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Good Questions: Softer Lighting Suggestions?

11-10-orange-kitchen.jpgI recently painted my kitchen a very bold orange. The colour turned out a little brighter then the paint chip. It was supposed to be a bright terracotta and it turned into the purest hue of orange that I have ever seen. I am learning to love it because the space is lovely and versatile. I was hoping that the brightness may be able to be softened by changing the lighting. Is there a certain kind of bulb I should be looking for to soften the room and make it a little less reflective? Any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! Emily

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Comments (9)

Dimmer bulbs? Maybe wash the walls with TSP to dull the high gloss finish?

"Hot TSP solutions will darken aluminum containers and may remove or degloss paints and enamels."
http://www.realmilkpaint.com/tsp.html

posted by kimg924 on November 10th 2008 at 8:50am
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There IS a certain rule or trick to do this. I´m just not really sure how it works, as I´ve heard it some time ago. Fluorescent lighting gives colder light, which reacts somehow with cold/warm wall colors, while normal bulbs give warm light, which, again, affects somehow the color of cold/warm colored walls. Maybe someone knows for sure! I think, warm colors appear less warm when lit by fluorescent lighting or those economical bulbs (they also give colder light). At least that´s how it works in my living room - with artificial "cold" light the horrible yellow is much more bearable.

posted by jjanul on November 10th 2008 at 9:26am
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I think your orange walls look beautiful.

No expert on the lighting question, but my instinct says a pink bulb that casts a rosy glow might be the most flattering -- warm up the white trim and jst give ff a nice glow. My sense is coo light would not be strong enough to sounter the vibrnt orange, but would "blue-out" the white, amkng the contrast more marked.

One thing to consider: painting the cabinet below. The orange-y wood doesn't play well with the orange paint. Maybe a lovely low-gloss taupe would subdue the overall effect and be a nice foil for the walls.

posted by holland on November 10th 2008 at 10:51am
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Yow! Let me correct hose embarrassing typos. Take two:

I think your orange walls look beautiful.

No expert on the lighting question, but my instinct says a pink bulb that casts a rosy glow might be the most flattering -- warm up the white trim and just give off a nice glow. My sense is cool light would not be strong enough to counter the vibrant orange, but would "blue-out" the white, making the contrast more marked.

One thing to consider: painting the cabinet below. The orange-y wood doesn't play well with the orange paint. Maybe a lovely low-gloss taupe would subdue the overall effect and be a nice foil for the walls.

posted by holland on November 10th 2008 at 10:53am
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I agree with holland about the pink light bulbs. They are sold at all major hardware and diy stores- I prefer the sylvania pink to the GE ones, which don't offer as much light. I also recommend a dimmer-switch- I've installed dimmers on all my overhead lights that aren't cfls and it's really incredibly easy to do- all you need is a screwdriver, and the power turned off.

Finally, how about painting those brown cabinets white to match the gorgeous trim and molding? That might balance out the orange a bit more, too.

It is a GORGEOUS color. I applaud you for keeping it, even though it turned out different from what you expected (wall colors always do).

posted by Miriam on November 10th 2008 at 11:57am
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I have the same glossy orange in my kitchen. I use Verilux Natural Spectrum bulbs. They give off a nice, subtle light and are still bright enough to chop onions by. The bulbs are not cheap, but they last a long, long time. You might get the same effect with GE Reveal bulbs. I agree with the previous posters who said to paint the cabinet. I have off-white cabinets, and they look really nice with the orange. I tried to add stainless-steel accents too, with shelving.

posted by bronx cheer on November 10th 2008 at 1:27pm
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I love this color...
...and I agree that dimmers make all the difference in the world.

posted by bepsf on November 10th 2008 at 1:30pm
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Okay, I *am* a lighting expert (Cinematographer and Chief Lighting Technician for film & TV) and I can tell you the bulb is not the problem.

What you need are different fixtures (perhaps several of them) that are shaded so they don't spill direct light on the wall. Instead of one big overhead fluorescent panel that floods the room evenly with light, try something more directional like track lighting for a low-key ambience, and perhaps some under-counter light for task lighting.

It's hard to get too specific without seeing the rest of your kitchen, but you can read about some lighting basics here:

http://www.lighting-one.com/DesignSolutions-fundamentals.aspx

http://www.lighting-one.com/DesignSolutions-kitchen.aspx

posted by nashdp on November 10th 2008 at 4:05pm
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I've had the same issue with prominant wall colors and found that I can still use a pendant light, but the key is to add a diffuser to soften the light that it throws.

posted by anabelle on November 28th 2008 at 8:06pm
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