A Journey into the Subconscious through the Language of Light | Light Color Temperature
- Enes Furkan Güçyener
- Feb 3
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 21
He was lost in thought while watching the candle burning on the table. Every time the electricity went out, he experienced this happiness. He had lit the candle he brought from the kitchen, letting himself drift into dreams without thinking about when it would burn out. Before long, he was jolted out of his daydreams by the pure white light filling the room. It was as if the candlelight, which had cloaked him in this mood, had now bowed to the chandelier's light on the ceiling...
The hustle and bustle of our daily lives blur our surroundings like the background of a photograph. We often overlook the streets we pass every day and the house we live in amidst this busyness. In our routine spaces, we can deprive ourselves of the joy of pausing to watch the stars from the balcony of a country house in total darkness. When designing our surroundings, could we perhaps start by turning off the lights, just like we do before we lie in bed to sleep?
Let’s think about the mood boards we create when starting with spatial design. To create the atmosphere we are looking for, we try to discover how material and color layers work together by placing them one on top of the other, side by side, to form a harmonious whole. Perhaps because we cannot physically feel them with our sense of touch, we might neglect the light that makes the colors and materials visible while trying to achieve this harmony. This is where the light of a candle we light in the dark draws us in, suppressing the layers of color and material that make up our surroundings, and makes us focus solely on the flame, on the light.
When we have the opportunity to pause and observe our environment, from dawn to dusk, there is a great diversity of light and color that the sun offers us. In artificial lighting used in the spaces we live in, we can refer to this variety by first looking at the three basic layers in lighting design. The first and most important of these is ambient lighting. As the name suggests, it is the general illumination of a space, similar to the natural light provided by the sun. Examples of this are chandeliers, ceiling fixtures, or spotlights, wall lamps, and many other lighting elements that light up our rooms. The next layer that comes on top of this base is task lighting. Task lighting provides the necessary light for activities like reading, eating, and makeup application. The fixtures above our dining tables or desk lamps used for our workspaces can be considered in this category. The final layer is accent lighting. This lighting is used to highlight decorative or architectural elements in the space and is a touch that helps create the atmosphere of the room. Examples of accent lighting include hidden lighting in ceilings or niches, wall sconces, or spotlights that illuminate pictures, as well as candles.*
One of the methods used to distinguish these layers in lighting design is light temperature. Light temperature, defined as the color of light emitted by a source, is based on a principle similar to how a metal object turns yellow, orange, or blue depending on its temperature when heated. Light is classified according to its temperature when defining white light. The unit of measurement is Kelvin, and as it increases, it moves toward blue from orange.
Color Temperatures According to Kelvin Values
The range of 1700K-1800K corresponds to reddish colors, like sunrise and sunset or fire. The 2400K-3500K range corresponds to incandescent bulbs, while the 4500K-6500K range corresponds to LED lamps, fluorescent lights, and daylight.**
Examples of Incandescent Bulbs and Fluoerescent Lights
Generally, light temperatures are categorized into three main categories. The first category is warm light, which is up to 3000 Kelvin. Warm light is preferred in comfortable environments where resting activities are carried out, such as bedrooms, lounges, or living rooms. The second category is neutral light, which ranges from 3000 Kelvin to 5000 Kelvin. Neutral light is suitable for spaces where medium-level activities like kitchens, toilets, and offices take place. The final category is cold light, which has a temperature of 5000 Kelvin and above. Cold light is preferred in areas where attention and alertness are required, such as hospitals, pharmacies, and production facilities. With the wide color temperature range provided by LED technology, it is possible to enrich spatial designs by creating different atmospheres with various combinations and uses. ***
Color Temperatures
As in technology, the lighting industry has a rapidly developing and transforming product portfolio. Many of us have witnessed the transition from incandescent bulbs to fluorescent lamps and then to the revolutionary LED technology. Looking back at my own childhood, I remember the game of hide and seek I played with my friends in the neighborhood in the evenings. As I ran around trying to find a hiding spot, I glanced at the streetlight where the person who was 'it' had rested their head. A giant light with a fire-like color painted the whole neighborhood in a yellow-orange hue. When the game ended and I returned home tired, the situation wasn’t much different. The light bulb hanging from the chandelier on my room’s ceiling also bathed the room in yellow. As I grew older, I noticed that my evenings became whiter. When I replaced the burnt-out LED lamp in my bedroom with a 2700 Kelvin bulb, my room yellowed again, and for a moment, I was transported back to my childhood.
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