The purchase of an incandescent bulb did not take much time – all you had to do was pick up a bulb of the required wattage and pay for it, but with LED bulbs it is different. Before purchasing, the parameters of the bulb have to be carefully researched to choose the most suitable one for your needs.

LED bulbs can differ significantly in brightness, light colour, and other characteristics, although the packaging of the bulb seems the same at first glance.

The brightness of the bulb is not indicated by the wattage of the bulb, as was the case with incandescent bulbs. The brightness of an LED bulb is indicated by lumens, which is also the most important parameter in choosing an LED bulb. The more lumens (lm) an LED bulb has, the more light it emits. The colour temperature of the light bulbs is measured in degrees Kelvin and is denoted by K. The lower the degree of Kelvin, the more yellowish the light; the higher the degree – the more bluish it becomes.

Remember that not all spaces in the house have the same lighting intensity – the bedroom does not need as bright lighting as the study and kitchen.

Living room

The living room is the soul of the home, it is a place to experience unforgettable moments with friends and family. The lighting should be directed to the area where it is most needed, and it should be possible to adjust it from a brighter to a warmer colour. It is desirable to create several areas in the house with different lights, or to install light dimmers in each area.

It is recommended to install a suspended ceiling lamp as the main light source, and use it as general room lighting. This lamp should preferably be equipped with a dimmer, so that the lighting can be adjusted for both leisure and board games with friends and family, thus saving electricity.

It is recommended to place a floor lamp with a downward light at the sofa or armchair for easier reading, knitting and other work.

When lighting a living room, choose LED bulbs with a warm white light temperature between 2500 and 3200 K. More interesting light colours can be chosen as accent light, for example, green colour is soothing and will set the mood for communication. Gentle pink lighting will improve the mood. The most convenient way to provide different light colours is to buy an LED bulb, the light colour and intensity of which can be adjusted with a mobile app.

Bedroom

The bedroom is your personal refuge, so the lighting should be soothing, unobtrusive, cosy and warm, that is, the colour of the light should be less intense than the living room lighting.

A ceiling lamp (600-900 lm) is also suitable for general room lighting in the bedroom, and it is desirable that the light is scattered in all directions and not too bright. For convenience, it is recommended that you install a light switch on the bed to turn off this light so that you do not have to step out of the warm bed.

To read your favourite books in bed, you need additional wall lamps with downward light on both sides of the bed with about 800 lm of light.

LED bulbs with a warm white light colour (2500-3200 K) should be chosen for the bedroom lighting. You can also choose a greenish lighting to create a mood in the bedroom, because green soothes and creates a positive mood.

Kitchen

Preparing a great meal for family or friends starts in a well-lit kitchen, regardless of size. It needs bright, general lighting that does not cast a shadow. In contrast, the lighting in the dining area should be bright and should illuminate the table, but blue is not recommended, because it reduces appetite, it is better to choose yellow or white.

Work lighting hidden under cabinets helps illuminate work surfaces. Spotlights should be placed on the top of the cabinets so that they reflect off the walls and ceiling, providing lighting without shadows.

It is recommended to install LED lamps with white light colour in the range of 3200 to 4000 K degrees and 1000 lm of light in kitchen luminaires.

Bathroom

Bathroom lighting should be adaptable to all occasions. It should be bright enough in the morning to make it easy to use cosmetics, shave or put in contact lenses. But it must be soothing, if you want a relaxing bath at the end of the day. Due to the high humidity, it is recommended to use light fixtures with closed type lampshades. Blue light is not recommended as it highlights wrinkles and circles under the eyes. General lighting will be best for shaving or applying cosmetics.

In the bathroom, the most important work light should be provided at a mirror, which is recommended to be illuminated from above and from both sides. This way, when looking in the mirror, the lighting will not create unnecessary shadows on the face.

LED lamps with a white light colour (3200-4000 K) are preferred for illuminating the mirror, and it is desirable that the colour rendering index or Ra exceeds 90. The colour rendering index (Ra) describes the colour reproduction of an object in the light of a lamp compared to the same colours in daylight. The closer Ra is to 100, the more accurate the colour of the subject in the light of the lamp.

Workspace

Lighting in the work area is also very important, and light should fall from the non-working hand (usually from the left), as this will reduce eye fatigue and increase the ability to concentrate. The most suitable light flux for a table lamp will be 400-800 lumens, while the temperature will be 3200-4000 K.

Properly used lighting can be a source of health and success in everyone's daily life!