"Accidentally grabbed some LEDs that were way too cool-toned...felt like cooking under hospital lights until I swapped them out."
Been there, done that—it's amazing how lighting temp can totally change the vibe of your kitchen. I've had clients who didn't realize how clinical those cool whites can feel until the fixtures were already up. Usually recommend sticking around 2700-3000K for kitchens...warm enough to feel cozy but still bright enough to see what you're chopping. Glad you caught it and made the swap, makes all the difference.
I get the appeal of warmer tones, but honestly, I prefer something closer to 3500-4000K in my kitchen. I find that slightly cooler range helps me see colors more accurately when prepping food—especially veggies and meats. Warmer lights can sometimes skew colors a bit too much for my liking. But yeah, anything above 4000K starts feeling like you're prepping dinner in an operating room...definitely not ideal.
I totally get what you're saying about the operating room vibe—my brother-in-law installed some super bright, cool LEDs in his kitchen, and every time I'm over there, I feel like I should be scrubbing in for surgery instead of chopping onions. 😂
When we redid our kitchen lights last year, I went with something around 3000K because I thought warmer would feel cozier. And it does...but now that you mention the color accuracy thing, I realize I've been second-guessing my chicken prep a lot lately. Like, is this pinkish or just the lighting messing with me? Hmm...
Maybe something slightly cooler would've been better after all. But then again, I don't wanna lose that cozy, inviting feel either. Is there a sweet spot between "romantic dinner" and "medical procedure"? Guess I'll have to experiment a bit more next time a bulb goes out.
We went with 4000K last remodel, thinking we'd found that elusive sweet spot...but honestly, it's still kinda clinical. I'm starting to think dimmers might be the real hack here—bright enough for food safety, cozy enough for midnight snacks. Best of both worlds?
We did dimmers in our kitchen a couple years back, and honestly, it's been a game changer. We started with 4000K too, and yeah, it felt like prepping dinner in a dentist's office. But once we added dimmers, it was like having two kitchens—bright enough to spot every crumb when cooking, but mellow enough at night that I don't feel blinded grabbing a glass of water at 2am. Definitely worth considering if you're on the fence.
