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LED Lighting for 10x12 ft Oil Painting Studio
I need to light a 10x12ft oil painting studio. Looking at your Northlux studio section I see many options in both bulbs and fluorescents. I also see 5000k or 6500K. So please help me out by recommending what I should buy and if it should be 500K or 6500 K.
Our NorthLux LED lamps sound like a great fit for your painting studio.
We have several lamp styles, and depending on your interior layout and existing fixture locations, we would recommend different lamp types. If you can let us know if you have existing ceiling or lamp fixtures, or if this is for a new build project, we may be able to help refine your options a bit more.
In the meantime, you can get a sense of what level of brightness you will need using our lumen estimation calculator below to plug in the dimensions of your space:
https://www.waveformlighting.com/lumen-calculator
Concerning color temperature, our article below may help decide between 5000K and 6500K. In short, if you plan on incorporating natural daylight from a north-facing window, the 6500K may be a better option so that you can match this light, but if you don't intend to use any natural daylight, the 5000K may be a better option.
https://www.waveformlighting.com/art-painting/difference-between-5000k-and-6500k-bulbs
My studio is a small cabin with an interior dimension of 9x11 ft, an open ceiling that's 10 ft high in the center sloping to 8 ft walls with a ridge beam at the top. This ridge is in the center of the 11 ft axis. As for existing fixtures, I currently just hang lighting from the ridge beam and that location works fine just don't like my lighting. Existing windows are one small window facing west and 2 other small windows facing north but the ones to north are under a large overhang of about 6 ft.
I really only need one-half of the cabin lit well for painting. Glare is an oil painter's worst enemy but others didn't complain about it at all. So with the high ridge beam to mount it on do I need to be concerned? Is there anything about a LED light that would glare more than if I mounted some sort of track lighting and went with your bulbs?
In terms of the issue of glare, we have received some feedback from customers about the lack of a translucent cover on the lamps, which can result in glare when one looks directly upward at the light fixture. We believe the product review refers to this same concern.
If we understand correctly, the primary concern with glare for painters is the reflection of the canvas, rather than the glare effect which results from looking directly at the light source. As such, we do not have any concerns about the product for your application, although it is certainly a valid concern in terms of visual comfort in the space.
Another alternative would be to utilize our T8 lamps in combination with our LED-ready fixtures. This would require some additional wiring and installation, but with our T8 lamps having a frosted cover, this may help mitigate your concerns about glare. We've included direct links to the 95 CRI / 5000K options and fixture below:
Question posted under:
T8 LED tube lightsArt studio lightingLED-ready T8 Fixtures