Choosing lighting
Colour temperature does more to change how a room feels than the fitting does, and it is the thing most people never think about until the light is up.
Colour temperature sets the mood
- 2700K, warm white — the colour of old filament bulbs. Living rooms and bedrooms.
- 3000K to 4000K, neutral — kitchens, bathrooms and anywhere you need to see what you are doing.
- 5000K and above, cool — garages and workshops. In a living room it reads as clinical.
Mixing temperatures within one room is what makes lighting feel wrong without anyone being able to say why.
Lumens, not watts
Watts measure consumption, not output, and mean nothing across LED. Roughly: 400 lumens replaces an old 40W bulb, 800 lumens a 60W, and 1500 lumens a 100W. A medium living room generally wants somewhere around 1,500 to 3,000 lumens in total, spread across several sources rather than one bright ceiling fitting.
Three layers beat one big light
Ambient light fills the room, task light goes where you read, cook or work, and accent light picks out what you want noticed. A single central pendant flattens a room and casts shadows exactly where you are standing.
Check dimmability before you buy
Not every LED dims, and those that do need a compatible LED dimmer — an old dimmer designed for filament bulbs causes flicker and buzz. If you want the option later, buy dimmable now; it costs little and cannot be retrofitted to the bulb.
Outdoor fittings need an IP rating
IP44 is the practical minimum for anything exposed to rain. Fully exposed positions want IP65.
