Hi all...we just completely remodeled our house this year. I agonized over what color temp LED to use in our open concept house. I was worried that the 2700K would make things look yellow, especially with my off white cabinets. And I was worried that 3000K would make things look cold and/or show too much dirt and dust...I was even worried that the 3000K would make my complexion look horrible (like under a fluorescent light).

During the planning phases, I talked to a lot of people and some were sure I should go with the 2700K and some said they're so close that it probably won't matter. I contemplated mixing up both (the 3000K in the kitchen) but was worried that it would look funny in the open concept. I drove by the electrician's house at night to check out his 2700K lights in their white kitchen. I looked at the samples in the store for hours and couldn't tell what I would like. I did make sure that when I bought the lights, I could return them if I wanted to (they're pretty much stuck in there when they're installed so if I was unhappy with them, I'm not sure this was a realistic option).

We went with Halo 3000K throughout the whole house and I couldn't be happier! The lights are listed as "warm" but they don't have the yellowish glow. My house doesn't look dirtier when the lights are on (what really shows the dirt is the natural light through the windows). Here's an example of the 2700K/3000K difference: Our entryway pendant had an LED bulb that was a 2700K warm color temp. When I bought the island pendants, I got an extra bulb that was 3000K. I swapped it out with the one in the entry, and it immediately provided more light and I loved it. I moved the warm LED bulb to a bedside table and my husband commented on how nice it was and "cozy"....I still don't prefer it because it's not a good light for reading and it's super yellow! So, to each their own.

About the electrical plan and dimmers: we had a draftsperson do up our plans so I wasn't confident about the placement of the switches and which should have dimmers. I went to a local lighting store and they would include a lighting plan if we bought our materials through them. I almost went this route but the communication between me and the sales lady was less than ideal...she waited for months to do the plans and I procrastinated about getting them from her and before we knew it the electrician was coming and we didn't have time. So, rather than worry too much about it, I gave the control to the electricians (who had far more experience than me, right?). I just requested dimmers on just about every light (I like options, and I didn't know if the color temp that I'd end up choosing would be too bright and blinding). In retrospect, I wish that I'd used the lighting design lady. We have a lot of light switches (yay for my options!), but I don't think that they're all in the ideal placement. For example, we have a detached garage at the front of the house with LED outdoor fixtures (they were a splurge budget wise) and the only way to turn them on and off is in the garage. Another example is that we have four switches in our bathroom for the lights (one switch operates two lights and the other three each operate one light)...just a little overkill I think. I was thinking that I may have saved money because we didn't go through the lighting store to buy the fixtures, but I probably ended up spending a lot more switches (the lighting store was going to give us a 30% discount that the electricians get and again the plan would have been free).

Bottom line is, do what works for you. Remodels are something that you have to live with. Thanks for letting me share and I hope that this helps someone in your journey!