"This white is too white and cold. Feels like a hospital"

Well, 5000K is the color temperature of lighting (e.g., fluorescent) you'd actually find in a hospital or other commercial space. I would fix the lighting, not the paint. Do you have one of those lights uninstalled or can you pull one out of the ceiling? It's hard to suggest a replacement without knowing what's installed now: brand/model or size/type/housing(yes-no). Fortunately, recessed lights aren't very expensive and you don't have all that many based on the photo.

No wonder!! We put 50 of potlights lol So crowded. I still l want to replace it if it is possible.

They used these two types.

First thing I would do is give it a few days. If you were used to seeing 2700 k lights in the past it can take your brain a day or two to get used to the new lighting.

Second - the 5000 k lights are literally the color of daylight around 2:00 in the afternoon on a clear day. It is very neutral and not yellow or blue, so whatever color you put on the walls will appear to be the same color as the paint.

Yes you can use warm white paint and it will be warm white. If you use the same warm white and shine a yellow colored light on it, the walls will be even warmer because you are adding yellow .

Can I ask if you are planning on painting ceiling and trim and if you know the current color if you are not painting?

I agree, with Jennifer. It will take some getting used to. However, I also think, 5000 is way too cold a color and yes, it does look hospital type. I think you would have been much happier with 3500 to 4000 type daylight bulbs. I would try changing bulbs, before I changed the paint.

Change the lights. The lighting guy has bad statistics, even Patricia doesn't go that far. Hate to have you buy all new furniture, flooring, curtains, clothes, counters, cabinets, and everything to try and look pleasingly relaxed and inviting under a 5000K color.

Are all those lights on dimmers? I think that's important for creating coziness too.

These 4" Juno WF4 Wafer Downlight will replace the existing fixtures. These lights have the advantage that the color temperature is switchable - 2700K, 3000K, 3500K, 4000K, or 5000K - so you can adjust the temperature to your liking:

• Specification Sheet
• Amazon
• Home Depot
• Build

My preference is for a light whose lens is recessed so there is less glare. The Juno WF4 REG Regressed Wafer Downlight is similar to the WF4 above but the lens is "regressed".

• Specification Sheet
• Amazon
• Home Depot
• Build

Yes we have dimmers. Dark, faint white light is not pleaseant neither lol

Ha! Patricia was my first thought here too. it’s gotta be cheaper/easier to replace lights than to repaint unless you needed to paint anyway (i would be repainting the grey!). Try 3500. i like warm light and usually do 3000.

I could not live with 5000K. No way. I don't even like 4000K. Are the lights you have adjustable? Some of them allow you to change the color temperature with a setting in the fixture itself -- check the box to see if they are adjustable before you dive in to replacing the lights. All mine are 3000K, that's what I like.

"Dark, faint white light is not pleaseant neither lol "

No, it is not, and is one (one...) of the complaints I have about LEDs. I have "traditional" cans in my kitchen and public areas that take a lightbulb, and I put Philips warm glow LED bulbs in them -- they dim warm; the effect is lovely in the evening. They are so much nicer than the LED housings I have in the bedrooms -- those just dim to a flat white light, not a soft, enveloping relaxing effect at all. Long story why I got them and not really relevant... I hardly ever put the overheads on in the bedroom, I prefer the lamps, so I tolerate them - the light is there if I need it, I just hardly ever need it.

@porkchop_z5b_MI: "I put Philips warm glow LED bulbs in them..."

I tried those. My advice: Nope. The color temperature is far too low when they're dimmed.

What are you referring to as "dark, faint white light"? I'm confused.

4500-5000 k indoors looks blueish to my eyes, even though it resembles natural sunlight outdoors.

Those lights are easy to replace (discounting the need to get up on a ladder), and they are not expensive. They just plug into the connection that your electrician has already installed.

Perhaps the same brands offer the same size in a 3500+/- color temp.

"I put Philips warm glow LED bulbs in them..."
I tried those. My advice: Nope. The color temperature is far too low when they're dimmed."

As with anything, YMMV. OP doesn't have those housings anyway -- she has the all-in-ones (or whatever they're called).

