Many times, improper lighting can make a room too bright, too dark or create a glare issue.

Other times, the tone of the white light is not suitable for a particular space. Known as colour temperature, hues can range from warm to cool. Finding the proper hue for the room you’re lighting is crucial to creating a comfortable, suitable space for your condo’s residents. Here’s how:

The Background on Colour Temperature

The amount of “white” light produced from a light source is referred to as colour temperature (incandescent and tungsten halogen) and correlated colour temperature (everything else).

Measured in degrees Kelvin (K), colour temperature and correlated colour temperature (CCT) help differentiate the various hues of white. Although the colour begins at yellow, it slowly turns to a white and then a bluish as the temperature increases.

Highlight Your Space with a Suitable Colour Temperature

With proper lighting, certain features of a space – such as furniture, art and other objects – can become highlighted.

To showcase the reds and yellows in the wood grain of flooring, a correlated colour temperature of 2700- 3000K works well. Hallways typically have a colour temperature in the 3000-3500K range.

A more commercial or industrial space would use a higher temperature since it helps make the space feel more productive.

How to Choose an Appropriate Colour Temperature

Before choosing an appropriate colour temperature, consider what the lighting will be used for and how the space will look when lit by different temperatures of light.

Note that although daylight is coolest at noon (the reference for the term “daylight”), afternoon/evening and dawn/early morning daylight is warmer.

Warm colour temperatures would not be suitable in a space that features fluorescent or cool white LED lighting. They’re also ill-suited in a room that has a lot of naturally cool-coloured daylight already present.

A condo’s lobby space would be a great location for warm colours since this space is meant to be welcoming. However, if the room features plenty of browns and golds but faces an east or north window, the warm colours may appear muddy-looking.

Do you have a window featuring a garden or a room full of plants? Try to utilize the natural daylight as much as possible since it will help to enhance the green shades.

Cool colours can be perceived as being institutional and too bright, making them ill-suited for a lobby space, condo unit or party room. Since winter light can make colours feel cooler, Scandinavian colour tones work well with the available light by incorporating light coloured interiors and bright colours in exteriors.

Before picking your light’s colour temperature, determine the room’s main usage. For example, is it a space for more intimate affairs in the evenings, like in party rooms, lounges or dining rooms? Warm lighting and warmer tones in the décor would complement this type of space well. Choose soft whites and indigo blues (rather than navy or cobalt), reds, yellows and shiny finishes.

Need Help with Lighting Choices?

Choosing the proper lighting for your condo building can be a confusing process. But with the help of an interior designer who specializes in condominiums, you will have an easier time making proper lighting decisions. Schedule a free consultation with us today to learn more about what type of lighting you should be incorporating in your condo building.

 

 

By Sarah McKenzie