{"id":83873,"date":"2026-04-25T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T06:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.opinionpublica.tv\/portada\/?p=83873"},"modified":"2026-04-24T19:44:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T01:44:24","slug":"that-web-of-lights-on-the-ceiling-its-a-guy-thing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.opinionpublica.tv\/portada\/that-web-of-lights-on-the-ceiling-its-a-guy-thing\/","title":{"rendered":"That web of lights on the ceiling? It\u2019s a guy thing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"That<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It may be the biggest design trend to hit man caves since the La-Z-Boy chair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hexagonal LED fixtures that blanket the ceiling in aggressive streams of light and resemble cyber-age honeycomb have caught on in male-oriented leisure spaces across the country. Known as \u201cHex\u201d lights, the look has become popular in places like barbershops, home gyms, luxury garages and tool sheds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are \u201can in your face kind of bold male vibe,\u201d said Craig Spjute, 34, a pest control business owner and online fitness coach based in Highland, Utah. In October, he had the lights installed in a home gym where he broadcasts training sessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Spjute\u2019s hex lights are mounted on a black ceiling, a decorating technique that makes them appear as if they are floating and accentuates their futuristic effect. His wife and business partner, Sydnee Spjute was initially skeptical of the look but has since grown to appreciate it. \u201cThey look a lot better than I thought,\u201d said Ms. Spjute, 31, who had been worried the fixtures would \u201cfeel too busy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hex lights \u201cscream gym, bodybuilding, man cave,\u201d said Fabbio DeBartolo, the founder of Finest Home Gym, which is based in Miami and Toronto, Ontario and designs luxury home gyms and entertainment rooms. Mr. DeBartolo, 31, who installed the lights in Mr. Spjute\u2019s home, said the design is \u201coverwhelmingly\u201d popular among his male clientele.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His company specializes in lights made by HexGlow, which is among the more premium hex light producers on the market. Mr. DeBartolo sells them as add-ons to build outs for around $4,000. He said the lights have been a growth driver for his business, with hex light sales doubling since he started installing them some 18 months ago, primarily in man caves, golf simulators and garages, as well as commercial spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Juan Tavarez, 43, said the fixtures have helped make his Oceanside, N.Y., salon, the Christian Barbershop, a sort of refuge for clients, many of whom have a more recent awareness of interior design. \u201cSeeing something nice, something to look at, gives you a peace of mind \u2014 it\u2019s important now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lighting can be \u201ca gateway element into design,\u201d according to Chaudry Ghafoor, the founder of the Masculine Home, a Washington, D.C.-based interior design firm. He noted that hexagonal fixtures have an \u201cengineered\u201d look and said that the lights \u201care purposeful or function-driven, and men tend to respond well to that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much of the look\u2019s success can be traced to social media where the fixtures have appeared in the backgrounds of videos and images. Mr. Tavarez said he first saw the lights on YouTube, in a video posted by another barber.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trend is also more accessible than ever. The proliferation of LED technology has made this kind of \u201cstrong, novel visual impact,\u201d more affordable for the average person, said Natalia Lesniak, a lighting designer in New York City. While hex fixtures used to be primarily available through specialty dealers that charged thousands of dollars, now there are kits on online platforms like Amazon for a few hundred dollars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spencer Hoyt has incorporated the hex design in numerous common spaces at Bunker Lofts, a hobby storage development on the edge of a golf course in Lafayette, La. Mr. Hoyt, 46, said the lights offer a \u201cwow factor\u201d despite being easy to install and cost-effective. When the development opens in 2027, the lights will greet owners as they make their way to units to \u201cplay and tinker on toys,\u201d Mr. Hoyt said, such as cars, boats and golf simulators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That an illuminated hexagonal pattern would be so widespread may have been hard to conceive in 2012 when the artist Leo Villareal installed \u201cHive (Bleecker Street),\u201d a light sculpture, on the ceiling of the Bleecker Street subway station in Manhattan. At the time, Mr. Villareal said his work \u2014 a matrix of hexagonal lights that pulsed with color \u2014 was the only modern light installation he had seen to prominently feature the geometric shape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recently, Mr. Villareal has noticed hexagonal lights resembling his artwork hanging on the ceiling of car detailing garages in his Sunset Park, Brooklyn neighborhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt has been interesting to see that this somehow resonates for people,\u201d Mr. Villareal said, adding that he considers it a compliment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a reason, however, that the lights have not crossed over into cozier parts of the home. Hex lights, according to those who own them, offer unparalleled functionality for technical work like mechanics and car detailing. The shape spreads bright light evenly, illuminating any small imperfection in a fade haircut or a teensy scratch on a Maserati.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s why Ryan Kanallakan \u2014 a founder of Rak\u2019d Audio, a company that makes Bluetooth speakers from used ammunition cans \u2014 decided to install hex lights in his workshop about six months ago. Mr. Kanallakan, 28, who is based in Jerseyville, Ill. said the fixtures\u2019 inclusion in the background of his TikTok videos has given his business a noticeable boost in engagement on the platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the hex lights\u2019 tech-y brightness has some limitations. Said Mr. Kanallakan, \u201cIf you had them in your living room, it would be hard to relax.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n