Lighting
The lighting in your home affects how you feel. It’s more than just a practical convenience, so the more control you have over your lights, the better. With a few different light sources, you can easily change the mood to suit whatever you’re doing in any living space. From creating a romantic atmosphere to chopping carrots, and everything in between.
The right light for the right situation is important for our well-being. Smart lighting lets you create mood and atmosphere. Choose a light for early mornings, for late evenings or for cooking or working at home. Dim, turn off, turn on, switch from warm to cold light using a remote control or app.
With the flick of a switch or a tap on an app, you can change a room’s atmosphere with a lamp or light fixture. Want a cozy, calm vibe for movie night? Some pep to start your day? Indoor lighting can set the mood, add style and of course, brighten things up. We’ve got indoor lamps covered from floor to ceiling.
What would you do with 25,000 hours? Read your overdue library books? Finish that epic puzzle? Whatever you do, LED lighting can keep you company because that’s about how long LEDs last. We’ve got a variety of LED lights, too, like strips under a cabinet or a work lamp in your laptop’s USB.
What hangs out in a room even when nobody’s there? Ceiling lights! From spotlights to flush ceiling lamps to pendants and chandeliers, they provide general light and their designs say specific things about style. Whether you want an industrial feel, a natural touch, a retro vibe or another look, we have a ceiling light for you (and to keep your furniture company).
The Best LED Light Bulb
If you want basic light bulbs that look great and will save you money in the long run, there’s no reason not to choose LED bulbs—they look as good as incandescents and are far more energy-efficient. We recommend Cree’s Exceptional Light Quality line of A19 bulbs. For general-purpose lighting, look for soft white LED bulbs, available in 60 W and 40 W versions. And for a whiter, cooler light for working, get Cree’s daylight LED bulbs, also in 60 W and 40 W versions. The Cree bulbs also function well with dimmer switches, neither flickering nor buzzing, and their color accuracy brings out the best in your decor, furniture, and food, improving the ambiance of your entire home.
Everything in your home looks great under the light of these bulbs, which have a high color accuracy that made fruits and decor appear natural and realistic in our tests. Unlike some LED bulbs, the Cree bulbs could dim all the way to zero without flickering or buzzing. Both the Soft White and Daylight versions performed equally well across all our tests. Cree’s bulbs have a 10-year warranty—the longest we’ve seen—and they are affordable, too.
If our pick is unavailable, we recommend Feit Electric’s basic, dimmable bulbs, including the Soft White and Daylight 60 W Equivalent Dimmable A19 Light Bulb. Both produce crisp color accuracy that’s as good as or better than that of the Cree bulbs, and they are just as easy to find online or in stores across the country. The Feit bulbs also offer smooth dimming without flickering or buzzing, although these could not continuously dim at the absolute lowest levels as well as the Cree bulbs. At around $2.50 a piece (depending on how many you buy) with a five-year warranty, the Feit bulbs are a cost-efficient way to brighten up your home.
Why you should trust us
We’ve read countless product reviews and articles about the science and design behind LED bulbs, and have interviewed lighting experts including Sal Cangeloso, author of LED Lighting: A Primer to Lighting the Future; senior lighting designer Geoff Goral, of the architectural lighting design firm Lighting Design Alliance, who assisted us with extensive professional testing; and Dr. Scott Brodie, an ophthalmologist at NYU Langone’s Department of Ophthalmology.
Who this is for
We generally recommend LED (light-emitting diode) bulbs if you’re shopping for any light bulbs, regardless of whether you’re furnishing a home or replacing a burned-out pantry light. LED bulbs are better for the environment and your budget. They’re significantly more efficient and longer-lasting than CFL, incandescent, or halogen bulbs, so this ultimately saves you money over the life of the bulb. They’re also much less prone to breaking than the fragile filaments that comprise their incandescent counterparts. Many LED bulbs are actually made of plastic, which makes them safer to touch and more durable when you’re screwing them in or accidentally knocking them onto the ground, like we’re constantly doing—oops. (Don’t worry, that’s fine, because they’re LED.)
