Daylight Bulbs vs Soft White Bulbs (2023)

FAQs

Daylight Bulbs vs Soft White Bulbs? ›

What's the difference between daylight and soft white light bulbs? The main difference is color temperature. Daylight bulbs measure between 5,000K and 6,000K, meaning they produce light that is perceived as bright white. Soft white bulbs measure between 2,700K and 3,000K, casting a warm, yellowish glow.

Soft white has more warm tones and is often in the yellow color range. Daylight however, is far more cool and has more white and even blueish tones to it. Soft white is ideal for residential environments and has more earthy tones. Daylight is ideal for commercial environments and has more blueish tints.

Bright white bulbs often work better in bathrooms or kitchens, especially when chrome fixtures are present. If you need to do a lot of reading, daylight bulbs are an excellent choice.

Daylight bulbs can illuminate more surface area and are brighter than soft white lights. Use soft white lights in residential spaces, like bedrooms, living rooms, and home libraries. Reserve daylight bulbs for commercial or high-task areas, such as offices, kitchens, and public restrooms.

Daylight bulbs are ideal for focused task lighting in rooms like kitchens and bathrooms. The cool light of daylight bulbs has a modern feel compatible with clean lines and minimalism. Daylight bulbs are a good choice for kitchens, bathrooms and home offices.

If you want task lighting in the living room, a bright white bulb is the best option for most settings. Ambient lights are often soft white, while daylight bulbs are nice to use in darker spaces where sunlight doesn't enter often. Table lamps play a critical role in your overall scheme.

Of course, you can. In fact, experts recommend you use them together in certain spaces, like a kitchen. Warm light in a kitchen can look great during daytime (especially if your kitchen gets a bit of sunlight), but at night you can switch them off and use cool white for greater clarity.

Halogen Lights

Halogen bulbs are a type of incandescent that gives a close approximation of natural daylight, known as "white light." Colors appear sharper under halogen light and the bulbs can be dimmed.

Recommendations. On its own, an incandescent or halogen light bulb produces the purest, most natural form of artificial lighting. We suggest using incandescent or halogen bulbs throughout the day + night if you're after a greater sense of well-being.

By definition, the color of the light emitted from a 6500K daylight white LED bulb will appear roughly the same as natural daylight.

What is the best color light bulb? ›

Bright White (Between the White and Blue Ranges, 4000K to 5000K): These bulbs work best in kitchens and bathrooms with chrome or white fixtures. Daylight (Blue Range, 5000K to 6500K): These bulbs are perfect for reading because they're bright but still easy on the eyes.

2. What colour temperature is best for living room lights? Warm white light between 2,700 and 3,300 Kelvin is considered to be particularly pleasant in the lounge.

Not only do LED's consume less energy, but the bulbs also use energy more efficiently, which saves a lot of money. The Indiana University of Pennsylvania found that LED lights convert 80-90% of their energy into light, whereas incandescent bulbs only convert about 10-20% of their energy into light.

With kitchens often doubling up as dining spaces and hosting family and guests over important holiday periods, adding warm lighting can help make a house look cozy. 'Lighting should always be warm in our books,' states Catherine Dal, founder of Cat Dal Interiors.

Warm white (3,000 to 4,000 Kelvin) is more yellowish-white. These bulbs are best suited for kitchens and bathrooms.

In the 2700K to 3000K warm light color range, the atmosphere tends to be cozy and inviting. Interior designers often use bulbs in this “soft white” range for table lamps, floor lamps, pendants, and chandeliers in living rooms, dining rooms, family rooms, and bedrooms.

One of the major differences between daylight bulbs and soft white bulbs is the color temperature they offer. Daylight bulbs can be great to see better details for improving productivity making them great for kitchens and offices. Soft white bulbs offer a better feeling making them ideal for bedrooms and living rooms.

Is Soft White or Daylight Better for a Bathroom? The perfect light color temperature for a bathroom lies somewhere in the middle of soft white and daylight. Soft white can be too yellow and daylight can be too blueish. You want a bathroom to be a place that makes you alert, yes, but not annoyingly sterile.

The light colours very warm white (2200-2700K) and warm white (3000K) are the most suitable for bedrooms. In general, people don't prefer to wake up with too bright lighting. Therefore, warm white lighting can be perceived as too bright by some people.

What wattage is good for living room? ›

The Formula for Lighting a Room

So, if you have an 18' long room x 12' wide room multiply times 1.5 = 324 watts, that's how much wattage is needed to adequately light the room.

Bathroom lighting experts often recommend sticking to the warm white light, as shown in the color/temperature breakdown below. (Hint: Try warm white 2700-3000 kelvins (K) for the most flattering bathroom lighting).

Soft white (2,700 to 3,000 Kelvin) is warm and yellow, the typical color range you get from incandescent bulbs. This light gives a warm and cozy feeling and is often best for living rooms, dens and bedrooms.

Halogen bulbs are a type of incandescent that gives a close approximation of natural daylight, known as "white light." Colors appear sharper under halogen light and the bulbs can be dimmed. They're a little more energy efficient than incandescent bulbs, but they're more expensive and burn at a higher temperature.