How to Select the Right Incandescent Lightbulb for a Study

Choosing the right incandescent lighting for your study is important. Incandescent bulbs imitate the feeling of natural sunlight, creating a warm and attractive ambiance. These are the most common bulbs found in retail stores, so they are easy to find.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. During the course of a few days, keep track of the time of day in which the room receives sunlight.

2. Keep track of when you feel like you want to turn on a light. This will help you determine your comfort level with the amount of light in the room.

3. Note the direction from which the windows and doors let natural light into the study. Check the Tips (below) to see the color effect the natural light has on your study.

4. Buy incandescent lightbulbs for daytime lighting that are in the same color range as the natural light in the room. For example, if your study faces east, for daytime lighting use a bulb that has a yellowish intensity. This does not mean buy a yellow-colored lightbulb.

5. Plan how you want to light the areas of the study. Do you have overhead lighting, lighting from a table lamp, floor lamps, track lighting, spotlights, a light connected to a ceiling fan or hanging lights?

6. Buy clear or frosted incandescent bulbs for use in a reflector, spotlight or floodlight over the desk.

7. Buy clear or frosted incandescent lightbulbs for use in a desk lamp.

8. Buy clear or frosted incandescent lightbulbs for use in an overhead ceiling fan with a light, or an overhead light fixture or hanging light.

Tips & Warnings

• Northerly light is blue, easterly light is yellow, westerly light is orange-red and southerly light is orange-yellow.
• Read the instructions about the incandescent bulb wattage requirements on the lighting fixtures—using too high a wattage bulb can cause a fire.