Soft white vs daylight Bulbs
Color temperatures like soft white and daylight alter how an object or space is perceived when illuminated.
So it can be important to select the best options for your unique application.
Both soft white and daylight can be called various things. Another way to put it, would be warm vs cool. Or even yet another way, 2700K vs 6000K.
Obviously we’re discussing two very different color temperatures that sit on opposite sides of the scale.
And yes, there’s literally a scale to use for these LED light colors. It’s called the Kelvin scale.
The Kelvin scale goes from 1,000K up to 10,000K. The lower the number the more yellow tones. The higher the number, the more blueish tones.
Soft White = 2700K-3000K
Daylight = 5500K-6500K
Soft White vs Daylight
There’s a BIG difference between the two.
Soft white has more warm tones and is often in the yellow color range. Daylight however, is far more cool and has more white and even blueish tones to it.
Soft white is ideal for residential environments and has more earthy tones.
Daylight is ideal for commercial environments and has more blueish tints.
If you are on the fence, you can compare both 3000K vs 4000K options as well as 4000K vs 5000K.
There’s a subtle difference between these ranges, but those color temperatures are where most consumers find a nice fit for lots of applications.
Soft White is ideal for:
- Residential
- Kitchen
- Bedrooms
- Bathrooms
- Closets
- Under Cabinets
Daylight is ideal for:
- Commercial
- Garages
- Display Cases
- Offices
- Signage
*Pro Tip
Lighting is a personal preference. What looks good to me may not be what looks good to your eye. If possible, test out different lights to see what works best.
Soft White or Daylight for Bathrooms
In most bathroom or vanity applications, you want a brighter light. A preferable range for bathrooms is 3000K to 5000K.
Daylight can be too blue and sterile, so I like to err on the side of soft white to cool white.
Remember, soft white is around 3000K which is recommended for earthy tones and highlights wood grains, while daylight is about 6000K, more blueish and is better in commercial settings.
Things to keep in mind:
- Cabinetry color
- Countertop color
- Paint color
- Size of the room
- Existing natural light
I tested both 3000K and 6000K lights on a standard gloss taupe colored paint in my bathroom.
You can see the big difference between the two. The soft color is much more pleasant, but the daylight brings quite a bit more “brightness” to it.
Again, meeting in the middle might be ideal for lots of us. A 4000K color could make for a nice overall light.
Great Eagle - 9W 4000K Cool White LED Light Bulb
Great Eagle - 9W 4000K Cool White LED Light Bulb
A perfect middle ground between soft white and daylight color temperatures. A 60 watt equivalent with 750 lumens.
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Soft White or Daylight for Kitchens
Using a soft white light is ideal for most traditional or transitional kitchens. A warmer light is less harsh than a daylight light fixture. It highlights wood grains and looks great on earthy tones.
However, if you have a more contemporary kitchen, look for a “cool white” light in the range of 4000K-5000K. This is typically better than a daylight color of 6000K which is more harsh and usually has a blueish tint to it.
You want to be careful not to make your kitchen seem too sterile and unwelcoming with a daylight fixture.
Instead, you can use a soft white or meet in the middle with a cool white.
I tested both 3000K and 6000K on my darker wood veneer cabinets.
Oddly, the 3000K soft white color was quite pleasant.
And the much brighter 6000K was aggressive and didn’t make the cabinet pop as much.
It’s a trade off though. The daylight color temperature does provide a more “task” oriented light that’s often needed in a kitchen. And the soft white makes the wood grains and cabinets appear natural.
The end result? Definitely consider your cabinetry color. This matters more than most think. Even if you have white contemporary cabinets, look for a cool white light, but not daylight.
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