LIGHTING MATTERS | HOW LIGHTING AFFECTS WOOD FLOORS
Technical Advice
Lighting plays a major role in any home renovation or new build and can drastically affect the look of your rooms – more specifically, your floors. Different lighting can dramatically change the look of the floors you fell in love with.
There are different sources of lighting. While the main focus of this post is artificial lighting sources such as ceiling, task and accent lighting, natural sunlight is still the best source of lighting there is. The most beautiful designs maximize natural lighting. This can be achieved by incorporating plenty of windows as well as skylights wherever possible, which will bring so much of that sunshine goodness into your space. Natural lighting will always win against artificial lighting, reflecting your floors’ true colour in different ways throughout different seasons and times of the day.
Same flooring, different effects: How lighting impacts the look of your floors
ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING & WOOD FLOORS
When it comes to artificial lighting and flooring, there a few things you should know.
Artificial LED lighting is measured by the Kelvin scale which measures colour temperature. The higher the number, the cooler the lighting is. For example, 5000K is a much cooler light than 2700K. To make matters even trickier, while all light bulb brands follow the same Kelvin scale, results tend to differ from brand to brand. Ideally, you and your design professional should coordinate lighting and flooring at the same time, in order to create the atmosphere you envision for your home.
With all of that in mind, here’s what to expect regarding colour temperatures and flooring:
- DARKER floors tend to look better under warmer colour temperatures like 3000K-4000K. Those floors will benefit from it because warm colour temperatures highlight their amber tones. You can expect the same effects from incandescent lighting which will intensify warm tones and fade cool hues.
- LIGHTER floors, on the other hand, will look their best under cooler colour temperatures like 5700K which is closer to what it’s known as “daylight white”.
If you’re going for medium toned floors, you might want to consider and test a range between 4000K-5700K also known as “natural white” (4000K) and “daylight white” (5700K).
TIPS TO BRING HOME THE FLOORS YOU CHOSE IN STORE
Unsure about what will work for you? Here are some tips that might help ensure that your floors will look as beautiful in your home as they did in store:
- Think LIGHTING AND FLOORING at the same time. While flooring usually comes last, we suggest that you start thinking about the kind of hue you want while making your lighting decisions. If you are renovating, you will want to choose your floors under lighting that is similar to the lighting in your home, to ensure the floors you choose look just as beautiful at home.
- How to coordinate lighting and flooring? Take your favourite flooring sample home with you. Check with your dealer about the possibility of borrowing/renting/buying a large sample to take home with you, or purchase a single product box before committing to it. Then, place the sample/planks in different areas of your rooms, as well as at different times of the day – particularly under artificial lighting. Do you like what you see?
- Try several light bulbs from different brands and colour temperatures to find the one that balances the mood and look you are going for.
- If using track lighting, adjust the angle of your lights to achieve a tone you like. Different angles tend to show different effects.
- Play with different moods by setting up multiple layers of lighting throughout – and get multiple atmospheric experiences for you to enjoy at will.
Remember that walls play a big role by reflecting colours onto your floors, impacting your experience of the space. White walls will reflect the truest colours of the elements composing your space and maximize the spread of natural light, amplifying/enlarging the look of your rooms.
Track lighting adjusted at different angles featuring the same floors and different effects
Pravada’s matte floors will make it easy for you to find the perfect lighting for your home. Matte floors don’t have the glossiness to compete with artificial lighting reflections, thus giving you the most accurate experience of their true colours. Once you have determined the proper lighting for your home, your floors along with every curated element of your interior, will appear just as lovely as they were when you chose them. Proper, thoughtful lighting is the way to achieve the home of your dreams. If you are a DIY-kind of person, the tips above can help you achieve a home you will love for years to come. We always recommend consulting with a design professional to save time, money and potential frustration.
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Lighting plays a major role in any home renovation or new build and can drastically affect the look of your rooms – more specifically, your floors. Different lighting can dramatically change the look of the floors you fell in love with.
There are different sources of lighting. While the main focus of this post is artificial lighting sources such as ceiling, task and accent lighting, natural sunlight is still the best source of lighting there is. The most beautiful designs maximize natural lighting. This can be achieved by incorporating plenty of windows as well as skylights wherever possible, which will bring so much of that sunshine goodness into your space. Natural lighting will always win against artificial lighting, reflecting your floors’ true colour in different ways throughout different seasons and times of the day.
Same flooring, different effects: How lighting impacts the look of your floors
ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING & WOOD FLOORS
When it comes to artificial lighting and flooring, there a few things you should know.
Artificial LED lighting is measured by the Kelvin scale which measures colour temperature. The higher the number, the cooler the lighting is. For example, 5000K is a much cooler light than 2700K. To make matters even trickier, while all light bulb brands follow the same Kelvin scale, results tend to differ from brand to brand. Ideally, you and your design professional should coordinate lighting and flooring at the same time, in order to create the atmosphere you envision for your home.
With all of that in mind, here’s what to expect regarding colour temperatures and flooring:
- DARKER floors tend to look better under warmer colour temperatures like 3000K-4000K. Those floors will benefit from it because warm colour temperatures highlight their amber tones. You can expect the same effects from incandescent lighting which will intensify warm tones and fade cool hues.
- LIGHTER floors, on the other hand, will look their best under cooler colour temperatures like 5700K which is closer to what it’s known as “daylight white”.
If you’re going for medium toned floors, you might want to consider and test a range between 4000K-5700K also known as “natural white” (4000K) and “daylight white” (5700K).
TIPS TO BRING HOME THE FLOORS YOU CHOSE IN STORE
Unsure about what will work for you? Here are some tips that might help ensure that your floors will look as beautiful in your home as they did in store:
- Think LIGHTING AND FLOORING at the same time. While flooring usually comes last, we suggest that you start thinking about the kind of hue you want while making your lighting decisions. If you are renovating, you will want to choose your floors under lighting that is similar to the lighting in your home, to ensure the floors you choose look just as beautiful at home.
- How to coordinate lighting and flooring? Take your favourite flooring sample home with you. Check with your dealer about the possibility of borrowing/renting/buying a large sample to take home with you, or purchase a single product box before committing to it. Then, place the sample/planks in different areas of your rooms, as well as at different times of the day – particularly under artificial lighting. Do you like what you see?
- Try several light bulbs from different brands and colour temperatures to find the one that balances the mood and look you are going for.
- If using track lighting, adjust the angle of your lights to achieve a tone you like. Different angles tend to show different effects.
- Play with different moods by setting up multiple layers of lighting throughout – and get multiple atmospheric experiences for you to enjoy at will.
Remember that walls play a big role by reflecting colours onto your floors, impacting your experience of the space. White walls will reflect the truest colours of the elements composing your space and maximize the spread of natural light, amplifying/enlarging the look of your rooms.
Track lighting adjusted at different angles featuring the same floors and different effects
Pravada’s matte floors will make it easy for you to find the perfect lighting for your home. Matte floors don’t have the glossiness to compete with artificial lighting reflections, thus giving you the most accurate experience of their true colours. Once you have determined the proper lighting for your home, your floors along with every curated element of your interior, will appear just as lovely as they were when you chose them. Proper, thoughtful lighting is the way to achieve the home of your dreams. If you are a DIY-kind of person, the tips above can help you achieve a home you will love for years to come. We always recommend consulting with a design professional to save time, money and potential frustration.
