Sometimes it really is the little things that can totally change a room. Have a bland-looking door? Dress it up with one of these decorative door wraps! Not sure how to style that plain wall? Try a basket wall, drape a flower garland, or if you're in need of a better organization method, try fashioning a clipboard wall. You can easily improve the appearance of a room without digging deep into your wallet, or spending too much time.
GE Refresh 65-Watt EQ LED Br30 Daylight Dimmable Flood Light Bulb (2-Pack)
GE Refresh 65-Watt EQ LED Br30 Daylight Dimmable Flood Light Bulb (2-Pack)
Ohio homeowner Kara Thornton reminded us of this when she posted a before and after picture of her kitchen on Instagram. In the before picture, her kitchen looked yellow and dim. In the after picture, the kitchen is glowing. So what changed? The lighting. Thornton installed daylight bulbs, which she bought at Lowe's (you can buy them here)! It sounds like a no-brainer, but the bulbs used can really transform a room’s entire look and atmosphere. While the kitchen always had a nice setup, now you can really appreciate the room's full brilliance.
If you're not familiar with daylight bulbs, they are designed to imitate the sun's natural light. We asked Michael Murphy, an interior design expert at Lamps Plus, how they differ from the typical LED bulb. He explains it's all in the color temperature. Color temperature, measured in kelvins (K), refers to "the relative blueness of light or more simply, how the light is perceived by the human eye," he says. With that in mind, Murphy explains that daylight bulbs start at a higher color temperature of 4600K and range up to 6500K. Meanwhile, LED bulbs have a much lower color temperature that falls between 3000K to 4000K. For reference, the sun's color temperature is 5600K (so yes, there are bulbs that are brighter than the sun).
GE Refresh 2-Pack 65 W Equivalent Dimmable Daylight Br30 LED Light Fixture Light Bulb
GE Refresh 2-Pack 65 W Equivalent Dimmable Daylight Br30 LED Light Fixture Light Bulb
In terms of where daylight bulbs should be placed in the house, the kitchen is a popular spot. "Daylight bulbs are perfect for the kitchen because of all the food-related tasks like chopping vegetables or following recipes that is required." he says. However, if you're not someone who uses your kitchen a lot for tasks, installing bulbs so high in color temperature might not be necessary.
"The light needed in each room is determined by how the room is used,"Murphy says. "Every room needs an ambient lighting source," in order for us to safely move around the room. The color temperature range for ambient lighting falls between 2700K to 3200K range—this is typically your yellow lighting. Bulbs that fall within color temperature range should be your starting point, then depending on the room and its purpose, you might want to get bulbs of a higher color temperature.
While Thornton's daylight bulbs look amazing, that level of light intensity is not always necessary. "The type of lighting needed to execute a complicated French recipe is not the same type of lighting needed to enjoy your morning cup of coffee nor the type of light desired to set an intimate mood for dining," Murphy says. A morning person would not want to wake up to daylight bulbs gleaming at 7 am.
To remedy this problem, and allow the lighting to be customizable to the time of day and activity, Murphy suggests using dimmers where possible. "While dimmers, don’t change the color temperature (hue), they can be used to control the intensity (brightness)," he says. Therefore, if you do invest in daylight bulbs for your home, consider buying a dimmer—that way you can enjoy all those dimly lit romantic dinners, but also have optimal lighting to prep dinner in the first place. Last but not least, Murphy reminds us to always check that the bulbs are compatible with the dimmer. You can check out Lamps Plus dimmer selection here.
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Kelly is the News Writer at House Beautiful where she covers a little bit of everything ranging from decorating trends and must-have products, to anything that includes doughnuts or glitter.
