Warm or cold light in the apartment?

When choosing lighting fixtures for our apartment, we are faced with the question of choosing the right lighting color. What do you prefer, warm white light or cold? There is no unequivocal answer, since for rooms that differ in their purpose, lighting should be chosen that is different in intensity and color temperature.

How does the color of the lighting affect the people in the room?

Natural sunlight is considered optimal for human eyes. However, scientists have not yet succeeded in creating a device with a radiation intensity as close as possible to the natural one.

Don't worry the color of the lighting does not affect human vision in any way. However, it has a certain effect on our psycho-emotional state. If the cold light gives vivacity, helps to stay in good shape, then the warm light will help to relax, and each of them is appropriate in a certain environment. We suggest understanding the difference between them in order to understand which artificial light, warm white or cold, should be chosen.

The concept of color temperature

The color temperature in lighting engineering is called a characteristic that determines the color of the lamps and the color tone of the space that they illuminate. This value is indicated on the packages of light sources, measured in Kelvin (K). It depends on it whether the light bulb will produce cold or warm white radiation.

The lower the color temperature value, the more yellow and warmer the hue of the light output becomes. Accordingly, at high rates, the lighting will become increasingly cold, with a blue tint. The described value has the following gradation:

White warm light (2700-3500 Kelvin). This concept means a white-yellow flow, ideal for living rooms, designed for relaxation, dining rooms. It contributes to decreased performance and relaxation.

Neutral (3500-5000 K) - Close to natural sunlight, ideal for living rooms, hallways and common rooms. The radiation produced by such lamps does not overwork the eye, does not cause discomfort.
Cold light (5000-6000 Kelvin). The stream emitted by lighting devices has a bluish-white color. It is more suitable for offices, lighting computer desks and other work areas. Under its influence, it is easier for people to concentrate, to mobilize internally. However, a long stay in a room with such lighting increases fatigue by about 25%.

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Psychologists recommend interrupting during work and periodically turning on light sources that emit light of the warm spectrum. Such manipulation will allow you to relax the psyche, relax the organs of vision.

What lighting to choose?

For long millennia of human history, the only artificial source of light available to humans was fire, which was later replaced by incandescent bulbs. Varieties of lamps in a neutral or bluish cold color have appeared recently.

The names mentioned above - "warm" and "cold" color of the artificial stream - were created due to the psychological association of the first with warming and "native" fiery light, and the second - with reflections on winter snow.

In a yellowish glow, you can create a cozy home environment, give your apartment an atmosphere of security and complete safety.
Rooms lit in a cold color will help you get in the mood for work.
Neutral white light is essentially a compromise between the two.

Another important point is color distortion.Under warm lighting, yellows and reds are more visible, and the palette of blues and purples darkens almost to black. In cold white light, the red-yellow gamut will be perceived as green-violet, and the blue hues will become more contrasting.

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Choose and buy lamps online

Buying online is very convenient and safe: you can buy lamps without leaving your home or visiting a store. All purchases will be delivered to your home.

In addition, in the online store, on each product page, you can find the exact characteristics of the lamps and real customer reviews.

The most frequently purchased lamps by our readers (Rating):

LED;
Luminescent (energy saving);
Halogen;
Incandescent lamps;
Smart lamps;
Special (for plants, birds and animals, from insects, etc.);
Daylight lamps (for office and technical premises);
Retro (Edison lamps).

The best choice for the interior: some practical tips

Selected with skill lighting will help emphasize the originality and showiness of the design in the apartment, and an unsuccessful choice, on the contrary, can ruin the most attractive interior.

In practice, rooms decorated in yellow or red tones bloom in warm lighting and "gray" in cold.

It is necessary to try to select the light based on the concept of the functionality of the room, compliance with the intended purpose of the interior. With the help of warm lighting, a relaxed atmosphere is created in the rest rooms (bedrooms, living rooms, children's rooms). In the kitchen, in the cooking area, as well as in the office, a working environment is necessary. In these rooms, a cold or neutral light range looks more appropriate.

Warm light in the living room

Neutral light for the kitchen

Bathroom lighting is selected depending on the habits and preferences of the owners. Cool light is suitable for fans of an invigorating morning shower, warm light for fans of an evening relaxing bath. It is better to make the lighting near the mirror neutral so that it does not distort the complexion.

A convenient option is modern LED rulers that can change their shades, become not only white, but also red, blue or green. A similar tool is actively used to create stylish modern interiors.

Combining several light sources is a smart way out when choosing lighting for apartments. Thus, it is possible to smooth out the shortcomings of each type of lamp, to even out the overall light background in the house. It is optimal to install warm lighting from ceiling chandeliers or lamps, and use elements with cold radiation as local lighting for the kitchen work area, dining area or computer desk. When you have finished work that requires increased precision, you can turn off the lamp and proceed with the rest of the work without harming other household members.

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When arranging the lamps, you need to take into account the time of day. During the day, it is wise to use neutral lighting, and in the evening - soft warm. This will make it easier to transfer the contrast between the current natural light and the artificial light present in the apartment. This will positively affect the well-being and mood of all household members.

Dimmer-controlled LED lighting systems allow you to adjust not only the brightness, but also the color of the light flux. This makes it possible to set the type required for each specific situation.

It may seem that the color temperature is an absolutely insignificant parameter. However, after a detailed study, its role in the perception of the interior and the creation of a comfortable environment in the house become clear.

Grisha Kolennikov

When choosing a lamp, of course, I did not even consider these nuances. I knew I definitely wanted LED ones. A year has passed since the installation, and they continue to shine brightly. By the way, they can withstand even a lot of stress.

Answer

Stanislav

The choice of lighting in the apartment must be approached very responsibly, since it is he who plays the main role in creating a room atmosphere. I did the repairs myself, without the help of a construction team. Since the apartment was decorated in cold shades: mostly white, gray, blue and dark blue, I chose cold lighting to a greater extent. Only in the bedroom warm lighting predominates, because it seems to me that thanks to the warm range of light, the body relaxes faster, and it is more pleasant to sleep in such a room.

Oksana

I chose the lighting in my house with my husband, relying on the laws of nature. Depending on the time of day, different radiation spectra predominate in nature: in the morning - blue, in the afternoon - white, in the evening - yellow. The first spectrum invigorates and increases concentration. The second balances and maintains a comfortable state throughout the day. The third calms and prepares for sleep.
To work at the computer in the morning, turn on the lamp with a cold light bulb. Our family spends most of its time in the living room and kitchen, either during the day or in the evening. In these rooms we use light bulbs of neutral and warm light. The bedroom serves as a place of relaxation. Therefore, there we need only warm lighting.

Michael

There is an opinion that warm light should always be taken at home, they say it is more beneficial for the nervous system. I lived for 10 years with different types of warm light and was incredibly happy when I thought of changing the light bulbs to 4000k LEDs. If you have white wallpaper in your room, like mine, and you use warm light, try an alternative, I can’t imagine my room with this yellowish tint at all now. The color scheme of the interior of the room is coffee with milk, that is, white + wenge.