Are You Warm Or Cold? Choosing LED Lights For Your Landscape

What kind of ambiance do you want to create when guests step onto your property or neighbors view your house from afar? Vision research has found that people tend to experience warm lighting to be welcoming, cheerful and bright. However, cool lighting can be perceived as more subdued and mysterious. The color of your lighting is just as important as the design and choice of fixtures. Evaluating the mood you want to create in each area is key to picking the right color temperature.

LED light temperature is referred to as Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) and is measured in Kelvin (K). Kelvin is a unit of measure for temperature that is similar to Celsius. LED lights typically have 4 ranges of brightness with the higher temperatures considered cool tones and the lower temperatures considered warmer. Warm light ranges between 2700-3500K. Natural light is 4000-4500K. Daylight is 5000-6000K and cool light is 6000-7000K. You can think of the following as a reference:

A Candle is about 1850 K.
Traditional incandescent light would be about 2700-3300K.
Moonlight measures about 4100K.

Cool LED Lights

Typically, cool white LED’s are used in highlighting living landscapes such as trees, bushes and flowers. Cool white enhances greenery and foliage on plants making everything look healthier. The 3000K range is best for uplighting living plants to enhance their true colors. The 4000K lamp mimics the temperature of moonlight when downlighting. A very natural and serene setting can be created by using cool light which looks like moonlight shining through trees and bushes. However, downlighting seating areas requires a warmer light for relaxation.

Warm LED Lights

Warm White light brings out the texture of surfaces and creates crisp and inviting light for seating and dining areas like decks. Use Warm White LEDs to light the house and hardscape, fences and structures such as gazebos, arbors, or fountains. Illumination in warm white creates a relaxed and inviting environment. Consider warm outdoor light strings on decks.

Landscape lighting is part art and part science. If you were to ask 3 different contractors for an outdoor lighting design on your property, you would probably get 3 different designs. A good contractor will take advantage of the different color temperatures available and the newest technology to create a whole new dimension to your landscape. Be sure to communicate clearly what effect you would like your guests to experience when they come into your property. Do you want to imitate daylight with warm colors or moonlight with cool colors? Ultimately, it is your choice so be daring or stay with the traditional. Either way, you can change the bulb with your mood but be advised LED bulbs are not inexpensive.