@Kristina Lee you have a beautiful home. So sorry about the lights. I just installed 3500 K in my new bathroom. I like the temperature very much. They are on dimmers and remind me of moonlight. It's the perfect nightlight.

@raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio It’s bright white and when I use the dimmer it gets faint+cold white lol

just white color on trims but it’s a bit yellowed so I’m thinking of redoing all the walls and trims. We’re newly moving in. Does the trim color also matters with the white light here? I’m almost lost.

@Kristina Lee just wait until you see how awful 5000K makes your warm wood look. Stop thinking about repainting your entire house to compensate for the lights. Seriously, change the lights. Mine are adjustable. Maybe it's that simple? Maybe when you pull them down you will see you can adjust yours to 3500K? I hope so. You don't need this stress.

Possibly look for these. If yours were temp adjustable it would likely advertise the feature on the box.

@bearbev: "Possibly look for these."

Those won't work. The ones I suggested earlier will.

The lighting guy recommended white instead of yellow, saying white is more popular.

Tell him what you have told us and have him come back and replace them. The buck stops with him; you took his advice and you don't like the results. He needs to change the bulbs and make his customer happy.

@elcieg: "have him come back and replace the bulbs"

The installed fixtures don't use bulbs. Using a switchable-temperature light is best.

We went with 3500K for all our recessed lights when we built last year and I'm pretty happy with them. All on dimmers.

@wdccruise, whatever, my point being is to hold the electrician accountable for leading his customer in the wrong direction. It is his burden, not Kristina's.

@elcieg: "my point being is to hold the electrician accountable for leading his customer in the wrong direction."

She approved the lights: "I didn’t know about color temperatures and ended up with poor choice."

@Jennifer Hogan wow thank you for your explaination! I should have learnt this earlier!

Well you dont have to hold the electrician "responsible," but you can and should give him feedback and let him know his advice was not helpful.v This can be done in a non-argumentative way, and yeah maybe he would cut you a deal for replacement. "White is more popular," what does that even mean. There is a whole range of color temperature from very blue to yellow and even into amber and red, and by anyone's definition 5000K is definitely very blue. "White" as its commonly used is that happy medium between blue and yellow (3.5 or 4 K as someone indicated above). Oh, one thing I learned about blue light (thanks to our local Dark Sky discussions) is that it acts upon the human retina as if its far brighter than it is in lumens. In other words, the retina shuts down if light is too bright and a blue light will have more impact nd appear much harsher/more glary than a yellow or amber light of the same lumens. So there is a science to this - its not just esthetics, its human physiology. An overly bright and/or blue light can be physically uncomfortable.

In a space where the light is too white, bright it can not only be esthetics and physiology, it can be hard on ones eyes.

Years ago I worked in an appliances sales store. The owner remodeled the offices and had someone come in with all his expensive light meters, equipment, and measure to find precisely the correct type and amount of lighting. Back of the building and no natural light. Only when finished, as we were leaving in the afternoons, we all had headaches from working at our desks. Complaints followed. Some of the overhead lights were removed entirely and the problem was solved.

Several years later I had an electrician here redoing some vintage lighting in my laundry room. I listened to his suggestions then asked him to dial it back a notch. I explained I was washing and folding clothes, not performing surgery. He did agree and I'm happy with the results. It's an average sized room with a nice window. What's there now is more than adequate for evening and after dark hours.

@Delete This - "By anyone's definition 5000k is definitely very blue"

When they measure the temperature of the sun's surface it is 5800k. Is the sun blue?

The International Commission on Illumination scientifically defines the relationship between Kelvin and hues.

when looking at this picture of lights shining on a white wall does the 5000 k light really look blue or is it right in the middle between more yellow and more blue. That is white or neutral.

If you are expecting to see yellow/orange light, you may perceive white as blue because they are cool/warm complements, but that does not make the light blue.

This white is too white and cold. Feels like a hospital!!

It's also an empty room.

Lamps (bulbs) are just one factor in the atmosphere equation.

Frankly, you'll probably never use the recessed lighting anyway.

