How Lighting Affects Finish

Lighting makes a significant difference in the appearance of the finishes in our Coordinated Hardware System. Educating the customer on how light can manipulate their closet components can help with their expectations of a fully coordinated closet.

We strongly recommend assessing finish combinations in the room or area where the products will be installed. After all, that is where the customer will see and touch these products every single day.

However, to assess and compare finishes prior to an installation it is recommended to use full-spectrum lighting – such as in a bright, indirectly daylit room – or under quality, single temperature lighting. Even the brightest, boldest colors can look sallow or off color under poor or sub-optimal lighting.

INDIRECT LIGHT

Sunlight that is streaming directly into rooms or bare lamps and light fixtures can add hot spots and glare to a finish or fabric that can make it appear uneven or even discolored. Without ideal lighting it can be challenging to get a proper sense of a products true color and tone.

SINGLE TEMPERATURE LIGHTING

Light is categorized by color temperature in degrees Kelvin.

A sunny day is a neutral 5000K, most indoor lighting is warmer at around 3500-4000K, and the blue sky that reflects back into outdoor shadows is a colder-looking 10000K.  Each of these lighting conditions will provide a different look to a finish or color.

And if these lighting temperatures are mixed (a 5000K ceiling light with a 3000K floor lamp and a large shaded patio window at 10000K) it will be impossible to see the real color and finish of a product.

Once installed, the lighting conditions will affect how a customer perceives the finishes as well as the fabric and panel colors of your closet design.  Closets that have no windows and are illuminated only by the lighting within will render the tones and colors in a much more consistent manner than a closet with windows and changing sunlight conditions.