Better lighting in office

[jaybee]

If you want a quick fix, remove the lightshade and buy the most powerful daylight colour temperature bayonet fitting bulb you can find, of which is still LED. Something like 6000k perhaps of around 20W or so? It will probably look ugly though and will be some Chinese thing which may burn your house down.

If you don't mind DIY or getting a sparky in, you could get them to replace the ceiling rose with some kind of GU10 strip setup, like you tend to find in kitchens. The ones where you might get say 4, 5 or even 6 GU10 LED bulb holders in a row on a metal strip which can be aimed where you want.

Alternative would be an LED surface mounted strip light. These are cheap from places like TLC and have very high output. You could get a little 3 or 4 foot one. Would be a bit imposing and might give a more industrial feel to your office. Up to you if you feel that would look rubbish.

Or the best solution which would look the best and be functional and is also the most expensive, would be to do away with the ceiling rose and get as many LED downlights - preferably dimmable - to suit the room. You could have as many as you want. You'd need the ceiling to be flush style and not lumpy artex, so that may have to be factored into the cost if not already the case.

EDIT: Also paint walls and ceiling chalk white for uber reflective properties.

 

[Kenai]

Seen that before. It looked reasonable until you watch the video and realise he built the whole thing into a doorway opening and its massive.


This must be a common issue, obviously building a big parabolic mirror or cutting into my roof is out of the question. I just need some more appropriate lighting that can flood the room with warming saturated light - but what is it specifically that I need to buy.

That one was a bit of a joke in fairness but the second video might be a bit more feasible if you fancied a bit of a project.

Otherwise, just lob some super bright bulb in like this - https://www.lightbulbs-direct.com/osram-led-21w-gls-e27-dimmable-parathom-warm-white-opal/

 

[tamzzy]

Best idea: sell house and move

 

[danlightbulb]

Or the best solution which would look the best and be functional and is also the most expensive, would be to do away with the ceiling rose and get as many LED downlights - preferably dimmable - to suit the room. You could have as many as you want. You'd need the ceiling to be flush style and not lumpy artex, so that may have to be factored into the cost if not already the case.

There are downlights in both my kitchen and bathroom. They are brighter, but I wouldn't say they feel like the room is bathed in warming light.

How do I get the room to be sunny daylight bright and give that sense of warmth and saturation to the light?

 

[danlightbulb]

Best idea: sell house and move

Even in the best house its still impossible to get direct sun in all rooms - there will always be rooms facing north?

 

[tamzzy]

Even in the best house its still impossible to get direct sun in all rooms - there will always be rooms facing north?

With enough money you can design/build a house where all the important rooms are south facing and only the ensuites opens to the north

(Back on point though...try a high lumen 5600k bulb as I've mentioned earlier)

 

[danlightbulb]

With enough money you can design/build a house where all the important rooms are south facing and only the ensuites opens to the north

(Back on point though...try a high lumen 5600k bulb as I've mentioned earlier)

Ok, and if someone wants bright sunlight in the ensuite?

I feel like this problem should be quite common and therefore there should be pretty well defined solutions out there.


As ive said earlier, its not just about the brightness of the light, it is getting the light to feel that intense saturated effect like with direct sunlight. Obviously the sun is bright, but indirectly its not that bright that it blinds you. So it must be possible to get an equivalent light bulb which gives the same effect.

 

[jaybee]

There are downlights in both my kitchen and bathroom. They are brighter, but I wouldn't say they feel like the room is bathed in warming light.

How do I get the room to be sunny daylight bright and give that sense of warmth and saturation to the light?

"Warm" light generally refers to the colour temperature lower down the Kelvin scale where people deliberately buy say 3500k "warm" white bulbs, where the temp is more yellower/orange towards the old skool halogen bulbs. Some prefer something in between. You tend to get bulbs avertised as warm white (2700-3500k), cool white (4000-5000k) and daylight (6000k). Daylight being the most white and closer to sunlight.
You need to decide what is lacking... is it pure output, or the colour temperature, or both?

What colour walls do you have as well and how are they finished? Generally white walls will reflect light well, especially silk as opposed to Matt as it has a slight sheen to it. You can get this super bright white chalk type paint now that looks super bright white. Add some bright daylight bulbs in and it would be super bright. But a lot of people find the daylight bright white bulbs too clinical, where it will make rooms feel like a medical room for task related activities. This can be a bit overwhelming for an office environment where you are looking at a screen.

