Colour temperature: warm, neutral and cool light explained
Why a candle glows amber and a winter sky looks blue, what the Kelvin number on a lamp really means, and how to choose warm, neutral or cool light for each room.
Light Studio
Light Studio: play with layers, Kelvin and dimming
Switch five layers of light on and off in a living room, change the colour temperature from candle light to daylight and dim it. Then try the scenes that lighting designers use.
2,700 K
Layers of light
Scenes
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Layering light: ambient, task and accent
A single ceiling light makes a room visible. Several layers of light make it beautiful. How lighting designers build ambient, task, accent and decorative light, room by room.
Dimming LED lights: what works and what flickers
An LED that hums, flickers or refuses to dim smoothly is rarely broken. It is usually a mismatch between lamp and dimmer. How dimming works, and how to get it right.
More tools
- Pendant Size CalculatorDiameter, hanging height and spacing for your room and table.
- Lumen CalculatorHow much light a room needs, in lumens, bulbs and watts.
- Lighting Style FinderFive questions, the lighting style that suits you.
- Icons TimelineA century of designer lamps, from 1920 to today.
- Lighting GlossaryFrom alabaster to UGR, short and clear.