Which is better, cold or warm light for the kitchen?

what is light hue and how is it measured?

The tonality of the light is one of the fundamental aspects at the time of choosing the lamps for any room of your house. The choice of one or another shade will completely change the atmosphere of the room, so before deciding on one bulb or another we must decide what kind of environment we want to create and what activities will be carried out in each space, because depending on the answer your choice should be different. Once you have determined these questions, you should choose luminaires that offer a light of cooler tones or a bulb that offers a rather warm light

The hue of light is measured in Kelvin degrees (K)kelvin, which serves as a unit of reference to define the sensation of color perceived by the human eye in the presence of a given light source



An example to understand how this magnitude works is to imagine the color that a material such as metal acquires when heat is applied to it. First, when it has not yet reached a high temperature, the material acquires a reddish color that gradually turns orange and yellow. As more temperature is applied to the material, it becomes increasingly white, bluish and finally black. In this way we can understand how the Kelvin gradation of light colors works

We can see, then, that we can roughly distinguish 3 shades of light: warm light, neutral or white light and cold light, classified according to the amount of red or blue that is perceived by the human eye in an illuminated space. In this way, we can say that we consider warm light to be that which offers a light shade below 3300 K, neutral light to be that which is around 4000 K and cold light to be that which is above 5000 K. Therefore, the warm tones are those that have less Kelvin Degrees and the bulbs that offer a cooler shade of light are the ones that have more.

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what shade of light should we choose in each case?

While it is true that all shades can work in any room, each shade of light has a more appropriate use depending on the atmosphere we want to achieve.

Warm light

If what we want is to create a relaxed and cozy atmosphere we will have to bet for a light source of warm tones. This type of light is below 3300 K and offers illumination similar to that of a traditional incandescent or halogen light, reminiscent of the color amber

We could say that warm light is advisable for secondary points of light in living rooms, dining rooms or bedrooms, where you want to create a cozy and intimate atmosphere that favors rest. Its weak point is that it can cause visual fatigue when performing activities or precision tasks that require optimum visibility.

Neutral or white light

If we want to achieve a neutral and homogeneous light, we should opt for neutral-toned luminaires. This type of light does not alter the perception of colors and reproduces the illumination of natural light. It is around 4000 K and is the most suitable for general lighting points if we want to achieve an ambient and integrated light, as well as functional

It is the ideal shade of light to place in general light points in the vast majority of rooms in the house, as well as in work areas such as offices or libraries, or in powder rooms for make-up. It is also great to combine with secondary points of light of warmer or cooler tones as required.

Cold light

Finally, cold light is that which is above 5000 K and has a bluish tone typical of fluorescent light. This type of light is recommended if we are in a particularly dark space where the lighting must be sufficient to be able to perform precision activities such as working or cooking. One of the advantages of cold light is that at the same intensity it provides more lumens than warm light, which gives a greater perception of luminosity.

This is a shade of light suitable for certain areas of the bathroom or kitchen, such as countertops. It is also widely used in the professional field, in large spaces that require good visibility such as warehouses or hospitals. It creates a stimulating atmosphere and brings out colors

So, in the case of the kitchen, we recommend the combination of neutral light in the general lighting points with cold light in the spaces where more visibility is required, such as countertops or sinks, to create a stimulating atmosphere. Even so, this will depend in any case on the atmosphere you decide to give to your room, which should be related to the decorative style you want to recreate. Thus, in the Nordic or rustic style kitchens, general lighting always tends to pull to warmer tones and in the case of minimalist or modern style to shades of cooler light.

See category of hanging lamps for the kitchen:

is it advisable to combine different shades of light?

Undoubtedly. The ideal is to combine points of light with different color temperatures depending on the room in question and achieve different color combinations. This way you will be able to create different atmospheres in the same room depending on the lighting you use

As an aside, we recommend the use of LED type luminaires, as these are the ones that most faithfully recreate the desired hue. In certain types of bulbs, such as fluorescent bulbs, the color temperature is an average, since the light they emit is generated by electrical discharge in a gas that radiates a light in which colors are missing. It also varies between manufacturers and models, so it is very difficult to guess the real shade that the lamp is going to offer. One of the main advantages of LEDs is that the color temperature that the luminaire will offer is determined at the time of manufacture. Thanks to this technology, LED lighting products emit light only in the light spectrum for which they have been manufactured, and do not emit radiation in frequencies such as ultraviolet or infrared as occurs with other technologies such as fluorescent and incandescent lamps, which can alter the color of the objects they illuminate.

See category of LED ceiling lights for kitchen:

In conclusion... cold light or warm light?

It depends The decision should be made based on the atmosphere you want to achieve and the use you are going to give to the space. However, our recommendation is to combine different points of light with different shades to create a versatile space and modifiable lighting environment. Think about what atmosphere you want to have and choose the shade of light that will help you achieve it by assessing its qualities.

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