Lighting guide

Here we have gathered the most common questions about light, the terms used and what to keep in mind when choosing a light source.

What is a light source?

Light source is where the light itself comes from in a lamp. A light source can be, for example, an LED lamp, a halogen lamp or a lightbulb.

In some lamps the light source is part of the luminaire itself, but usually they are purchased separately. The correct choice of light source affects both the lamps appearance and its function.

What is Lumen?

Lumen (lm) is a measure of luminous flux and describes how much light a light source emits in all directions. The higher the lumen, the more light the light source emits.

It is difficult to give a general answer on how to approach lumens as it depends on your needs, the size of the room and what the lamp itself looks like. If, for instance, you are using a dark lamp shade, the light source needs higher lumens in order to shine through. However, here are some guidelines:

Cozy, indoor lighting: 150-300lm
Reading light: 200-500lm
Dinner Lighting: 200-500lm
General lighting: 300-500lm
Work lights: 500-1000lm

Also remember that you can affect the lamp's luminous flux with a dimmer. By Rydéns offers light sources with a luminous flux of 200 - 800lm.

What is Kelvin?

Kelvin (K) is a measure of colour temperature and is measured on a scale that usually ranges from 1,000K to 10,000K. The higher the Kelvin the colder (bluer) the light is perceived while lower Kelvin is perceived as warm (yellow/red).

It is usually said that 2,000K corresponds to the colour temperature of a candle and that 2,000-3,000K is suitable for home environments

By Rydéns offers LED light sources with colour temperature 2,000 - 2,700K.

Which Kelvin should I choose?

Which Kelvin to choose is very much about personal preference. Some prefer a cooler light while others like warmer tones.

By Rydéns offers two different LED light sources for most lamps; amber and transparent. Amber has lower Kelvin and is therefore perceived as warm and yellowish in tone while transparent has higher Kelvin and is therefore perceived as more white/cold.

As mentioned, this is a matter of personal preference and it is entirely up to you. However, as a rough guideline, each product comes with a recommendation for a light source we think lets you get the most out of the lamp.

Which light source should I choose?

Choosing the right light source can at times feel like fighting through a jungle of options, which is understandable as a lot has happened in the industry in recent years. What socket you need and what light source we recommend is printed on each product as a guideline. What you need to consider is whether you prefer cold or warm tones and what needs the lamp fills for you.

When you know what your needs are, the terms Lumen (light flux) and Kelvin (colour temperature) are what you need to look at. Are you looking for work lighting or cozy lighting? If you need bright light, you should choose a light source with a higher lumen, but if the lamp will only function as as ambient light, a light source with a lower Kelvin might be best for you.

For most lamp models, we offer two different LED light sources; amber and transparent, the difference between these is what Lumen and Kelvin the light source has. Amber has both lower Lumen and Kelvin than the transparent one, which means that the light is perceived as warm and more yellowish and that it does not generate as strong light, in other words perfect for cosy lighting. Transparent has both higher Lumen and Kelvin than amber does, which gives it a slightly cooler tone and stronger light.

Note that you can dim our LED lamps so they do not shine at full power, in this way you can use a dimmer source with high Lumen as a candle light. Note, however, that the colour temperature does not change with a dimmer.

What is Watt?

The Watt unit measures the energy consumption of a light source.

Previously, when light bulbs were the primary light source, watts were used as a unit to describe how bright a lamp is, when the bulb was phased out and LED instead took over the market, Watt is no longer as relevant a unit.

LED lamps draw much less power than light bulbs and at the same time Watt does not actually describe how bright a lamp actually shines. We recommend that you check the Lumen unit instead of Watt for accurate information on how bright a light source is.