Local pro shares tips on lighting — it’s more complicated than you think
Story and Photos by Kim Raines
You can buy the most gorgeous light fixture ever, install it, and in the end, you might hate it. But why? The finish is perfect, the scale is great, it slopes on your ceiling like it should, but it’s just not right. Chances are, you hate it because the bulbs are wrong. Even with LED technology, many fixtures are still sold without light bulbs, so you get to choose the shape, color temperature, and brightness. If you didn’t know there were choices, then you might get it wrong. Buying light bulbs isn’t like it used to be – with so much competition, you might blindly buy what’s on sale on an end cap at a big box store or your local hardware store without even knowing what you are buying.
One of my favorite parts of selling lighting is making sure you get the right light bulb. Matching the perfect fixture with the right light bulbs has become a passion for me. After you choose the right fixture, it’s time to decide: How bright do you want this? Do you like warmer light or cooler? This can not only affect your eyes but your paint colors. And then the shape – there are so many cool shapes these days you really can change the look of the fixture simply by changing the shape of the bulb.
So now to the nitty gritty. How do you select the perfect light bulb?
- Learn about Kelvin Temperature. I think the Kelvin temperature of a light bulb is the most important part. The wrong color temperature and an inconsistent color temp throughout a property can be really distracting and uncomfortable. In most residential situations, you want 2700K for a warmer touch and 3000K for a fresher, more contemporary feel. If you have ever had a bad experience with a light bulb, chances are they were too high of a Kelvin temp and therefore too blue/white.
- Determine your lumen output need. The lighting industry is changing and becoming more energy efficient. This means the bulbs are still as bright but use less energy. In the past, we used the term wattage to determine how bright a bulb is. But now, bulbs have a lower wattage but still emit the same brightness. So, you want to focus on how many lumens you need in each space. Bathrooms will need more, kitchen pendants over an island where you have a lot of task-oriented cans can have a lower output to be softer on the eyes. This info will be listed on the box – it will note the lumen output and then the wattage comparison so you know how bright your bulb will be.
- Determine the shape of bulb you like. The days of your normal shaped A19 bulb that you have always seen are gone. Bulb shape to me is almost as important as the two above. The shape of the bulb can totally change the look of your fixture. The candle shape is more traditional, but you can make a fixture more industrial or Mid Century looking by using a round or tube shape. Once you figure out the color temp you want, the output you need, then we get to talk about the pretty stuff!
- Do you want a frosted bulb or to see the filaments? Similar to above, the color of the glass can totally change the look of your fixture! Frosted bulbs give a more Mid Century vibe but are softer on the eyes, which sometimes is important if a light bulb is at eye level like a kitchen pendant over your island. Filament bulbs give you the sparkle and are a little more industrial looking. Also, if you have an open fixture with a pattern, a filament bulb can enhance the shadows on the walls + ceilings! So, if you don’t like that, frosted is the way to go!
Kim Raines owns and operates both Mountain Colors Paint Store in town and the new Showroom in Riverland
