Tips On Choosing The Correct Light Bulbs For Your Room

Just as different rooms at home have different functions, choosing the correct light bulbs for each room can be a little tricky. You don’t want light bulbs which emit blue light waves inhibiting the production of melatonin which makes us drowsy and ready for a good night sleep and you would want bulbs emit blue light waves to produce serotonin, which makes us focused, awake, and alert when you need them.

Lumens are used to measure the brightness of a light bulb. Meanwhile, higher temperature bulbs produce cool-whites or mimic daylight while medium temperature bulbs produce neutral-whites and lastly, lower temperature bulbs produce warm-whites, similar to a fire.

Here are some of the suggested usage of different light bulbs for different rooms at home.

1. Bedroom

The bedroom is where we spend our time recuperating and resting, hence most of us want the atmosphere to be relaxed, calm, and peaceful. Do not use blue light as this will inhibit the brain to produce the melatonin needed for a comfortable sleep. If you like to look at your Kindle or read some books before sleeping, a suggestion would be to use a bedside reading lamp with soft blue or neutral tones as they are better for reading specific fixtures, since the cool-white color creates a high contrast with the page.

Suggested total brightness level: 1,500 to 4,000 Lumens
Suggested colour temperature: 2,700 – 3,000K

2. Bathroom

Using bright lights will help us to not miss a spot shaving or mess up our makeup before we head out. Fixing a high output surface mount retrofit fixture in the shower fixture is a great way to start waking up before tackling the day ahead for many of us who shower first thing in the morning.

Suggested total brightness level: 4,000 to 8,000 Lumens
Suggested color temperature: 3,000 – 5,000K

3. Dining room

Using soft to neutral tones for the dining room will create a relaxing atmosphere when we are eating a nice meal with our family or guests. Having dimmable overhead fixtures allow for that perfect brightness at any time of day whether it is for breakfast, lunch, dinner or supper.

Suggested total brightness level: 3,000 to 6,000 Lumens
Suggested color temperature: 2,200 – 3,000K

4. Living room

As the living room can serve its purpose for watching TV, hosting friends or just merely for relaxing, it is important to have a mix of light sources in the living room in order to adapt to whatever the occasion may be. If you have artwork, family photos, or simply to reduce glare on the TV, opt for an adjustable spotlight to highlight those features. There are also new LED 3-Way lamps that can be used in all three way table lamps you may have in your living room.

Suggested total brightness level: 1,500 to 3,000 Lumens
Suggested color temperature: 2,200 – 3,000K

5. Home office

As many of us are working from home now due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, we want to make sure that the lights are maximizing our ability to be productive in the space provided when we have to work. Using cool-white lights will allow our bodies to increase serotonin production keeping us focused, alert, and energized. You may also want to consider LED Desk Lamps which offer great task lighting and the ability to switch color temperature on demand.

Suggested total brightness level: 3,000 to 6,000 Lumens
Suggested color temperature: 3,000 – 5,000K

6. Kitchen

Many of us start the day by brewing a fresh cup of coffee or tea in the kitchen hence blue-light emitting bulbs over the counters will help make us alert and awake while prepping breakfast. If you find the light to be too much of a glare, a dimmable overhead fixture with a warmer color temperature can create a nice ambiance to balance out the brighter blue lights over the kitchen counters.

Suggested total brightness level: 4,000 to 8,000 Lumens
Suggested color temperature: 2,700 – 5,000K

[Image source: Photo by cottonbro from Pexels]