Consider smart bulbsĬolor temperature is one of the reasons smart bulbs are such a convenience. And you probably wouldn't want daylight over the dining room table or soft white in the kitchen. In other words, you'd probably want daylight bulbs by your vanity or soft white bulbs in your bedroom. With that in mind, when choosing light bulbs for a room, think of what you normally do in that space and buy bulbs for that purpose. This light color will maximize contrast for colors, making it ideal for working, reading or applying makeup. Daylight (5,000 to 6,500 Kelvin) has a more bluish tone.With a less cozy and more energetic feel, bulbs with this color range are best for work spaces (such as a home office or garage) and kitchens with chrome fixtures. Bright white (4,000 to 5,000 Kelvin) is between white and blue tones.These bulbs are best suited for kitchens and bathrooms. Warm white (3,000 to 4,000 Kelvin) is more yellowish-white.This light gives a warm and cozy feeling and is often best for living rooms, dens and bedrooms. Soft white (2,700 to 3,000 Kelvin) is warm and yellow, the typical color range you get from incandescent bulbs.Here's a breakdown of light bulb color temperature: This is typically denoted by a Kelvin rating (usually 2,700 to 6,500) and accompanied by a descriptive name, such as soft white or daylight. Color temperatureĪpart from brightness, you also have to consider the color of the bulbs. Instead, to replace a 60W incandescent bulb, you'd be looking for an 8W or 12W LED bulb to get roughly the same lumen rating. Incandescent bulbs use far more power than modern LED bulbs, meaning a 60W incandescent emits less light than a 60W LED bulb. If you've made the switch to LED bulbs, you should be more concerned with lumens instead of watts. The watts are the amount of power a bulb consumes. Select the room, enter the room dimensions and your preferred illumination intensity and light placement, and select between light and dark walls.Ĭlick Calculate and the tool will tell you the total lumens you will need for that room. So knowing where to start with brightness can be convoluted.įortunately, Charlston Lights provides a lumens and watts calculator for all the rooms in your home. The problem is, how bright a room should be is subjective and the effectiveness of a bulb is dictated by the size of the room, wall colors, light placement and other factors. And, yes, there is such thing as too much light. The higher the lumens, the brighter the bulb. The brightness of a light bulb is denoted by its lumen rating.