Oh, how beautiful it used to be - before the era of LEDs, halogens and other innovations. The incandescent lamp was only available in a single light color (warm white) and was suitable for living rooms, while the fluorescent tubes had blue lightin offices and warehouseswere used. Everything was clear and simple. Now with LEDs you have to look at so many different featuresBrightness, color temperature and color renderingBe careful that you can easily lose track. Which is better – warm or cold light? And what is more pleasant to read? Which light is best for applying make-up? We have summarized the answers to all these questions and put one togethercomprehensive guidecreated to help you find the perfect lighting for the bathroom, office, kitchen and more.
Warm and cold light – the difference
The color temperature of LED lamps is inKelvinmeasured and inwarm(up to 3500K),neutral(3500-4500K) andcalled(from 4500K). The higher the number, the cooler the color, meaning the more intense the glow in the blue spectrum. This spectrum is the most unpleasant for the retina of the eye and canprolonged exposure can cause visual disturbances.
By the way: Cold light is borrowed from nature - at 5000 Kelvin it isColor temperature of the morning sunstated. That's why it makes sense to use cold light in the apartment in the morning before sunrise, which is supposed to invigorate the body and mind. This also makes waking up easier.
Why is neutral light confused with cold light?Because of the color coding on the lamp packaging. The fact that manufacturers often mark the packaging of 2700-3000K bulbs in orange or yellow, and 4000-4500K in blue. However, in a lamp with a neutral color temperature there is no “blue” component. The neutral light is white, in extreme cases – cold white (when the temperature is close to 4500K). The blue component only occurs with cold light lamps, ie lamps over 4500K.
If the choice is between a color temperature of up to 3000K and 4500K, nine out of ten interior designers vote for itwarm light in the living area. It puts less strain on the eyes, is better perceived by the body and makes the environment more relaxing. In the warm light, the objects appear softer, the room is more comfortable and the faces appear alive. Studies have even shown that the timbre of the voice of people who talk on the phone in a room with white light is harsher and more unpleasant than in a room with yellow light.
“Operating room effect” is what designers call the unpleasant feeling that cold white LED diodes create when reflected on white walls. Some people find it psychologically depressing, others complain that the brightness makes their eyes tired. Nevertheless, the cold light also has its fans - they compare its effect withfrosty freshness.
The color temperature has onedifferent effecton us: Warm light relaxes and creates an atmosphere of comfort, while cold light helps us to concentrate and get in the mood for work.
DieUsing cool white lightis strictly recommended only in two cases: in rooms whose lighting is regulated by technical sanitary and building standards (SNiP and SanPiN), and in recreation areas in office buildings, where the general style of the company does not necessarily give visitors and employees a feeling of softness, Should convey comfort and warmth. In such rooms, however, cold lighting evokes associations with high technology, serenity and striving for the future.
What if you have to choose between warm or neutral?
There is no unanimous opinion among designers here. A lamp with a color temperature of 2700-3200K (warm white) makes the interior appear “yellow” and one over 4000K (cool white) makes the interior appear whiter. According to many designers, even warm LED lights appear colder (compared to incandescent bulbs).
The French believe that the light atclassic living styles warmshould be (2700K). Formodern living spacescan the color temperaturecoolerbe – up to 3200K.
Cool white lightmakes an interior appear colder but also more structured. Not all rooms need the softness of warm yellow. Cool white light can give a room a feeling ofairinesslend.
The final decision about the color temperature depends on theindividual lifestyle habits and wishesfrom and is also through thePurpose of the roominfluenced. Daylight lighting is more suitable for functional work areas. A warmer light is for rooms where a pleasant, relaxing atmosphere is desired. Cold light helps you wake up faster in the morning and feel fit. This is e.g. b.in the bathroom and in the children's roomuseful if you have to get up early.
How do the lighting scenarios relate to the furnishings?
For a designer the choice is theLight temperature is part of the room design. This also applies to the selection of colors, decoration, materials and furniture. Lighting scenarios are already sketched out during room planning: after all, light influences how walls, materials and objects in the interior are perceived. The color temperature of the lamps is also determined at this time.
Multiple lighting scenariosare necessary to meet various aesthetic and functional needs. It is necessary to try to create two scenarios of general light in each room - in a warm and in a neutral tone. If necessary, you can “switch on” both the evening romance and the work mode in the room. This is even necessary in the bathroom. In the morning we need neutral light of around 4000K to wake up and get ready. And then there are evenings when we want to relax in the bathtub. Then we switch on lamps with 2700K – 3000K.
Can you use cold and warm light in the same room?
It's a controversial question. Conservatives prefer to stick to a more warm light spectrum, while innovators rely on a clever mix.
