Lighting 101: How to Choose the Right Light Bulb for the Look You Want
Light bulbs aren’t what they used to be. Gone are the days of simply grabbing a “40W or 60W” off the shelf. Now you’re faced with lumens, kelvin, CRI, and enough choices to make your head spin! But the truth is, choosing the right light bulb can completely change how your home looks and feels.
We thought we’d share our tips and tricks to decode the labels and make choices that bring out the best in your interiors.
1. Color Temperature (Kelvin): Setting the Mood
Think of color temperature as the personality of your lighting. Measured in kelvin (K), it determines how warm or cool the light appears. The temperature of your lighting directly affects your room’s atmosphere.
Warm White (2700K–3000K) feels cozy and flattering, perfect for living rooms, dining rooms, and bedrooms. It’s closest to the incandescent glow many of us grew up with.
Neutral/Bright White (3000K ) offers bright daylight clear color tone for kitchens, laundry rooms and bathrooms.
Cooler/Bright/Crisp White: 3500K - 4000K creates energetic brightness that’s ideal for laundry rooms, craft areas, or garages.
Anything over 4000K is not ideal for residential applications.
As a designer, I tend to live in the 2700K world for the warmth it adds to a home. It softens fabrics, flatters finishes, and brings a sense of calm. But there’s nuance here. In homes with crisp white or gray interiors, 2700K can sometimes skew too creamy. In those cases, 3000K provides a truer color balance. On the other hand, adding cool, high-K bulbs (4000K–5000K) to warm grays can pull blue undertones forward and completely shift the palette.
If you’re illuminating specialty glass or glassware, 3000K is often the sweet spot. It adds just enough clarity and sparkle without tipping into that overly “commercial” brightness.
2. Brightness (Lumens): Forget Watts. Think Light Output
Today’s bulbs are far more efficient, so wattage no longer tells you brightness. Instead, look for lumens (lm).. The higher the lumens, the brighter the light.
450 lumens ≈ old 40W bulb
800 lumens ≈ 60W
1100 lumens ≈ 75W
You’ll also find helpful conversion charts on packaging, showing LED, halogen, and incandescent equivalents. Remember, brightness should scale with your room size and layering. Avoid relying on a single overhead source. Instead, mix ceiling, table, and accent lighting to create depth and mood.
Lighting isn’t just about function; it’s foundational to how you feel in a space. The relationship between light and health, often called Human-Centric Lighting, is something we hope to explore in a future Journal post.
3. Color Rendering Index (CRI): The Unsung Hero
If color accuracy matters in your space (and it always does!), pay attention to the CRI rating. CRI, or Color Rendering Index, measures how faithfully a light source reveals colors compared to natural light.
Look for bulbs rated 90 or higher in spaces like kitchens and dressing areas. The higher the CRI, the truer and richer your colors will appear. No more muddy neutrals or dull fabrics!
4. Smart Lighting: The Next Bright Idea
Today’s bulbs are anything but basic. With smart lighting, you can control brightness, color temperature, and even timing… all from your phone or voice assistant.
There are retrofit options that make smart lighting accessible without major rewiring. DMF Retro is one such option.
For a more sophisticated, technology-driven approach, Ketra by Lutron has a bulb that works with a fully integrated lighting control system, such as HomeWorks. offers bulbs that work within a fully integrated lighting control system, such as HomeWorks. The bulbs themselves don’t require new wiring; instead, they “speak” to each other through the system, so when one light changes for a scene, every bulb in that scene can be programmed to adjust together. This creates a lighting environment that automatically shifts throughout the day. It can be energizing in the morning, calming at night, or create the moody atmosphere you’re striving for in a space.
Beyond convenience, smart lighting offers color variation that adapts to the time of day. And science is revealing fascinating health benefits. Research suggests that adjusting color temperature may support sleep patterns, mood, and even memory care for those experiencing sundowning. It’s a growing field, and one that beautifully blends science with design.
5. Dimmable Options: Don’t Skip This Step
Not all LEDs are dimmable, so always check the packaging. Dimmers help fine-tune a room’s ambiance and extend bulb life. Even the simplest fixture feels more intentional when the lighting level matches the moment.
Choosing the Right Light Bulb
A light bulb might seem small, but it’s one of the most transformative design tools you can use. From creating warmth and intimacy to highlighting architecture or art, lighting has the power to change everything about how a room looks. And how you feel in it.
After all, it’s not just a light bulb anymore.