 

[danlightbulb]

But a lot of people find the daylight bright white bulbs too clinical, where it will make rooms feel like a medical room for task related activities.

Exactly yes. I have 'daylight' bulbs in my kitchen, and this is the feeling they give. Which is fine for a kitchen. But real 'daylight' doesn't feel clinical, it feels warm and saturated. So what is wrong here?

Walls are a light grey with white ceiling and woodwork. Wooden oak effect furniture in the room.

Whilst grey is not a naturally warming colour, i think if the room was bathed in sunlight it would still feel warm and saturated, so with the right lighting I should be able to overcome the grey.

 

[jaybee]

Exactly yes. I have 'daylight' bulbs in my kitchen, and this is the feeling they give. Which is fine for a kitchen. But real 'daylight' doesn't feel clinical, it feels warm and saturated. So what is wrong here?

I would say then that you need warm white bulbs but very high output and more of them. When we went to LEDs, we gained efficiency but did loose output compared to old incandescent ones.
I used to keep a "decorating bulb", which was an old style incandescent 100 watt bayonet light bulb which was good for when doing DIY and painting etc. You could try just getting one of these. They can still be had online. It would be bright and warmer at the same time.

 

[Haggisman]

Ok, and if someone wants bright sunlight in the ensuite?

I feel like this problem should be quite common and therefore there should be pretty well defined solutions out there.

It is a common problem, and it's called "physics". Sunlight passes through immense distances and is subject to scattering due to collisions with various particles in the air. It's virtually impossible to replicate that feeling with a light which is no more than a couple of metres away.

 

[Thekwango]

It doesn't just feel dark in here, it feels colder too, even though it isnt cold in temperature terms. There is no warm feeling in here because there is no warmth coming from the lighting.

you're room is possesed.....the evil lives in it. this is why it feels cold and dark desipte it not being. you're going to be sacrificed on your own pc desk.

 

[Deleted User 298457]

You want something with adjustable colour temperature really. I have something similar in the kitchen, WC, and utility which mimics warmth based on outside conditions. This is the big brother to the one I have.

Hue Still Ceiling Lamp 1 x 27 W + Dimmer Switch – White | Philips Hue UK

Control instantly with the included Hue dimmer switch or Bluetooth the Hue White ambiance Still ceiling light in white. Shop now!

www.philips-hue.com

 

[Kenai]

Exactly yes. I have 'daylight' bulbs in my kitchen, and this is the feeling they give. Which is fine for a kitchen. But real 'daylight' doesn't feel clinical, it feels warm and saturated. So what is wrong here?

I think this is probably down to the fact that sunlight is 'full spectrum' - whereas most bulbs will not replicate this

 

[dave28]

no bulb can replicate the sun very well, if i was serious about light in a room then i would fit multiple GU10 lights into the ceiling like they do in kitchens these days. But you would need an electrician to set that up i would have thought.

 

[danlightbulb]

It is a common problem, and it's called "physics". Sunlight passes through immense distances and is subject to scattering due to collisions with various particles in the air. It's virtually impossible to replicate that feeling with a light which is no more than a couple of metres away.

Sure, but it should be possible to replicate the brightness? The distance is irrelevant it just makes the beam parallel which doesn't matter for what I need. I just want to fill the room with brightness like as if the sun was shining through the window.

 

[danlightbulb]

I think this is probably down to the fact that sunlight is 'full spectrum' - whereas most bulbs will not replicate this

Can you not fit several bulbs of different colour temps to get the mix of light roughly correct?

 

[Haggisman]

Sure, but it should be possible to replicate the brightness? The distance is irrelevant it just makes the beam parallel which doesn't matter for what I need. I just want to fill the room with brightness like as if the sun was shining through the window.

The answer is "lots of bulbs", but it's still not going to "feel" like sunlight.

 

[Kenai]

Can you not fit several bulbs of different colour temps to get the mix of light roughly correct?

I'm no expert but I don't think so, you'd still just end up with 'spikes' of different bits of the spectrum

 

[Deleted User 298457]

Can you not fit several bulbs of different colour temps to get the mix of light roughly correct?

You want something with adjustable colour temperature really. I have something similar in the kitchen, WC, and utility which mimics warmth based on outside conditions. This is the big brother to the one I have.

Hue Still Ceiling Lamp 1 x 27 W + Dimmer Switch – White | Philips Hue UK

Control instantly with the included Hue dimmer switch or Bluetooth the Hue White ambiance Still ceiling light in white. Shop now!

www.philips-hue.com

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