How to Adjust the Color Temperature of a Room’s Lighting Design

Color temperature is the way to measure the color of visible light. The unit used to measure color temperature is degrees kelvin. The best way to understand color temperature is to visualize a piece of metal being extended into a fire. The color of the metal will change depending on how long it’s held in the fire and how hot it gets. The metal will range from red to warm white to blue as it heats. This is also the general range of colors from one end of the color temperature scale to the other.

The kelvin scale consists of units of measurement that relate to the color of a light source. The higher the Kelvin number, the closer it is to replicating bright sunlight. In general, higher temperatures on the kelvin scale, the whiter or bluer a light appears. The lower the number, the more yellow and red the light appears.

In order to understand the kelvin range and how kelvin color temperature applies to different light sources, it’s useful to review a few identifiable lights and their kelvin color temperature value. Candlelight, for instance, generally has a color temperature of around 1500K. The sunrise and sunset are usually measured around 3200K. An overcast sky usually has a color temperature of around 9000K. The current color temperature scale in use is known as the correlated color temperature (CCT) scale and is based around the color emitted by an incandescent bulb.

Understanding how color temperature works is essential for interior designers because it gives them a way to compare lighting applications and measure adjustments to lighting color. Though interior designers might not know the kelvin temperature of fluorescent bulbs or LED lighting offhand, they still need to be able to measure and apply color temperature information in order to fine-tune the lighting of a room. Here are a few reasons why understanding color temperature is important for every interior designer:

1. 1. It changes the way a color scheme looks. Interior designers often play with the lighting temperature scale as they explore ways to light an existing color scheme in a room. For instance, if a room is painted in warmer colors, lights with cooler color temperatures may completely alter the way the paint appears to the naked eye. Finding the right color balance by playing with warm light and cool light is important for an interior designer working on a specific room.
2. 2. It subtly shifts the mood of a room. Color temperature goes a long way in setting the mood in a space. For instance, a romantic restaurant might want to feature candlelight as opposed to the harsh light of a fluorescent light bulb. It’s up to an interior designer to color the light in a space for the specific mood or ambiance they are trying to achieve.
3. 3. It highlights certain design elements. Sometimes interior designers want to highlight specific elements of a space by using a different color temperature in that area. Playing with different lighting fixtures and various color temperatures around a room or house can draw people’s attention to different features in an interior design scheme.
4. 4. It corresponds to the function of a space. When playing with different light sources, it’s important for an interior designer to think about how the light will function in the space. You might want to have reading lamps in living rooms that give off a warmer white light. An office might be lit in a cooler color to heighten focus. Interior designers consider the function of lighting fixtures they are installing and fine-tune along the temperature scale to account for it.

As discussed above, there are a variety of ways that color temperature can affect the overall design and ambiance of a room. Interior designers have to take color temperature into consideration at every stage of a design process. Here are a few ways that color temperature can be used in designing and lighting a room:

1. 1. Match temperature with room type. The color temperature of a light can drastically change the way that paints and textile colors appear. Interior designers can experiment with higher or lower color temperatures to change the hue of various elements in a room. Finding the right color is a delicate balance, and a lot of time can go into adjusting bulbs and switching between warmer colors and cooler colors.
2. 2. Consider the mood. Interior designers create ambiance and mood in every room they design. Lighting and color temperature are two of the most important tools to create ambiance. Warm color temperatures can make a living room more inviting and cozy, while cool color temperatures work well for kitchens and office spaces.
3. 3. Arrange light sources in relation to natural light. As an interior designer, you often have to contend with lighting conditions that are outside of your control because of natural light (or lack thereof). Moving an artificial light source within a space can give you greater control over how a room is lit. Whether you’re going for a warm color or a cool one, the relative intensity and proximity of a light can help you adjust.
4. 4. Play with bulb types. Different bulbs produce very different color temperatures. Interior designers understand the color temperature differences between halogen lamps and fluorescent lamps or incandescent bulbs and LED bulbs, and they use this knowledge when deciding how to light a room. If you have a basic knowledge of how different wattage and types of lights produce different color temperatures, you’ll be able to light a room more efficiently.
5. 5. Consider adjustable bulbs. You can buy light bulbs with adjustable colors and brightness that are synced with a dimmer panel or phone app. Adjustable bulbs give you more flexibility in changing the color temperature of a light, depending on what time of day it is and how you use the room.

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