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"In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary," noted artist and director Aaron Ross commented to Reader's Digest in 1988. Meaning to the audience. Surprisingly, the same is true for lighting in commercial environments. Lighting is equally powerful in eliciting emotional responses, because it can construct specific aspects of the business that require attention. In buildings, lighting, not only brightness, but also color, has a greater impact on tenant comfort, employee productivity, and consumer decision-making than we thought, which makes choosing the right light bulb difficult.

You may have heard that color has a psychological effect. In fact, there are several idioms supported in English: "green with envy", "feeling blue" and so on. The brain processes colors before understanding words or shapes, because every visual stimulus processed by the human perception system contains color information. Color will affect our thoughts, feelings, and even our judgment on the quality of the company. Commercial companies like McDonald's attach great importance to the emotional connection with color. For this reason, McDonald’s strategically designed its iconic golden arch, placed in front of a bright red background, because yellow is related to happiness, while red stimulates appetite. More importantly, in 2009, McDonald's "vigorously promoted replacing the red background with green in Europe, hoping that people would regard it as a more environmentally friendly company," said Ellen Gutoskey, a full-time writer at Mental Floss. It worked. Sales of the first restaurant in France to undergo an aesthetic change increased by 4.5%, prompting McDonald's other stores in Europe to follow suit.

But what does color have to do with light? Well, light is the electromagnetic expression of color. It is important to understand the relationship between the color temperature of lighting and the type and color of light. Westinghouse Lighting stated that color temperature has nothing to do with heat, but "a way of describing the appearance of light provided by a bulb." Specifically, the color temperature is a measure of the degree of yellowness or blueness of the color emitted by light. Measured in degrees Kelvin (K), the color temperature is usually between 2700K and 67500K. The lower the Kelvin, the yellower (warm) the color temperature. Similarly, the higher the Kelvin, the colder the color temperature (more blue). 

"Think of color temperature as an expression of corporate personality," said Scott Abbott, lighting designer and owner of Garden Lighting Design in San Francisco. The orange to yellow-white light that promotes the intimate environment ranges from 2000k to 3000k. Bulbs between 3100K and 4500K will emit a more neutral white light with a slight bluish color, which is very suitable for working environments. Exciting vivid blue and white light with a color temperature of 4500K or higher. 

In other words, the warm light at the low end of the Kelvin scale (2700K-3500K) is conducive to spaces designed to create a relaxing environment, such as residential areas, high-end restaurants, and hotel lobbies. Cold lighting in the range of 3500K-4000K helps to improve concentration, making it the best choice for offices. Lights of 4000K and above put people on high alert, so it is most suitable for hospitals and manufacturing plants. 

The lighting should have sufficient contrast to help the viewer understand what they are looking at and distinguish objects and features. In addition to color temperature, another thing to consider is the "color rendering index" or CRI. CRI refers to the difference between the color emitted by the light source and the actual color. "Compared to a reference light source with the same correlated color temperature, CRI is a measurement of the accuracy of the light source when it renders different colors," said Randall Whitehead of the International Association of Lighting Designers. Measured in the range of 1 to 100, the higher the CRI, the more accurate the given color. A high color rendering index is extremely important for retail spaces, because contrast is an indicator of visual clarity-it is the difference between a grocery box full of appetizing rusty apples or bright red scarlet apples. 

Using the right light temperature and its subsequent CRI can profoundly affect the real estate value of a building, but when there are so many options to choose from, choosing the right light bulb can become a bit complicated. But the right type of lighting may enhance the brand's products or services in the space. It also helps drive sales and create a better experience for consumers in the retail environment, because shoppers usually make quick judgments about products within 90 seconds, and 90% of them base this perception on Color.

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Delving into the technical details of optimal lighting can be overwhelming. Fortunately, LED (Light Emitting Diode) smart bulbs allow users to change the color tone according to their specific requirements. However, compared to other bulbs, LEDs are known to be the most expensive option in the neighborhood, and the importance of high-quality commercial lighting is often overlooked because the cost of the bulb can be an important factor when choosing the right lamp for a commercial space . However, this situation is changing. The price of LED bulbs used to be astronomical (up to US$100 per bulb), but now you can buy cheap 60-watt equivalent LED bulbs for less than US$5.

LED bulbs are especially advantageous in a business environment. First of all, LEDs have a longer lifespan than fluorescent bulbs, which can only be used for about 8,000 hours on average. Newer LED bulbs have a life span of 50,000 to 100,000 hours. The energy consumption of LED lamps is also much lower than that of fluorescent lamps, because LEDs use about half the wattage of fluorescent lamps. Another major economic benefit of commercial real estate with LED bulbs is that LEDs emit less heat than fluorescent lamps. Less heat emission reduces the cost of cooling and air conditioning, which is especially important if the products stored in the premises (such as perishable food or other materials) need to be kept at a lower temperature. If the higher price of LEDs still makes you hesitant, you will be happy to hear that the commercial building tax cut or 179D has been permanently effective in December 2020. 

Finding the perfect balance of color and brightness to illuminate your commercial space is more important than face value aesthetics, because when the right lighting is used strategically, the function of the space can be enhanced and profits can be increased. This is an important factor in planning the space itself; the correct light color can provide guests with a soothing environment, stimulate the vitality of your staff, or encourage visitors to stay longer in the retail environment, and so on. "In the end," said ColourGraphics writer James Birch, "it pays to invest in the right lighting."

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Propmodo interprets and defines trends for commercial real estate professionals through a combination of news, research, events, and marketing services.

 • We believe that the future will be defined by leaders who understand the overall operating environment of the real estate industry.

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