Home Lighting Recommendations

Your home is only as beautiful as the lighting used to illuminate it. When choosing the best lighting for your home, always keep these three things in mind: comfort/health, color, and readability. Especially now that our homes wear many hats throughout the day, you'll want to ensure your lighting works for you, not against you!

In lighting design, there are three general "layers" to remember. These are:

Ambient or General lighting is what we call the "backdrop" of light which fills your space with an even fill of light and sets the stage for everything else. This is usually in the form of overhead lighting of some sort, with high hat recessed fixtures being the most common in homes.
Accent lighting is used to illuminate and bring attention to specific architectural elements in your space. Think track lights, wall sconces, or pendant fixtures.
Task lighting, is the lighting used for any task at hand (like working/reading). You'll often use a desk, table, and floor lamps to read or work by.

The above are just essential elements in terms of lighting fixtures. Now, when choosing light bulbs to use in all those fixtures, we always suggest using full spectrum or the healthiest, most natural lighting in parts of your home where you spend the bulk of your time. As you figure out the lighting for each room in your home, you'll want to be aware of things like color temperature and fixture type.

So, room by room:

What type of light is best for a bedroom?

Light bulb color temperature:

"warm" light sources (anywhere from 2500K-3750K)

Fixture types:

overhead lights on dimmers
table lamps/floor lamps

Since we spend our time in bedrooms during the evening, opt for any light bulb in a warmer (warm white) color temperature - anywhere from 2700K-3750K is a great choice.

Keeping your light as "warm" as possible and not too bright will ensure that your body can appropriately wind down for bedtime - so keep those "cooler," whiter lights for more daytime-centric rooms such as your kitchen, living room, and office! Check out this article to learn more about how lighting affects sleep!

All overhead lighting - such as recessed can fixtures - should be on dimmers to reduce the overall brightness as the evening progresses into the night.

Shaded floor and bedside table lamps are vital for reading and relaxing.

What type of light is best for a small living room?

Light bulb color temperature:

A mix of natural white (~4000K-4500K) and warm white (~2500K-3750K) light sources.

Fixture types:

overhead lights on dimmers
table lamps/floor lamps
wall sconces to direct light upward

With the bulk of our time spent in living rooms as multi-purpose rooms, you'll want some flexibility in your living room lighting. Things like keeping overhead lighting on dimmers and having a nice mix of lighting in terms of technology and color temperature are good ideas.

You'll want the dimmers as the evening progresses to ensure the lighting is never too bright (which, again, will mess with your circadian rhythm and the ability to wind down for bedtime).

In general, opt for lighting in the warm white to natural white color temperature range. But, above all, make sure lighting is glare-free and natural to make your environment more vivid!

If the room is small, you can add interest and the illusion of depth by placing floor lamps in corners and sconces or other types of wall fixtures to direct light upwards to create the illusion of taller ceilings.

What type of light is best for a kitchen?

Light bulb color temperature:

A mix of all three color temperatures:

warm white (~2500K-3750K), natural white (~4000K-4500K), and daylight white (~5000K-6500K).

Fixture types:

overhead lights on dimmers
pendant fixtures or track lighting
under cabinet strip lighting

Make sure your workspaces, such as kitchen sink and cooking areas, are well-lit using full spectrum and natural lighting.

Opt for light bulbs with as high a color rendering index as possible, or for lighting that will help accentuate the colors and textures of food, Chromalux® is among the best options here. Appreciating our foods' natural beauty, colors, and texture will also help with feelings of satiety - so choose lighting wisely in your kitchen!

In terms of lighting design tips, try using under-cabinet lighting as a great way to help illuminate dark or shadowed countertops and create a feeling of depth in your kitchen. Also, keep walls clean and light in color to help reflect light better and develop a sense of brightness and cleanliness in your kitchen.

What type of ceiling light gives the most light?

In homes, the most effective - and popular- ceiling lighting comes from recessed cans. Be sure to use only BR, R, or PAR type flood and spot lighting in these fixtures; don't make the mistake of using regular, standard "A" shape light bulbs in the ceiling, as the light is omnidirectional and won't do an excellent job of illuminating!

BR and R type flood bulbs are also called reflector bulbs and create a nice and wide beam spread of light with no defined edges; these make a great choice for the overall blanket fill of ambient lighting in a room.

PAR type lamps, are also great. These are more of a spot light, meaning they will have a tighter beam spread and a more defined edge of light.

Using both types of overhead lighting together is a great idea too! Try using PAR lamps in overhead fixtures over couches and points of interest in a room, and BR/R flood bulbs everywhere else for more general illumination!