apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I buy Ikea's CFL's and their colour temperature seems to be pretty close to regular incandescents. I haven't had any problems with them.

I replaced all my 60w lamp bulbs with Lightwiz H20027S - I find them to be very warm.
I bought them here:
http://www.energyfederation.org/
Litetronics Harmony 20w Lightwiz H20027S

you can learn about the details of lumens etc. here, that will help you select warmer tones
http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_journal/home_improvement/4215199.html?series=15
http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_journal/home_improvement/4215199.html?page=2
I hope those links are not expired

AT had these posts
http://green.apartmenttherapy.com/green/lighting/compact-fluorescents-with-confidence-026157

http://hometech.apartmenttherapy.com/hometech/lighting/best-cfl-024950

I really like the n:vision brand from Home Depot. They have several different color temperatures to choose from, plus they're fairly inexpensive (as far as cfl's go.)

Look for a Kelvin temperature in the 2000 to 3000 range to get a yellower light. I was given some cold cathode light bulbs that I liked much more than any regular CFL light bulb I've tried (I don't like flourescent looking blue-white light). I don't know where a good place to buy them is or even the brand of the light bulbs, but they look something like this:

http://www.1000bulbs.com/7-to-8-Watt-Compact-Fluorescents/9236/

Try searching any light bulb selling website for "cold cathode" but be sure to read the details to make sure it is recommended for the light fixture you want to put it in (some shouldn't be closed in) and that it has the right Kelvin temperature range. Also, these bulbs are much dimmer than CFLs (as in their Lumens are less) so if you need bright light in the space they might not be the right choice. The one I linked would give the amount of light that a regular 45 watt light bulb would give, which is great for a cozy atmosphere but not great for doing needlepoint.

I second Mattab's suggestion of the n:vision bulbs from Home Depot. They're great. But don't get the n:vision daylight bulb -- it's the opposite of what you're looking for. That level is really harsh, bluish light. I thought it would be warm, like sunlight, but it's so not.

I have a Harmony bulb in the lamp by my bed -- it gives very soft, warm light. It came in the lamp, but according to Google, it's sold online by National Geographic.

Actually, I think the Harmony bulb is what greenlight's first post refers to. I just remembered one keyword, not the brand/maker/model. But they're awesome. I want to put them in all of my lamps. They're probably too soft for overhead fixtures, but perfect for cozy spaces.

This guide has reviews of a bunch of specialty energy-efficient bulbs and comparisons to the old-style bulbs they replace:
http://www.edf.org/cflguide

Here's an example of some that I got for my front hall...it was really hard to find good dimmable ones! The pictures are really helpful.
http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=634&bulbID=45

I also have gray walls and faced this problem. I wrote about it on my home design blog, Strange Closets (http://www.strangeclosets.com). There are options that reduce energy (by aprox. 30%) but do are not CFL (Philips Halogena). They do cast a more yellow shade than my incandescents.

http://www.strangeclosets.com/2008/03/lighting-dilemma.html

T8
www.strangeclosets.com
When design takes priority, the result is often strange closets.

"I thought it would be warm, like sunlight, but it's so not."

Sunlight is actually much, much cooler and more bluish than bulbs used in the home. Daylight or 65k bulbs are meant to approximate the sun at about noon but in the context of a house they look very blue.

What about cfls that work with a dimmer switch? I've had a serious problem with the ge ones with my dimmers - they flicker, or buzz, or don't work at all with a dimmer switch. anyone know of a brand that is compatible?

While I contend that daylight is on the bluish side, it's perportedly full spectrum, which most other color temperatures are not. This means it's supposed to mimick the sun and give a more accurate color rendition, where as warm white, etc tends to veer towards the red/orange side.

I've noticed that gray-ish light or that green film that used to be used to control heat penetration will tend to suck out the colors in a room, making the room appear drab and dull.

I'm a director of photography and gaffer (lighting technician) for film and video and I deal with these lights all day every day. Regular household incandescent (tungsten filamanet) bulbs have a color temperature of about 2800 degrees Kelvin, and have a "warm" orange color. Daylight is 6500-5600 degrees Kelvin and is much bluer. If you want to supplement the daytime lighting in a room with a lot of windows, go for the 65K "daylight" bulbs. If you want that warm orange cozy feel at night, try warm-white bulbs.

All fluorescent lights have an excess of green in their spectrum, which is part of what gives them that icky cast which is not flattering to skin tones. Some bulbs like the IKEA and NuVision bulbs (both of which I have in my house) have coatings which minimize the green "spike" in the spectrum. Look for lights with a higher CRI number -- the closer to 100 the better the color reproduction.

And for what it's worth, putting these bulbs in a warm-colored fixture or shade can create a cozy warm glow with little effort.

Now if there were only more choices for dimmable CFL's...