How to Choose the Right Light Temperature for your Bulb or Fixture
Light appearance is measured in temperature using the Kelvin scale. Unlike the weather outdoors lower color temperatures (2700K) indicate ‘warmer’ colors of orange and yellow, and higher color temperatures (6500K) indicate cooler colors like blue and white.
Know Your Color Temperatures
Most bulbs will advertise color temperature on the package. This will tell you how warm or cool the color of the light is.
2700K – 3000K – This is the warm or soft white range, best suited for areas in the home where you want to relax or entertain.
3500K – 4500K – This is more a neutral white light range, giving a balance between warm and soft color light.
Over 5000K – Generally referred to as daylight and best suited for use in offices, workshops, bathrooms or other areas where high detail visibility is important. It can also help energize you in the morning.
Some people will also just have a preference for a certain color temperature or mood. You may even notice a color temperature will look better on your particular skin tone. The good news is there are options for everyone.
There are also bulbs and light fixtures that adjust color temperature so you can adjust the light to fit your mood or tasks through out the day for even more variety.
Light Bulb Buying Guide
Your Best Light Bulb Choice
Today’s light bulbs are primarily light emitting diodes (LED). LED bulbs fit standard light sockets and are the most energy-efficient light bulb option. They have lower wattage than incandescent bulbs but emit the same light output. This allows them to produce the same amount of light but use less energy. LEDs can last 20 plus years and don’t contain mercury. You may still have some compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) in your home; go ahead and use them. Here’s a quick overview of how LEDs work.
LED bulbs use an electrical current passed through semiconductor material to illuminate the tiny diodes called LEDs. The heat produced is absorbed into a heat sink, keeping the bulbs cool to the touch. LEDs are available for outdoor use; just make sure the packaging indicates the bulb is rated for outdoor use. LEDs don’t contribute to heat buildup, which helps save on air conditioning.
The Facts of Light
The type of lighting you choose for a room directly affects the atmosphere and the mood. Combining the correct light fixtures and light bulbs illuminates your home and gets both flattering and useful results. To get the best quality of light for your lifestyle and home, you’ll need to know a bit about the science of lighting. For more on lighting and its role in home décor,
Lumens and Watts
Lumens: The amount of light emitted from a light bulb. More lumens equals brighter light; fewer lumens equals dimmer light. Standard 100-watt bulbs produce about 1600 lumens
Light Color
Light color or light appearance is measured on the Kelvin (K) temperature scale. Lower Kelvin numbers means more yellow light; the higher the Kelvin number, the whiter or bluer the light.
DIY LED PROJECT
Things to Know Before Buying and Installing 12V LED Strip Lights
Flexible LED strip lights are used all over the world in various industrial, commercial and residential projects. LED strip lighting is popular among many Architects and Lighting Designers due to the improvements in efficiency, color options and brightness. The biggest draw is how easy they are to install. Their flexibility, low-profile and helpful accessories make them the most popular LED strip for the at home DIY types. With these LED strips, a homeowner can design like a professional with the right supplies and just an hour or two.
There are many options for LED strip lights with no simple ‘one size fits all’ standard to go by. This LED Strip Resource Guide will educate newcomers and experts alike on finding the best LED strip lights for the job and how to use them while overcoming common installation hold-ups.
LED Light Strips: What Makes them so Special?
LED strip lights, also known as LED tape lights or LED ribbon lights, are known for their low-profile size and flexibility. Efficient LEDs sit on a 10mm wide circuit board, offered in 3ft to 16.4 ft lengths.
Cut-to-size – Cutting LED strips is very simple thanks to the cut lines along the strips. At each cut point there is a black line with copper solder pads that sit on each side. The copper solder pads make it so each strip piece is addressable even after being cut. This makes it possible to connect LED strips together or connect the strip in a different area of your home.
Flexible LED strip with Adhesive – The LED strips have a 3M adhesive backing for simple mounting options. The low profile, flexible strip has a peel-off backing which exposes the 3M adhesive, making for a simple peel-and-stick install.