No matter how many pillows, carpets, drapes, and blankets you use, you cannot fully achieve a cosy atmosphere without warm lighting. Warm lights can bring a welcoming and relaxing ambience to help you de-stress and wind down. But how? What do you need to do to incorporate warm lighting into your interior design to increase the comfort level of your living space?
The Warmth of Colour Temperature: Understanding the Basics
Colour temperature describes the appearance of light produced by a luminaire. It’s measured in Kelvin and ranges from 2000K to 6500K. When buying lighting fixtures, you would generally come across three colour temperatures: cool white, natural white and warm white light. Cool white (has a crisp bluish tone) and natural white (no hints of blue or yellow) are primarily employed for task lighting as they’re both stunningly brilliant, which aids in increasing the functionality and efficiency of the space.
You’ll want to steer clear of those two colour temperatures for a cosy atmosphere. What you want in your room is warm white light. This colour temperature has a yellowish hue that resembles an old incandescent bulb. It adds that warmth you perceive in the space, allowing you to relax and feel at peace. The warmer the colour, the cosier it gets. However, you should also be aware that if you go down the warmer end, the appearance of your lights will become too yellow or orange. 2700K to 3000K are an excellent range to enjoy that warm lighting without being too hot on the eyes.
Layered Lighting: Balancing Functionality and Comfort
While warm white light can produce that welcoming ambience you’re after, it’s best to still incorporate the layered lighting technique. This will enable you to fully utilise the space, balancing functionality and comfort. What is the layered lighting method?
Layered lighting is a technique where you add several sources of illumination to increase the room’s efficiency while boosting its visual appeal. You’ll need to utilise all three colour temperatures for task, ambient, and accent lighting for a harmonious atmosphere.
Say you’re using your bedroom as your home office or study space. You can use warm white light as ambient lighting to create a comfy environment. Then, for your desk area, you can add desk lamps or wall lights with natural or cool white light for task lighting. As for accent lighting, you can use LED strip lights in whatever LED colour you prefer and stick them to your bookshelves, under your bed, or behind your table!
Warm Lighting in Different Rooms: Tailoring the Experience
If you’re using warm lighting as ambient lighting in your bedroom, how can you integrate it into other parts of your home?
In the living room, you can add warm lighting through your floor lamps, ceiling lights, and table lamps. If you have a reading nook in your living room, use cool or natural white for the fixture in that spot instead of warm white.
For the kitchen, the best way to incorporate warm lighting is through your under cabinet lighting and plinth lights. However, if you’re using your kitchen counters as a workspace, having a colour temperature adjustable fitting is better than a single-coloured light. That way, you’ll have a functional space when you’re working and a relaxing ambience when you’re not!
Statement Lighting for Cosy Focal Points
When it comes to creating a welcoming atmosphere, don’t be boxed into thinking that your options are limited to table and floor lamps. You can use statement lighting to add cosiness to the space while elevating the aesthetics of the room! What types of statement lighting can you use?
Chandeliers, pendant lights and unique fixtures with warm white light are typically the go-to for this. Just try to find light fittings made with textures and materials that will add to the warmth of the space.
Textures and Warm Lighting: Creating Visual Comfort
As mentioned earlier, although pillows, carpets, blankets, and curtains can soften the rigidness of the room, it is still incomplete without warm lighting. But how do you effectively mix them together?
Textures increase the personality and dimensions of the space. Adding warm lighting will boost the visual interest of those textures, creating an explosion of splendour! Wool, faux fur, velvet, linen, stone, and leather can cast exciting shadows when struck with warm light. You can use these organic materials through your light fitting or as furniture and decor pieces!
Candlelight Effect with LED Bulbs
Candlelights can create a romantic, nostalgic and magical atmosphere. That’s why romantic candlelight dinners are a popular date choice for couples!
While there’s nothing wrong with going for the classic candlestick, if you’re looking for an alternative, you can try the LED light bulbs with warm white light. They can mimic the warmth of a candlestick without the hazard of a live flame. If you want something closely resembling a candlestick, there are LED candles! It’d be a safer alternative, especially if you plan to use it for extended hours.
Dimmers and Warm Lighting: Adjusting the Intensity
Colour temperature can bring in the warmth, but if you want to modulate the intensity, you’ll need dimmers. Dimming your warm lighting can diversify the atmosphere of your space. It can make dinner date nights more intimate and game nights more exciting!
In addition, dimmer switches can make light fixtures more energy-efficient and long-lasting!
Natural Light Integration: A Cosy Connection with the Outdoors
Natural light and artificial lighting can complement each other to seamlessly bring the outdoors inside your space. But why do you need natural light?
Although LEDs are the most efficient artificial light, they are still not as efficient as natural light! It’s free for all to enjoy and has so many health benefits you’ll not want to miss!
To ensure natural light can enter your space, don’t block your windows, skylights and glass doors. If you need more privacy, use sheer instead of thick curtains in your living room. Sunlight can still pass through, but people won’t be able to see inside!
Conclusion: Inviting Comfort with Thoughtful Lighting
Warm lighting can create a cosy and welcoming space. How can you do it in your area? Choose a warm white colour temperature with your statement lighting or ceiling lights, and to make it cosier, use dimmers. Just make sure that your room is still fully functional by layering lighting!
If you’re ready to start your makeover, visit our website, Simple Lighting and choose your fixtures from our extensive range of indoor, outdoor and commercial lighting solutions!
Warm lighting can bring a welcoming and relaxing ambience to your space that will help you de-stress and wind down. Want to know more? Check this out!
