Strip | 14m of 480 Pro at 12W/m = 168W load |
| Zones | Two zones of 7m (84W each) — a single 14m feed would show voltage drop |
| Drivers | 2 × 160W (84W × 1.2 = 101W per zone; an 80W driver would be at 105% — too tight) |
| Driver location | Above the hallway access panel, not sealed above the living room plaster |
| Dimming | One 24V PWM dimmer per zone, both on the same wall plate |
The cove is the ambient layer. Downlights still do the task lighting — a cove on its own leaves the sofa and dining table underlit.
The four mistakes
- Pocket too shallow. You see the strip. Nothing fixes this after the plaster is on.
- 320/m strip in a shallow cove. Visible dots. It reads as cheap even to people who cannot say why.
- Driver at 100% load, sealed in the ceiling. It will fail, and it will be expensive to reach.
- One feed on a 10m run. One end of your ceiling is dimmer than the other, forever.
Before the carpenter starts
- Mark the strip path before the false ceiling goes up.
- Put the driver somewhere ventilated and accessible.
- Bench-test the full run before anything is closed.
- Mains connection by a licensed electrician. The 24V side is safe to handle unpowered.
KAYVA 480 Pro Strip — Ra95+, R9>50, SDCM ≤5, 480 LED/m dotless COB, 24V, 20,000 hours at L70. We test 10 units out of every 100 we ship and publish the numbers.