Lighting design is an important matter that should always be considered in homes. Besides improving the overall design, it also helps in making the atmosphere of your home better. Choosing the right color temperature is one aspect of lighting design that impacts your house’s interior.
Although lighting fixtures greatly affects the interior design of your home, it’s the color temperature of light that actually sets the mood of the space and can also affect your psychological well-being. So let’s say your living room has a high ceiling and you’re set on installing a chandelier. What color temperature of light should your chandelier emit to look splendid in the morning and still be practical when lit? Or maybe you’ve been working on your bedroom frequently and you’ve noticed that you haven’t been productive as you were in the office. Did you consider the color temperature of light in your room?
In this article, we will discuss the best recommended color temperatures for every part of your home.
Color Temperatures Available
Image Credit: Renonation, Schemacraft Interiors
First, let’s discuss commercially available color temperatures. If you search online, the ranges may vary. Below is the standard that we use:
Warm-Yellow – 2,200K-2500K
Warm-White – 2,700-3,300K
Cool-White – 3,700K-4,500K
Daylight – 5,700K-6,500K
Basically, lower temperature bulbs produce yellowish or warm white light, medium temperature bulbs produce neutral cool white light, and higher temperature bulbs mimic daylight. It also has to be cleared that the brightness of light is not measured in watts, which is actually a measure of energy consumption. Instead, brightness of light is depicted by lumens and represented by the unit of measurement Kelvin.
Color Temperature per Room
Now that we know the color temperature available, we can now discuss what is suitable for every part of your home.
Living Room
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The living room is one of the more multifunctional parts of every home. Activities in the living room may vary from watching television, to entertaining guests, to reading books, and so on and so forth. Would you want to prioritize one activity? Do you want your living room to feel cool, warm, or something in the middle? Since the living room can cater to multiple activities, diverse lighting is recommended whereas the lighting design is made up of various light sources.
If you want to read a book or play board games with your guests, then a white light or daylight from a hanging lamp or chandelier is more suitable. If you’re watching a film on Netflix, then a warm light from a wall lamp is highly recommended. Having this combination can create a good environment with improved layering. 
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Recommendation for Living Room:
Overhead Lighting- Warm-White
Wall Lights and Accent Lighting – Warm-White
Task Lighting – Daylight
Bedroom
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The bedroom is also a multifunctional room. Of course, sleeping and relaxing is the main priority in lighting a room. But other activities such as reading, studying, working, or working out should also be considered.
In general, the bedroom should be lit with a warm-yellow to warm-white lighting for a warm and comfortable atmosphere for relaxation. It is also well studied that white light can interfere with sleep and physiological clock. Warm-white light from a ceiling-recessed light or hanging light is a good idea. Cove lighting and accent lighting on the head board producing warm-white light can also set an intimate and relaxing mood.
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For other activities such as studying or working, providing task lighting that emits cool-white or daylight is a must. Use a wall lamp or a pendant lamp with a separate switch to provide bright and sufficient white light whenever necessary.
Recommendation for bedroom:
Overhead Lighting – Warm-White
Task Lighting – Cool-White or Daylight
Study Room
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A study is not common in Singapore houses. If ever you have one, a a bright and clear white light or daylight is the way to go. Provide white overhead lighting through recessed pinlights or hanging lamps and further complement it with daylight task lighting for intrinsic paperworks or computer works.
Recommendation for Study:
Overhead Lighting – Cool-White or Daylight
Task Lighting – Cool White or Daylight
Kitchen
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Work in the kitchen may seem easy for some, but if you’re a real cook or you do it daily, you’ll understand how meticulous it can get. For the kitchen, white light or daylight is recommended to stay focused when cooking or baking. Furthermore, it tends to get messy or dirty hence the need for a bright white light for a spotless kitchen counter top and flooring.
To set the ambience, you may add warm white or yellow light through spotlights or pendant lights, and install under cabinet lighting above the counter top.
Recommendation for the Kitchen:
Overhead Lighting – Cool-White or Daylight
Accent Lighting – Warm-White
Dining Room
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It is well-researched how yellow light affects food- color saturation is increased therefore improving appetite. With this, warm-white or warm-yellow is recommended for the dining room. Furthermore, warm-white can also help in making guests feel comfortable.
Check out every fine dining place or high-end restaurants, you will see that they use warm-white or warm-yellow as general lighting and even add pendant lights with the same color temperature for every table.
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Recommendation for the Dining Room:
Warm-Yellow or Warm-White
Bathroom
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The bathroom is supposed to be a relaxing area, hence warm white is actually more suitable.. However, some may point out the need of white light for tasks such as washing the face or cleaning the whole area. Some also say that using white light is more safe for users.
The last one has a good point that is why we recommend white overhead lighting for the bathroom. This is also favorable for task oriented activities such as putting on make-up for the ladies or shaving for men.
If you really want to go for a more ambient and mood setting bathroom, yellow light can still be used as general lighting. Just make sure to use task lights such as vanity wall lamps or pendant lamps near bathroom counters or sink.
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Recommendation for the Bathroom:
Cool-White or Daylight
Lighting fixtures are very important as it makes the place look better in general. But the bulb itself particularly the color temperature should also be prioritized. Its thorough consideration and planning can improve not just the look of your home but even life and well-being as a whole. In choosing the right color temperature, functionality, aesthetics, and even safety are all assured.
