Lighting dilemma LED white recessed lights and edison lights

10 years ago

We now have bright white LED recessed lights in our ceiling and brand new industrial pendants, sconces and a chandelier which have exposed light bulbs. They are made to use edison filament bulbs…. They look fantastic, except that the yellow bulbs don't go with the bright white LED recessed lights. Are there any edison bulbs that are of a cooler color? How is everyone lighting their industrial lights? The yellow edison bulbs look great, but don't give out much light…. and it doesn't seem possible to mix white lights in recessed cans, but then yellow edison bulbs in hanging fixtures or sconces… Thoughts or suggestion on how to deal with this and where to find a cooler edison style bulb are welcome! Thanks!

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PRO

LightCraft

9 years ago

My main concern with vintage Edison bulbs is that they are better as a heat source than a light source. you can get LED based style equivalents which look essentially identical when turned on. you can tell when they are switched off, but... The Environment!! Major retailers are carrying them (Home Depot in Canada does) or you can find them online.

The issue you asked about is Mixed Whites. which is a big deal.

Super quick Colour temperature overview:

Warm White (usually stated as 2500 - 3500 K (for Kelvin, a unit of temperature) is Really Useful for keeping your melatonin production healthy at night. Evening snack, romantic dinner... you need WARM WHITES.

Cool White (usually 4500-7000 K, sometimes called daylight white) is good for switching off melatonin production in the morning - especially if you live in a north latitude and potentially suffer Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) in winter. It makes you more alert and awake, and is good for finding that thing you lost, surgery, and accounting.

If you can choose your colour temperature based on what your goals for that lighting moment, that is the best place to be.

For what you have, it can be overheads for cool white tasks, and then chandelier for late evening activities. The upgrade path I'd look into would be a Colour Temperature Adjustable Lighting system. you should be able to find drop in replacements for your system with a bit of searching. Then you can match your chandelier in the eve, and still get bright task lighting in the morning/day.

Dylan

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Comments (6)

PRO
Cynthia Taylor-Luce
10 years ago
Edison bulbs are supposed to be that very dull yellow light. They are meant for decorative purposes but not to actually light up an area. When you combine them with LED's you need to have them on separate switches so you can turn the LED's off when you want a dim, relaxing atmosphere. I am reluctant to use the Edison type fixtures because of the problem with very little light, plus the amount of heat they cast off. They are not a very efficient light source or use of energy.
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PRO
Idlewood Electric Supply
9 years ago
This is definitely a dilemma that many homeowners are grappling with as they switch to LED recessed cans but want to bring in decorative lighting that features Edison Bulbs which are very popular right now. Juno has a relatively new product on the market called Warm Dim in which you can dim your recessed cans and the color temperature gets warmer vs. just emitting less light (similar look to when you dim incandescent).http://www.junolightinggroup.com/Literature/LIT-JUNO-WARMDIM14.pdf

It's definitely a smart idea to have the cans and your decorative lighting on separate switches so that you can control the settings at different times of day.
PRO
DDMLighting
9 years ago
To my knowledge Edison-style LED lamps only come in 2200-2700K, as that is the colour-temp that best matches the aesthetic. Mixing colour temperatures is something we recommend our clients avoid, unless it is in a signature piece where it is obvious that you are mixing to create an artistic effect.

The best options are, dim-to-warm LEDs in your potlights or use the potlights for the task activities in the room, and then the Edison lamps for ambiance.

Good luck with finding the right fix for you.

DDMLighting
PRO
ILLUMINATIONS LIGHTING
8 years ago
I know this is an old thread, but it's still very relevant. I'd like to say that they now manufacture LED "Steeple" bulbs (The Edison looking bulbs) in a 3000 kelvin temp. the bulb to the left is a 3000 kelvin aka 30K. The one to the right of it is a 2700 kelvin aka 27K.
mooregraphix
5 years ago
Where can I find led lights like this with a yellow glow instead of the unsettling white glow led lights cast even at 2700?