If you turn on lights with warm and cold light at the same time, this will happenvisual inconvenience. The difference between 3000K and 4000K is too obvious. It's not just about aesthetics, but also about how the brain works. It perceives impulses from different areas of light in different ways. When we saturate a room with different impulses, we get tired more quickly because the signal constantly switches between sleeping and working.
When it comes to lighting accents, a combination of natural white and warm light looks very impressive in the interior. Warmer colors should predominate.
You should be guided by the function:warm light for accents and decorative purposesand neutral orcold light for “technical” purposes. These light streams rarely overlap.
Is a ceiling light sufficient as main lighting?
AChandelier or a large ceiling lightare not enough to brightly illuminate a room. The play of light and shadow is just as important as the color of the walls or the elegant furniture.
For many people, table lamps, floor lamps and sconces are considered “trinkets/dust collectors/“not bright enough”/“we’ll buy them sometime later”. But yousoft light in the eveningnot only makes the room appear more comfortable, but also visually larger.
DieLED recessed lightingtoday makes it possible to transform a classic chandelier into an art object and at the same time brighten the room evenly. If the different light sources can be switched on separately, you can adapt the light in the room to the circumstances, for example when entertaining guests, having a relaxing evening with a book on the couch or watching films.
Tipp: Choose a type of pendant lamp or chandelier, complement it with LED spots and downlights, and add table lamps, wall lamps and floor lamps. There is no need to turn the room into a lighting showroom with a variety of chandeliers and pendant lights on display.
Which light is better for general lighting? And which ones for accent lighting?
It depends on what type of light is used. TheLED ceiling lighting should be neutralbecause warm light makes the paint on the walls look dirty. This does not apply toFloor lamps, wall lights and table lamps. Your light had better be “warm”.
By the way: In regions where there is not enough sun, multiple light sources are simply necessary. It is no coincidence that Scandinavians like to place lamps on window sills - they imitate sunlight.
The distortion of colors caused by LED lighting
Lamps with oneColor temperature of 2700 Kleave the interioryellower appearthan in daylight. Light up4500 Kthey can“Lighten” shadesand give a bluish tone. This should be taken into account when designing the living space. For example, by choosing a shade that works well in different lighting situations.
You can see a good example in the picture above: The green-grey color in this design project changes in different lighting conditions: it has bluish, greenish tones.
The color will change. It's important that this doesn't come as a surprise to you - that's all.
It is a prejudice that warm light “yellows”. A high quality LED light source does not emit an obvious yellow light unless it is intentionally designed that way. Allcool colorsHowever, it is only in the living space that things are transformedim Evening lightso right. Therefore, you always need to look at surface options under natural and artificial light.
The fact that lamps - both LED and fluorescent - distort colors should be taken into accountSelection of furniture and decorationbe taken into account in shops. It often happens that people choose a sofa in the camp and only when they take it outside do they realize that the sofa is a completely different color.
Designers recommend experimenting with light more carefully,if there is a lot of blue in the furnishingsis present. For example, warm light blue or blue walls often produce a greenish hue. The same applies to the color of the curtains. To see how a certain color looks in a certain light, you can use light boxes at wallpaper and paint stores.
If you have wallpaper or simply painted walls, the difference between white and yellow light is only in the color temperature of the wall paint. Decorative coatings, on the other hand, have additional effects that can only be seen in certain lighting. Additional light can improve the appearance of walls such as: B. withDecorative colors with 3D or “chameleon” effectare provided, change fundamentally.
And you should also look at the color rendering index. Why?
The color rendering index is an extremely important parameter and indicates how natural the color of objects or the environment appears under a lamp. In other words, how faithfully the colors are reproduced. TheIndex is marked with the letters CRI (Ra)and a number given on a 100-point scale. The higher it is, the better the color rendering.
Ideally, the index should be above 90. Otherwise, a designer's entire color idea will fall apart. It is therefore best not to use lamps with a value less than 80 Ra in apartments.
And how do wall colors affect lighting?
Not only lighting affects the perception of color in a living space, but also the other way around. Here is a real-life example from a designer: “I repainted the ceiling in my office: it was white and now it's black. I didn't change the chandelier. It was a chandelier with 3 arms and lamps pointing upwards. It turned out to look like a real dungeon. Although thatRoom only 9 square metersthere were no problems with the white ceiling - three lamps illuminated it perfectly. But the black color absorbed almost all of the light. I purchased a new eight-arm chandelier with open candle lamps. But I also had to work hard to find the right height for it. Because where the light beam from each lamp is reflected from has a significant effect on the lighting of the room.
