Islands or rooms of light are e.g. hanging a pendant low above the dining table, placing a floor lamp next to the armchair for reading a book, a table lamp on the window sill or on a chest of drawers or a book case – all these little light islands create the pleasant atmosphere that we call ‘hygge’ in Denmark. You frequently see this more widespread in Scandinavian countries where inhabitants are used to coping with long, cold and dark winter periods. Fortunately, you do not need to endure a single Scandinavian winter to gain better lighting. To obtain optimal lighting, all you must do is consider the general types of light and advisably use more than one light type in each room.
Good colour rendering, dimmable and energy-saving compared with incandescent.
Energy-saving lightbulbs have poorer colour rendering properties than halogen and incandescent bulbs. On the upside, these lightbulbs use less energy than halogen and incandescent bulbs.
Many new LED lightbulbs deliver good colour rendering and are also dimmable. LED lightbulbs have a very long life and use very little energy compared to halogen and incandescent light sources.
The lumen value indicates the amount of light coming from the light source. The higher the value, the more light, the bulb emits.
The colour characteristics of light are often described in terms of what is called “colour temperature” – usually either warm (yellowish) or cool (bluish), with the temperature measured in degrees of Kelvin (K).
The higher the number, the cooler the light.
Low colour temperature is best for recreational activities and socialising. High colour temperature and intensity are best for concentration.
For more information about selecting the ideal light source for any of our lamps, you can always find a complete, up-to-date version of our Light Source Overview here.