Summary
How much do you really know about the light bulbs illuminating your daily life? Discover the hidden impact of color temperature and lumen output on your environment as we chat with a lighting expert who shares eye-opening insights. From the furniture showroom anecdote that reveals how different Kelvin ratings can deceive our perception of color to the cultural preferences that shape our comfort with lighting, this episode unpacks the science and art behind creating the perfect ambiance.
Our special guest also dives into the critical role of lighting in business settings, revealing why the right lumen output can make or break productivity. Learn about the engineering standards that ensure optimal lighting in offices versus lounges, and how geographical backgrounds influence our lighting preferences. Whether you're looking to make your home cozier or boost your workplace efficiency, this episode offers practical advice and fascinating revelations that will light up your world. Don't miss out on these essential tips for mastering your lighting game!
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Randi Lynn: 0:13
When you said warmth and cool, my mind went to lighting, which is a perfect segue because that's where we're headed now. When is it appropriate to use daylight bulbs? I don't like them, but I'm sure they have their place, and I'd love to hear from a professional.
Robin: 0:37
Not as much as people think. I find too many people are using that daylight bulb on a daily basis. It does have its place. It does put out light that is like the sun. So I think that's what people use it for. When they're just going to the store and they're buying something is they think I want it to be really bright. So they get that 5,000 Kelvin without understanding that it's actually got a color to it, and so that color is kind of a blue hue and if you're not careful you begin to tone everything in the room to that blue hue. Here's a great example.
Robin: 1:14
I was in a furniture showroom of a major manufacturer. I was at the manufacturer's showroom. This is why this is noteworthy is because I kind of wanted to take the showroom manager aside and be like but I was with someone else and we were looking at a set of chairs and over the chairs they had this like track lighting and there was two different color, two different Kelvins of bulbs above them. So just as a quick note, when I say Kelvin, if you're looking on the back of your light bulb box it'll say, you know, 2,700 K, or sometimes nowadays it has a big range, you know, with a red side and a blue side, and that's where they list the Kelvin and that's the color temperature of the bulb. Okay, so back to the showroom. We're standing there and we're looking and it's two chairs, they're exactly the same in the same fabric. And the person I was with said, oh look, it comes in beige or gray. And I was like no, it comes in beige. And they were like, no, that's great. And I was like, well, it looks great, but it's because of the lighting they have over it. And they were like no, and I was like, just look up. And we looked up and you could see that the bulb over the chair that looked gray was a 5,000 K and the one over the base chair was a 2,700 K, and so it completely changed the look of that chair.
Robin: 2:36
So that choice makes a huge difference, especially if we're talking about comfort. Okay, yeah, because if you want it to feel warm and glowy, you definitely don't want to use 5,000 Kelvin. Absolutely, 2,700 K is what the color temperature of an incandescent bulb is. So most of us in America have, in our history, been used to that kind of color temperature for the most part. I think that if you're younger and you've, you know, maybe you're 15 to 20 years old you've experienced a lot more LED bulbs and even fluorescent in your childhood and what you've been used to seeing. So you may be actually more comfortable with 3000K in your childhood and what you've been used to seeing, so you may be actually more comfortable with 3000 K.
Robin: 3:20
If you um are from Asia and even parts of Eastern Europe Um, they actually used fluorescent bulbs for a long time and their tune to be comfortable in 4,000 to 5,000 Kelvin Um and it's normal and that's what they they feel comfortable with. So it really depends on where you're from, to what you feel attracted to and what is comfortable to you. So that is a little bit subjective, but I would say in America, if we're talking about tuning business spaces Exactly, I was going to say I was like.
Randi Lynn: 3:48
So if I'm thinking about a business like what do I need to do?
Robin: 3:51
Well, the other piece to think about is the lumen output of the bulb is super important in a workspace. Matter of fact, we have standards that you know mechanical and electrical engineers have to not mechanical that electrical engineers have to adhere to to make sure we're putting enough light output for the purpose of the space. So a lounge is going to require less than an office will, because you're supposed to be looking at papers and all that less than an office will, because you're supposed to be looking at papers and all that.
Robin: 4:27
To get that lumen count. There is some thought that you might have to raise your Kelvin to get there. I know we're nerding out on this now. Okay, all the way, but it really depends on the fixture itself, because you might be able to get to a lumen count that you need and still keep the color temperature you want. 3,000 is super safe for office spaces.
Robin: 4:43
Because you're not quite down to 2,700, which sometimes in LEDs can look yellow, and you're not all the way up to 35 to 4,000, which is going to look blue. Right, it's a nice in-betweener. So if you want to stay safe as a business owner, go for 3,000K.
Randi Lynn: 4:59
Boom Perfect. File that away, all you business owners who are listening, Next time you're in Home Depot or Lowe's 3,000.
Robin: 5:06
Next time you're there 3,000K Another thing that they don't always put on the box but I think is really important. So if you're actually going to tune a new space and you're going to invest in new lighting, check the CRI number that is the color rendering index.
Robin: 5:25
It makes a huge difference, because cheaply made lights will often be under 80 or at 80, but really, and what it does is it tones the light, so it'll look pink or green and those are the two colors it actually leans to. There's a test that they do to determine that and the best number you can look for is 90 or above. If you're hitting 90 or above, that is more of a white light, so it's not going to have a color to it. Again, this matters. If you've spent time, you've got a branding wall, you've spent time tuning in your paint colors, you have actually cared to design your space, and then you go and get whatever low-cost bulbs or lamps or even fixtures that are LED fixtures, that were the bargain basement and they have a low CRI. Your whole space may have a pink hue. I literally walked into an office and thought they had painted the hallway pink and it was the CRI of their hallway.
Randi Lynn: 6:29
Okay, so, if I'm understanding, CRI is a different thing altogether than Kelvin and lumen.
Robin: 6:36
Yes, okay, just to hit them again quickly. CRI is the color rendering index. So if you think about this, the sun hits 100 on the CRI.
Robin: 6:46
So it means it's got all of the color in it. Your eye sees white, so you're seeing everything but a low CRI or lower. So below 80 is terrible, and below 80, your eye is going to be missing something, so it's going to see that color it's going to see what it's missing.
Randi Lynn: 7:03
The cheap light bulbs Exactly. Okay.
Robin: 7:05
Kelvin is the temperature, so we're going to be looking from warm to cool on that which is going to be seen as more yellow or warm glowy, to cooler and more blue. Okay, and then lumens is actually the output of that lamp or fixture.
Randi Lynn: 7:24
And when I say lamp, I mean bulb.
Robin: 7:25
Yeah, how bright it's going to be in the space, how much light it's going to output to the space. There's delivered lumens. If you ever see that on a fixture, it means how many lumens are actually going to be delivered to a certain um distance.
Randi Lynn: 7:43
Okay, yeah, super. No, it's great, it's great, but all of that really does make an impact in how comfortable you feel in a space. Oh, 100%. So you have to just find that right combination of the things. It is a balancing act and if I don't know it, I'm coming to you, Robin, because you know the things.
*Recorded in our studio in Colorado Springs, Colorado
