Light matters The LIFX blog

Understanding Kelvin and light temperature

LIFX bulbs provide fantastic benefits, such as great energy savings and a long lifespan of up to 22 years*. However, one important benefit that is often overlooked is how different color temperatures of lighting can positively impact the look and feel of a space.

Color temperatures are measured in Kelvin (K). If you’re wondering what that means, here’s a quick overview of the lighting you might be familiar with, and the corresponding Kelvin temperature.

When talking about the Kelvin scale with home lighting, let’s start with the warm glow produced by a candle or an early sunrise, which would measure around 2,000K. As you move up the scale from 2,500K to 3,500K, you move through warm color temperatures that an incandescent light bulb would produce. From 4,000K to 5,000K, you experience noon daylight – which begins to show cooler color temperatures with some blue light present. From 5,000K to 6,500K you’re in range of a daylight sky or cool white – also known as full spectrum color temperature. From about 7,000K to 9000K, you’ll see the effects of a deeper blue sky, something not easily producible with light bulbs other than The Color 1000.

Both the LIFX White 800 and The Color 1000 provide a great range of white lighting to suit your space. Now that you have the basics of color temperatures fresh in your mind, let’s look at how to quickly get the right white lighting for different spaces.

Create a calm and relaxing environment in various rooms with warm whites. These are best used in the living room, bedrooms, and dining room to help unwind after a long day and prepare your body for rest. The warmer the light, the more inviting it can make the space feel.

Moving up the scale, cooler white lights closely reflecting natural sunlight are best used in active areas of the house like the kitchen and bathroom. They can effectively illuminate an area, as well as increase productivity and focus.

Above 6500K you’ll be moving closer to the daylight and bright blues of the Kelvin scale, which is great for a more commercial or task oriented space.

There is much more to lighting with LIFX than having a single set color temperature in a room. You can use multiple bulbs within a space, and add an accent with a color light to highlight feature areas. You can create preset scenes to transform your dining room for entertaining with a bright white light, or use scheduling to fall asleep to your gradually dimming space.

There’s no better time to start experimenting with thousands of white variations available within the LIFX range. Find the right the light for you and experience your space in a whole new way.


*LIFX is rated to last up to 22 years based on 3 hours of use per day. 

Stacie Newbiggin