What to set integrated lighting to

last year

last modified: last year

What should a laundry room and a walk in closet integrated light be set at? 4000K for closet? 5000K for laundry? no window in either and they will be on a dimmer switch

Featured Answer

porkchop_z5b_MI

last year

It's a personal preference. I don't like 4000K lighting; 5000K is operating room level IMO. All the lighting in my home is 3000K; I could probably tolerate 3500K, but don't see any reason to change.

Don't confuse color temperature (Kelvins = K) with light output (lumens). This is a major mistake people make. For the best light output, choose bulbs with higher lumens. It doesn't matter what the color temperature is, if the lumens are low, the space will be dimly lit = you want high lumens for a brightly-lit space.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

georgect
last year
Daylight or Cool white 4000-5000K is perfect for laundry lighting.

Bulbs with a high CRI (color rendering index) should be a 90 or higher so true fabric colors will show.
Related Professionals
Natchez Interior Designers & Decorators · Des Moines Interior Designers & Decorators · Raleigh Furniture & Accessories · Grand Rapids Furniture & Accessories · Yakima Furniture & Accessories · Cape Coral Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Cowansville Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Rockford Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Forrest City Bathroom Remodelers · Alexandria Bathroom Remodelers · Bartlesville Bathroom Remodelers · Albany Bathroom Remodelers · Wausau Bathroom Remodelers · Charleston Cabinets & Cabinetry · Denver Cabinets & Cabinetry
HU-244252797
Original Author
last year
So this is what the specs say

Any thoughts?
porkchop_z5b_MI
last year
4000 lumens is overkill for a closet, but probably fine for a laundry room, depending on the size of the room, of course. The nice thing about these adjustable K ones is you can play around with the color temperature to see what you like best. I'd start with 4000K and see if it's too cool/blue for you; if so, adjust to 3000K. 6500K would be blindingly harsh; IMO 5000K would, too, but again it's a personal decision.
dadoes
last year
"4000 lumens is overkill for a closet,"

Not sure what you are referencing there but lumens is not the same thing as color temperature, which you do then reference.

I changed my entire house to 5000K LED bulbs 7-ish years ago, except a couple lamps that are seldom-used. Color rendition IMO is more accurate. It was interesting to see white toilet paper evidence as *white*. I recommend 5000K for a laundry room to assist in seeing stains more clearly.

My kitchen fluorescent fixture (which had daylight tubes) had the ballast go bad a couple years ago, changed to an LED panel with three adjustable color temps, set by flipping it on/off/on in rapid succession. It's jarring when I occasionally turn it off and back on too quickly and the color changes to whatever is the lowest sickly/yellow setting.
porkchop_z5b_MI
last year
"Not sure what you are referencing there but lumens is not the same thing as color temperature, which you do then reference."

You must have missed my initial post. I am very well aware of the difference between Kelvins and lumens. OP's snapshot shows the light fixture is 4000 lumens with different color temperature settings, which is why I replied what I did -- 4000 lumens in a small closet is overkill. That level of light in a small space is blindingly bright, regardless of what the color temp (K) is. Although, admittedly, OP didn't specify the size of the closet -- but closet to me means...closet...as in small space.
dadoes
last year
Yes, apologies, I scanned the posts too quickly.
porkchop_z5b_MI
last year
^^ It happens...I'm guilty of it (and too often, too) :0p (it is confusing that 4000 lumens and 4000K are mentioned in the same post, isn't it?)
Nova
10 months ago
I am a 2700K girl. I have my whole home in that. I think I could do 3000K, but anything higher seems harsh and too blue.