Ever walked into a room, and instantly felt cosy and relaxed? Or even immediately alert and awake. You may not realise it, but your choice in a light bulb or ‘globe’ can have a huge impact on how your home looks and feels, and even how you feel in it.
Colour temperature describes the appearance or tint of a particular light, with most globes emitting a white light, ranging from warm to cool. Measured in degrees of the Kelvin scale from 1,000 to 10,000, the warmer a globes light is, the lower the temperature will be. And likewise, the cooler the globe light, the higher the temperature.
To put it into perspective, Candlelight has a colour temperature of around 2,000K, while an overcast light in the day sits at 6,500K.
Traditional incandescent bulbs which most of us are familiar with, often produce a warm light ranging from 2,700 - 3,000K. Unlike your ordinary bulb, energy-efficient LED lights offer a wide variety of colour temp, and with different colour temperatures, comes different applications.
As energy-efficient LED lights lead in lighting, it is important to understand the functionality of the globe, and how to choose the right globe to suit your space.
If the colour temperature is too warm (too low), you may not be able to see everything clearly and may not be the best choice when in a work environment, or completing a task. But if you are looking to create ambience in a restaurant or a cozy bedroom, a warm light may be exactly what you are looking for. The trick is to get the balance just right for you and your space.
We recommend:
Best suited for Bedrooms, Dining, Living, decorative outdoor lighting (like fairy lights!), restaurant & commercial settings
Best suited for Kitchens, Living Room when working, Basements, Garages, Gyms.
From the brightness of the light to the colour emitted, natural and artificial lighting can affect how we feel emotionally and physically in more ways than one.
Depending on light choice, you may experience changes in your energy levels, mood, productivity, impulsivity and self-control.
Sometimes, a cool colour temperature may even trick our brains into thinking it’s colder than it actually is and with a fresher air quality! From changing our perceptions, Cool light at 3,100K to 4,500K can also promote focus and concentration as our eyes are able to perceive details and perform tasks much easier.
A low colour temperature, or warm light, can create an environment best suited to relaxing, encouraging creativity and conversation, or even signalling to the brain that it is time to sleep. Next time you are in a home or space that you are feeling warm and cosy in, look around the room and see what the colour of light is - it may just be warm!
The impact a light’s color temperature has on our mood and feeling of space is often not thought about but instead is instinctual. When you want to feel relaxed, consider adjusting your LED settings to a warmer coloured light. When you want to feel more awake and productive, a brighter & cool coloured lighting is the choice for you.
Check out our video below, and discover what lights comes with our Haiku range.
Looking to accent your style and add depth to your living room? Haiku Uplight can brighten your day or set the mood for comfort
Want more of a downlight? Add our Haiku LED Light Kit onto your choice of fan.