Colour temperature is the measure of how warm or cool a white light is, as perceived by the human eye. The warmer a white light is, the more yellow toned it is. The cooler a white light is, the more blue toned it becomes.

Colour temperature is measured in Kelvins, represented as K. When lighting our homes, the spectrum of colour temperature most often used is between 2700K and 6500K, with 2700K being a warm, yellow-hued white, and 6500K being a very cool, blue-hued white. Between these two extremes exists more neutral tones of white light.

Mood

The colour temperature of lighting in any space is important as it directly influences its ambience, and therefore our mood within it. Warmer colour temperatures create an atmosphere that is cozy, inviting and intimate, akin to the flickering yellow flames of a fireplace. Cooler colour temperatures impart in us a sense of liveliness and productivity, reminiscent of full daylight under a bright blue sky.

Time of Day

Colour temperature influences our circadian rhythms, and therefore the quality of our sleep. At night, when the sun sets and daylight disappears, our brain sends a signal that it is time to go to sleep. When this daylight reappears, new signals are created to wake us up.

Daylight is a cool colour temperature. When we use cool colours to illuminate our homes after sundown, this can interrupt the sleep signal sent by our brain, possibly affecting the quality of our sleep. Warm light, however, has very little impact on those signals, making it a better option for lighting our evening wind-down.

On the other hand, cool lighting helps to wake us up, and is the ideal option for morning lighting. Warmer lighting has less effect on our energy to get-up-and-go, making it less suitable.

Function

When considering colour temperature in a bathroom, it is important to think about the function of that space. For most bathroom uses, such as bathing or showering, a warm light is sufficient, allowing you to take a moment and relax into your space. For doing your makeup or personal grooming, however, a cooler light near 5000K is best, letting you see your skin and makeup colours more accurately, and more like how they’ll appear out there in the daylight.

Aesthetic
Just like how colour temperature has an influence on a space’s ambience, so does it have an impact on its aesthetic. Warmer colour temperatures complement darker and more textural design elements, building a modern, yet comforting aesthetic with a grounded feel. Cooler colour temperatures go perfectly with whiter and brighter aesthetics, whether ultra contemporary or more traditional. Imagine cooler lights alongside chrome fittings, stonecast baths and basins, and pale wooden textures on your vanities or flooring.

Light Bulbs

The easiest way to work colour temperature into the design of our bathrooms is with light bulbs. When we purchase light bulbs, we are able to choose the colour temperature of the light they emit. Having bulbs of both warm and cool colour temperatures in your bathroom, on separate switches, will allow you to choose between them depending on the mood or function desired from your lighting.

Mirrors

Remembering that daylight is of a cool colour temperature, we can increase the amount of cool light in our bathroom spaces by reflecting its natural source with one or more mirrors.

For warm light at any time, or cool light for focussed applications, colour temperature changing LED mirrors are the perfect solution. With built-in lighting from numerous LEDs, backlit or frontlit LED mirrors provide accurate and even light for everyday use. A tool for atmosphere just as much as function, Newtech’s Ambience range of backlit LED mirrors are colour temperature adjustable between 2700K and 6500K, allowing you to be in full control of your bathroom’s mood, energy, function, and aesthetic.

Where to From Here?

If you’d like to hear more about how you can be the champion of your bathroom’s atmosphere with Newtech’s Ambience range of colour temperature changing mirrors, please feel free to speak to one of Newtech’s friendly team members on 0800 728 662, or email them at sales@newtech.co.nz.