Color temperature is a term which is increasingly used in residential lighting. The reason being most fixtures used traditional incandescent bulbs which were all the same color temperature. Now with LEDs and fluorescents there are other color temperature options.To decide which is best for your home there are a few things to consider.
First, and I think most importantly, are these LED light sources laid out in a way that they will be among incandescent fixtures? Because the color of the light can differ, I have seen homes with open floor plans that have 4 or 5 different colors of light coming from their different light layers all viewable from a single location- one color from the under cabinet, one color from the cove, a different color from the pendants over the bar, another color in the dining room fixture and so on. The effect is not a pleasant one.
As a general rule 2700K LEDs will coordinate best with standard incandescent fixtures and 3000K works well with halogen fixtures. If you have a mixture 3000K is your best option. Second, what are you using the light for? Light that is higher on the Kelvin scale can aid in tasks that are highly visual like sewing. But it has also been shown to cause an alert response which may make it a poor choice for a bedroom.
And third, are the fixtures with the LEDs aesthetically pleasing. LED bulbs are still ugly. Open fixtures or those with clear glass that take retrofit LED bulbs don’t look good. That being said there are more options than ever with LEDs integrated into the design of the fixture. As they progress the popular opinion is that they will almost completely take over incandescent fixtures in the near future so eventually this won’t even be a consideration.
The experts at Bee Ridge Lighting can help you weigh your options. Come by our showroom at 3909 Bee Ridge Rd. in Sarasota and let our staff help you come up with a solution that is pleasing and effective.
