“I know the colour of love” by Boyz2Jono

Okay don’t judge, maybe I wanted to be a musician in my past life…..

Friends, in today’s blog I touch on the COLOUR of lamps, a.k.a. light bulbs.

You must have heard of colours like ‘cool white, warm white, cool daylight, this light, that light, et cetera, et cetera. So, if you were thinking of a light bulb as just a source of light to see with, then you are truly missing out on an entire world of light-porn (No pun intended).

Guys, it’s time for you to open your minds and see the light. Get it? No? Don’t fight it, let’s move on.

Light bulbs a.k.a lamps, are enjoyed in many colours and I’m not talking about red, blue, green, etc…. I’m talking about white….just white. Let me explain.

So, for example, you decide to buy white paint; you’re at the store and the salesman asks you, “What white?” and you respond with, “What do you mean? White White!!”

He then tells you that they have Brilliant White, Ivory White, Pearl White, Snow White.

What you thought was going to be an easy task of painting your home white; a colour that didn’t require too much of thought, now leaves you wishing that you never suggested to the wife that we should paint the house in the first place. A new hair straightener would have been an easier way to make her happy.

So, you guys ARE seeing the light right?

Before the invention of the LED lamp and Compact Fluorescent Lamp (energy saving lamp), we all made use of incandescent lamps. You know, the one that has the filament lighting up inside.

Well those lights fall under a category called Warm White Lights. When these energy saving lamps and LED lamps came into being, it opened up a whole new world of options for the user.

The different shades of white light given off by different bulbs have different colour temperatures. They are measured by a unit called Kelvin and range from 1000k – 10000k. Bear in mind that Kelvin displays different characteristics as compared to Degrees Celsius.

With Kelvin:

the warmer the light – the lower the temperature, and,
the cooler the lamp colour – the higher the temperature.

Confusing? Maybe these images below will make it clearer for you.

Now for the exciting part….Let’s look at where you would use these different colour lamps.

Warm lights range from 1000k to around 3500k in colour temperature.

As the title explains, Warm lights create a very romantic, tranquil, peaceful, soothing (I could go on, all night ;-)) type of light. This light colour has more of a yellow tone. The ambience created by using this lighting can be used in any space, and it will create just that.

The images below will show you the majestic use of warm lights.

From a garden, to a bedroom, to a living area, to a bathroom.

These warmer tones are perfect for ambient lighting and can be dimmed for added effect. They also aid with aligning your sleep rhythm before you lay your head to rest in your bedroom. And we all know that a well-rested and peaceful person will see their days clearer and be more productive.

Natural white lamps are around a colour of 4500k and are a bit cooler in colour than the warm white.

Without being too white, but allowing them to be perfect as task lighting whilst still having just a tinge of warmth. I generally convince my clients to use this colour of light in their homes for a very natural feel. And yes, these are the general task lighting lamps that I have fitted in my own home.

Here are some images showing the use of natural white lights.

Now we come to a colour temperature of 6500k, Cool White. Personally, this is my least favourite side of the colour temperature spectrum. Imagine a light so white that it even has a tinge of blue in it.

Just like the other colours, these also have a practical purpose. They are used as task lighting in garages, as security lights, for displays, offices, operating theatres and at the dentist.

Some opt to use them as the general task lighting in their home, however I personally do not recommend it. I mean, don’t we all hate that visit to the dentist. Why would we want to replicate that look in our own living space?

However, to each their own, because if you have a modern, showroom type of layout in your home, then this will work. When I do build my personal car showroom, I will definitely use these to bring out the best in the colour and sparkle on the cars.

Here are some examples of their uses.

One can also use different colour lights in the same area. If the installation is done correctly, one will complement the other. Look at the image below.

The natural white light from the ceiling and below the shelf, contrasts against the cool white above the floor.

As a result, the contrasting colours contribute to the quality of the room.