Recessed lighting is rather innocuous because of its proximity to the contents of a room. Recessed light flares at the ceiling, falls and dissipates a mile above your head. It's truly debatable how much it influences color appearance down where you live.

FWIW, I'd focus on finishing the room and if the color of the lamps is still an issue, buy two different color temps and experiment to find the set/color you like best. Return the set you don't like.

Well, actually I do often see the blue in some LED's which are........ OK, lets say heavy on blue wavelength. Especially noticeable in oncoming headlights in traffic at night. International Dark Sky Assn uses "blue rich white light" and "blue light" interchangeably. It's just shorthand - meaning that of the light typically used for lighting, it is ... blue.. There's myriad articles written about harmful effects of blue light from LED lighting and electronic devices - not sure exactly what we are arguing about?

@Debbie Downer - you are confusing so many aspects of lighting.

Light waves can be any color. You need equal distribution of all length (color) light waves to produce white light.

5000 is very balanced and pretty damn near white. The sun surface is 5800k. How often have you heard the sun described as blue?

There are more issues with headlights than color. Height, brightness (lumens) and proper alignment along with color all impact how much glare is produced.

When we are talking about light pollution and outdoor lighting and how it impacts wildlife having light that looks like daylight (5000-6500k) all night long may cause issues for wildlife/animals. But again, this has little to do with indoor lighting.

Staring into a backlit device for hours on end is different than dispersed lighting in a room. How many people suffered from carpal tunnel syndrome issues before we used keyboards all day.

Surgeons work in surgical suites with head lamps and high impact lighting that is usually around 6500k because it makes seeing what they are doing easier - but they haven't all gone blind from being exposed to 6500k light.

You can cause retinal damage if you stare at the sun, but we haven't all gone blind from being outdoors.

OF LIGHTING MOST COMMONLY USED IN RESIDENTIAL APPLICATIONS 5000K emits the most blue light. ( My statement "5000K is blue" was an oversimplification, lazy writing, mea culpa.)

Too much blue light can have physiological effects on humans. It can be overstimulating and it acts upon the retina as being harsher and brighter than warmer light.

Is that better? If not - dont care, moving on! Dont feel up to debating whether the sun is blue, white or... are we sure it's not yellow LOL.

@wdccruise, exactly my point. "I didn’t know about color temperatures and ended up with poor choice."

That is when professional contractor makes sure she does understand about lighting. It's his job to inform her. Hey, if Kristen knew all about it, she wouldn't have needed him.

If only I could trust "professionals" to provide the right information and didn't have to do all my own homework, but that day and age seems to have long since passed.

@Kristina Lee now that so many have chimed in, what do you think you will do? Maybe you don't want to change the lights and just want to make the most with what you have. I am trying harder to respond to poster's actual questions instead of taking issue with what they have already done. I apologize for comments about changing your lights. Though haven't the others been so informative? I feel I learned a lot from your post.

Anyway, I have given a lot of thought about what colors to use in north-facing rooms with bluer light than yellow. I hope some of my thoughts can help you. Blue light will augment blues. I can really see the difference between blue and black clothing when I use blue led lights…not as well with incandescent lights or in my south-facing rooms. So, we know blues are augmented but you want something warmer and more cheery. I suggest exploring some warmer cool colors like spring green/chartreuse or purple with some red in it, or even red itself like coca cola red, a cool red or true red, not the warm orange red of most strawberries. Bring some objects into the room to see what effect you like. Then build a color scheme from there.

You asked about a white. Sure I think there is a white that will be nice in your beautiful architecture. Most advise that you figure out the rest of the room first and then get to the walls. But there I go again, not directly addressing your question. I can say that I chose a warm white for my north-facing living room and it just looks dirty and grey. I got a paint fan to put in there and found that a pinkish white like SW White Flour looked warm and not grey. And it didt come off as pink in that room, just nice. I have not painted the whole room though. Disclaimer...

@Jennifer Hogan That's too bad that your experiences haven't been good. We always have found great pros who keep us in the loop. There are a lot of things I can do, but I will hand over the reins to someone who has more knowledge than I do (and a license).