Resources

Thinking of adding new LED lighting to your office but confused by the options? When LED lights were first introduced in the early 1960s, they had a striking red hue. 

Nowadays, LED lights are available in 3 tones that generate a much wider breadth of light, reaching across infrared, ultraviolet, and visible wavelengths: cool, natural, and warm. Expressed in degrees Kelvin, color temperature is a measurement used to represent the exact hue of a certain type of light source. 

So what’s the difference between cool, natural, and warm LED lights? They aren’t only there to look pretty. Rather, each color serves a unique purpose, and although there are no rules about which rooms to use which lights in, there are best practices for where to use each type.

Cool Light

LED lights with a cool tone give off a hue that is often blue but can also be green. Cool LED lighting looks artificial and often highlights items in display cabinets and hallways. Because this type of light has a wakening effect, it can also be a good option for use in retail spaces, kitchens, and bathrooms. So how do you know if the LED light you want to purchase has a cool tone? Cool LED lights will have an intensity of at least 5500K (Kelvin) or greater.

Natural Light

As the name implies, natural LED lights produce a bright white luminosity  closest to the natural light given off by the sun. Natural lights are the most popular LED tone and can be easily incorporated into most home and business applications, including offices. Natural LED lights are between 5500K and 6500K—a happy medium between cool and warm light.

Warm Light

Warm-toned LED lights give off a color that can range from golden yellow to red. This lighting is typically used for bedrooms and lounges—places where people might want to relax. The light produced by warm LEDs is similar to the color of an incandescent bulb and is not typically recommended for office settings. Warm LED lights range from 2700K to 3000K.

 

While there are no rules for what type of lighting should be used in what type of room, it’s accepted that some applications work better than others. Cool tone LED lighting will show off display and décor, natural LED lighting will help office employees stay focused and productive, and warm LED lighting will create a soft, relaxing atmosphere in your lounge or reception area.
Design & Innovation

More From NBF

How We Select Furniture that Works

Finding the right office furniture can be tricky to say the least. How do you take your work culture, personal style and budgetary needs and translate it all into furniture that will help you be your best self at work? Well, we’re here to help with that. Here are the four major factors that we consider when selecting the products that we sell on our website and in our catalog:

Versatility You Can Count On: 1 Table 3 Ways

If you’re working on a tight budget or in a small office, having versatile furniture is key. Fortunately, more and more office furniture is designed with multiple purposes in mind. Tables may seem like a basic piece of office furniture, but that simplicity makes them very adaptable. Consider the many ways you can use a simple table with these tips.

As a Desk 

Just because it doesn’t have any drawers or storage compartments doesn’t mean a table can’t make a great desk. Simply equip your space with a mobile pedestal filing cabinet, and voilà! Most offices that incorporate a table desk pair it with a credenza placed against the wall to accommodate more storage and a desktop computer.

As a Conference Table

You can use that same desk as a conference table simply by clearing off the surface and pulling some chairs around it. We recommend using nesting or stacking chairs as they can be kept in the corner of the office without taking up much room. Remember, the length of the table measured in feet is usually the number of people who can be comfortably seated around it—a 6-foot-long table accommodates 6 individuals at once.

As a Breakroom Table 

When it comes to selecting a table for your company’s lunchroom, your top priority should be finding an option that is hygienic and easy to clean. Remember, people are going to be eating off these surfaces. A table desk with a laminate surface is a great choice for use in a breakroom. Not only is laminate a low-maintenance option, but it’s also highly resistant to scratches and stains, which is a must for long-lasting use in a high-traffic lunchroom.

Although you may not want to use a single table for all 3 of these purposes, it’s easy to use one table in 2 or 3 of the ways listed above. It’s also beneficial to know what table can work in every room in your office if you value a neat, cohesive look throughout the building.

 

1 Chair 5 Ways: Nex Tablet Arm Nesting Chairs

Need extra guest seating for your training room or reception area? You can achieve a coordinated look throughout your entire office building by equipping just about every room with the exact same collection of chairs. Introducing the NBF Signature Series Nex Nesting Chair with Tablet Arm. New for 2017, this chair has flexible features and a versatile design that allows it to serve multiple purposes in just about any room in your office.

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