Unlock the Power of Perfect Illumination

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!

We welcome your questions! If you would like to learn more about us or connect for a conversation, please visit www.pasleycommercialinteriors.com.

Episode Transcript

Randi Lynn (00:00):
You said.
When you said warmth and cool,my mind went to lighting, which
is a perfect segue becausethat's where we're headed now.
When is it appropriate to usedaylight bulbs?
I don't like them, but I'm surethey have their place, and I'd

(00:21):
love to hear from a professional.

Robin (00:24):
Not as much as people think.
I find too many people areusing that daylight bulb on a
daily basis.
It does have its place.
It does put out light that islike the sun.
So I think that's what peopleuse it for.
When they're just going to thestore and they're buying
something is they think I wantit to be really bright.
So they get that 5,000 Kelvinwithout understanding that it's

(00:47):
actually got a color to it, andso that color is kind of a blue
hue and if you're not carefulyou begin to tone everything in
the room to that blue hue.
Here's a great example.
I was in a furniture showroom ofa major manufacturer.
I was at the manufacturer'sshowroom.
This is why this is noteworthyis because I kind of wanted to

(01:10):
take the showroom manager asideand be like but I was with
someone else and we were lookingat a set of chairs and over the
chairs they had this like tracklighting and there was two
different color, two differentKelvins of bulbs above them.
So just as a quick note, when Isay Kelvin, if you're looking
on the back of your light bulbbox it'll say, you know, 2,700 K

(01:34):
, or sometimes nowadays it has abig range, you know, with a red
side and a blue side, andthat's where they list the
Kelvin and that's the colortemperature of the bulb.
Okay, so back to the showroom.
We're standing there and we'relooking and it's two chairs,
they're exactly the same in thesame fabric.
And the person I was with said,oh look, it comes in beige or

(01:55):
gray.
And I was like no, it comes inbeige.
And they were like, no, that'sgreat.
And I was like, well, it looksgreat, but it's because of the
lighting they have over it.
And they were like no, and Iwas like, just look up.
And we looked up and you couldsee that the bulb over the chair
that looked gray was a 5,000 Kand the one over the base chair

(02:15):
was a 2,700 K, and so itcompletely changed the look of
that chair.
So that choice makes a hugedifference, especially if we're
talking about comfort.
Okay, yeah, because if you wantit to feel warm and glowy, you
definitely don't want to use5,000 Kelvin.
Absolutely, 2,700 K is what thecolor temperature of an

(02:39):
incandescent bulb is.
So most of us in America have,in our history, been used to
that kind of color temperaturefor the most part.
I think that if you're youngerand you've, you know, maybe
you're 15 to 20 years old you'veexperienced a lot more LED
bulbs and even fluorescent inyour childhood and what you've

(03:01):
been used to seeing.
So you may be actually morecomfortable with 3000K in your
childhood and what you've beenused to seeing, so you may be
actually more comfortable with3000 K.
If you um are from Asia and evenparts of Eastern Europe Eastern
Europe Um, they actually usedfluorescent bulbs for a long
time and their tune to becomfortable in 4,000 to 5,000
Kelvin Um and it's normal andthat's what they they feel

(03:22):
comfortable with.
So it really depends on whereyou're from, to what you feel
attracted to and what iscomfortable to you.
So that is a little bitsubjective, but I would say in
America, if we're talking abouttuning business spaces Exactly,
I was going to say I was like.

Randi Lynn (03:35):
So if I'm thinking about a business like what do I
need to do?

Robin (03:38):
Well, the other piece to think about is the lumen output
of the bulb is super importantin a workspace.
Matter of fact, we havestandards that you know
mechanical and electricalengineers have to not mechanical
that electrical engineers haveto adhere to to make sure we're
putting enough light output forthe purpose of the space.

(03:59):
So a lounge is going to requireless than an office will,
because you're supposed to belooking at papers and all that
less than an office will,because you're supposed to be
looking at papers and all that.
To get that lumen count.
There is some thought that youmight have to raise your Kelvin
to get there.
I know we're nerding out onthis now.
Okay, all the way, but itreally depends on the fixture

(04:20):
itself, because you might beable to get to a lumen count
that you need and still keep thecolor temperature you want.
3,000 is super safe for officespaces.

Randi Lynn (04:29):
Okay.

Robin (04:30):
Because you're not quite down to 2,700, which sometimes
in LEDs can look yellow, andyou're not all the way up to 35
to 4,000, which is going to lookblue.
Right, it's a nice in-betweener.
So if you want to stay safe asa business owner, go for 3,000K.

Randi Lynn (04:46):
Boom Perfect.
File that away, all youbusiness owners who are
listening, Next time you're inHome Depot or Lowe's 3,000.

Robin (04:53):
Next time you're there 3,000K Another thing that they
don't always put on the box butI think is really important.
So if you're actually going totune a new space and you're
going to invest in new lighting,check the CRI number that is
the color rendering index.

Randi Lynn (05:11):
Okay.

Robin (05:12):
It makes a huge difference, because cheaply made
lights will often be under 80or 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 itactually leans to.
There's a test that they do todetermine that and the best

(05:34):
number you can look for is 90 orabove.
If you're hitting 90 or above,that is more of a white light,
so it's not going to have acolor to it.
Again, this matters.
If you've spent time, you'vegot a branding wall, you've
spent time tuning in your paintcolors, you have actually cared
to design your space, and thenyou go and get whatever low-cost

(05:56):
bulbs or lamps or even fixturesthat are LED fixtures, that
were the bargain basement andthey have a low CRI.
Your whole space may have apink hue.
I literally walked into anoffice and thought they had
painted the hallway pink and itwas the CRI of their hallway.

Randi Lynn (06:16):
Okay, so, if I'm understanding, cri is a
different thing altogether thanKelvin and lumen.

Robin (06:23):
Yes, okay, just to hit them again quickly.
Cri is the color renderingindex.
So if you think about this, thesun hits 100 on the.
Cri.

Randi Lynn (06:32):
Okay.

Robin (06:33):
So it means it's got all of the color in it.
Your eye sees white, so you'reseeing everything but a low CRI
or lower.
So below 80 is terrible, andbelow 80, your eye is going to
be missing something, so it'sgoing to see that color it's
going to see what it's missing.

Randi Lynn (06:50):
The cheap light bulbs Exactly.
Okay.

Robin (06:52):
Kelvin is the temperature , so we're going to be looking
from warm to cool on that whichis going to be seen as more
yellow or warm glowy, to coolerand more blue.
Okay, and then lumens isactually the output of that lamp
or fixture.

Randi Lynn (07:11):
And when I say lamp, I mean bulb.

Robin (07:12):
Yeah, how bright it's going to be in the space, how
much light it's going to outputto the space.
There's delivered lumens.
If you ever see that on afixture, it means how many
lumens are actually going to bedelivered to a certain um
distance.

Randi Lynn (07:30):
Okay, yeah, super.
No, it's great, it's great, butall of that really does make an
impact in how comfortable youfeel in a space.
Oh, 100%.
So you have to just find thatright combination of the things.
It is a balancing act and if Idon't know it, I'm coming to you
, robin, because you know thethings.