Ceiling mood lighting with built-in LED strips around the perimeter can also create unnecessary reflections. When cool white light reflects off dark brown wallpaper, it gives the ceiling a blue hue. With warm white diodes, however, a green tone is created.
Warm or cold light in the bedroom?
The vast majority of designers choosewarm light – 2700 to 3000 K– for bedrooms. There are several reasons for this. First, it makes skin look healthier. Caesar Ritz specially added pink lampshades to the lamps in his hotels to make women's skin tone beautiful and comfortable. The cold blue spectrum immediately emphasizes dark circles and impure skin.
Secondly, there is an opinion that the blue spectrum has a negative impact on the production ofMelatonin, the so-called sleep hormone. White light that is too bright in the evening or at night makes our brain think it is daytime. This leads to insomnia because you cannot relax in white light.
Which light temperature is better for the children's room?
Be heretwo types of general lightingrecommended: neutral for the morning and warm yellow for the evening. Children's eyes are particularly sensitive to the blue spectrum, so do not use cold white light (above 4000 K). You should also avoid direct light into your eyes.
Warm or cold light in the living room?
Preferablyneutral, closer to white. If desired, warm light accents can come throughindirect lightingbe set.
Something else is important when it comes to lighting in the living room: it shouldn't be too bright. darkness andcomfortare more important here than brightness. Bright cold white light (fluorescent lamps, bright recessed lights) has a merciless effect: every wrinkle is visible, the skin appears translucent, the dark circles under the eyes appear more clearly. Without a pronounced shadow, the face appears flat and expressionless.
Warm or cold light in the kitchen?
It depends on the situation. If the kitchenjust for cookingserves, iscold lightbetter. If you are there tooessen, the table shouldwarm illuminatedbe.
It is recommended thatWork areain the kitchen withneutral white Lichtto highlight. This is necessary so that the light does not distort the color of the food and you can judge its quality.
IgniteCandleson, even if there is no lamp above the table - the food will look more appetizing and women will look more mysterious.
An important question here is whetherPendant lights as main lightshould be used. This solution is doubtful. If the material of the lampshades is opaque, such as: B. metal, then an unlit area forms on the walls above the lamp level.
Warm or cold light in the bathroom?
Warm white lightis more suitable as general lighting in the bathroom because the complexion looks healthy. But you have to be very careful about the placement of the light sources. The light should fall on the face from the front and evenly, so the lighting on the mirror is done either from above or by hanging two wall lights on the sides.
Interior designers recommendtwo types of lighting in the bathroomTo be provided: warm light for relaxing in the bath or shower and bright white light for shaving, applying make-up, etc. If there is no option for such a combination, use bright white/neutral white (3500 - 4000 K).Neutral white lightis also for applyingMake-upideally suited. Optionally, you can also simulate evening light with warm light for evening make-up.
DieIndirect lighting with LED strips in the bathroomAlthough it looks very attractive, it has one big disadvantage: the reflections on the tiles are not very beautiful in reality.
Warm or cold light in the office/home office?
While warm light is better than cold light for living spacesneutral white and daylight white lightpreferable for the work areas. Morning and afternoon light in particular are associated with maximum performance.
The colder the spectrum, the more “invigorating” it is and the more it stimulates activity. However, if it is oneOffice-guest room combinationIf the light is too bright, it can be disturbing. It therefore makes sense to set up a “cold” zone above the desk and make the general lighting warm. It is also betterDesk lampswith adjustable brightness and a neutral light color.
Which light for the gym, dressing room, loggia?
TheHome gymis one of the few rooms where warm light should not be used. Here we need the light color “daylight white” and the mood for an active day. Forwalk-in closets and utility roomswe also recommend usingcold white Lichtfrom 3500-4000K.
On thebalconywill mostlywarm Lichtused. You don't need a ceiling light here at all. Wall lights or recessed lights on the wall or floor create the right atmosphere.
When does colored RGB light make sense?
Multi-colored RGB lighting is not for everyone. It remains reserved only for the homes of big party lovers. It is sometimes used in gaming rooms, home theaters and spas. But according to Pinterest forecasts, they are enjoying itblue LED lighting in the bedroomgrowing popularity. The use of colored light is also very popular in cafes and restaurants.
Where should the light be directed?
Inconvenience caused by lighting may not be related to the color temperature, but to the direction of the light beam. It is more correct if the lighting does not fall directly on the eyes.
In modern living spaces, pendant lights are increasingly being hung at a low height - simply so that they do not shine into the eyes. If the light is only directed downward, the ceiling will remain gray (and create a gloomy feeling). However, if lamps of the same intensity are placed on the ceiling or wall, the reflected light will make the room appear brighter and be more pleasing to the eye.
