Cincinnati Idea Book Feb/March 2023

WHAT COLOR BULB IS BEST?
Light coloring is different than light brightness, as it measures the overall light appearance. Some lights
give off a warm light, while others have a cool, blue-white hue to them. Light coloring is measured in
Kelvins, and a bulb with a lower Kelvin, typically ranging from 2,000 to 3,000K will be warm, while the
bulbs with higher Kelvin, ranging from 4,000 to 5,000K, will be cool.
The best trick of all? See the bulb on and in-person before buying. That will give you the best idea of
what this bulb will look like in your space.
Chart courtesy of Philips
CRI: WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
CRI, or the Color Rendering Index, describes how many colors a light lets you see. This index is measured
on a scale of 0-100, with 0 meaning all colors look the same, and 100 meaning you can see the true colors
of an object.
The general rule of thumb is, the higher the CRI, the better the color rendering capacity of a bulb. Of
course, we want every bulb to score a 100, but try to aim for at least 80.
CRI 70
CRI 95
56 housetrends.com