Creating atmosphere with colour temperature & light

The right lighting mood for your restaurant

Colour temperature, light colour and more

Candlelight enchants! Hardly any light source has such a cosy and calming effect as a flickering candle. This is especially true in the dark season, when daylight fades and we long for warmth and cosiness. Those who are familiar with the effects of light and know how to skilfully use colour temperature and light colour create a safe and inviting atmosphere for guests. Here, conversations can take place in a confidential atmosphere that allows visitors to linger longer.

In this article, we look at the effect of light, especially wax and LED candles. We will also show you how to create a pleasant ambience in your restaurant with the right light sources. We start with a short excursion into the world of lighting technology. Because there are a lot of useful things to learn about the effect of lighting from it.

First things first: light is not just light. If you are concerned with the appearance and effect of different light sources, sooner or later you will come across terms such as colour temperature, light colour or colour rendering. Before we take a closer look at different light sources, we will explain below what these three terms mean and what visual effect they can have in each case.

Colour temperature refers to the colour impression, i.e. the perceived colour tone that can be attributed to a light source. The unit of measurement of colour temperature is Kelvin (K). A light source with a low colour temperature appears orange to yellowish - as is the case, for example, with a wax candle whose colour temperature has a value of about 1,500 Kelvin.
The higher the colour temperature value, the higher the perceived blue component of the light. A 60W incandescent lamp (2,700 Kelvin), for example, already shines much whiter than a wax candle with a lower colour temperature. With a halogen lamp (3,200 Kelvin), the blue component is even higher, so the light is cooler. Even if the rule sounds paradoxical: the higher the colour temperature, the colder the colour impression.

Are you still on the ball? Very good! Because if you know the effect of colour temperature, you can use it atmospherically in your venue: For example, lighting with a higher colour temperature value that is closer to daylight suits the modern industrial look.

This includes luminaires in the category of daylight white or cool white or neutral white (see section on light colour). The cool light appears fresh and is more like daylight in its brightness. This is great lighting for take-away providers or business restaurants that welcome their customers mainly during the day. This is because a higher colour temperature between daylight white and cool white or neutral white appears more natural during the day.

In the midst of cosy wooden interiors, on the other hand, warm light looks better: here, it is best to go for a low colour temperature, i.e. a yellowish-orange tone (warm white). The same applies to bars and restaurants that serve their guests mainly in the evening. To ensure relaxation and cosiness after the working day or at the weekend, use candles, LEDs or incandescent lamps in warm white, for example.

At Duni, you can learn more about the topic of lighting and how to use different illuminants for an atmospheric ambience. Get new ideas now to attract more guests with skilful lighting!

Light colour is used to make the colour impression of artificial light sources recognisable at a glance. There are three categories of light colour that result directly from the value of the colour temperature: Warm white (below 3,300 Kelvin), neutral white (3,300-5,300 Kelvin) and daylight white or cool white (above 5,300 Kelvin). This classification is usually indicated on the packaging of a luminaire. It helps you to select the right lighting scene for your venue. This way, you can quickly exclude daylight white or warm white light sources if they seem too warm or too cold for your restaurant.

The colour rendering indicates how authentically a light source reproduces the colours of the illuminated objects. Optimum colour rendering is achieved with sunlight: The light contains all the colours of the visible colour spectrum and therefore reproduces the colours of the illuminated objects naturally. Most artificial light sources, on the other hand, emit a "poorer" light. They lack certain colours of the spectrum, so that the illuminated objects look different to us in terms of colour: Perhaps a bright white appears more yellowish or intense colours appear darker and warmer. This impression is not directly related to the colour temperature of the light source, but rather to the "naturally" prevailing lighting conditions in a room.

Especially in the workplace, light with good colour rendering is important - for example in the kitchen, where tomato, pepper and chilli should be easily distinguishable from each other. In the dining room, however, colour rendering is primarily a matter of your taste and style. Do you want your guests to appreciate the colour-intensive decoration or the elaborately draped dish in all its details? Or is a cosy atmosphere more important to you, with dimmed light and fewer details on the table?

For some occasions, real candlelight simply belongs. The visible flame, melting wax, moderate brightness and low colour temperature have a particularly natural effect. The characteristic colour impression creates a confidential, often romantic flair that invites you to relax and linger. This makes wax candles a model for incandescent lamps and other artificial light sources with the light colour warm white.

Use the low colour temperature of wax candles, for example, to emphasise the classic or rustic overall look of your establishment. Irrespective of the rest of the furnishing style, couples in particular enjoy the invitingly romantic effect of real candles. Wax candles are therefore particularly suitable as a light source for tables for two!

The topic of sustainability is also becoming increasingly important for your visitors. Here you can score points with environmentally friendly materials, for example with stearin candles made from renewable, traceable materials. In Duni's range, you will find stearin candles in various shapes and colours that go wonderfully with different decoration styles. Another advantage: stearin candles glow brightly, burn soot-free and are therefore gentle on the walls and ceilings of your restaurant.

Tip: Do you already know our Switch & Shine refills? These large tea lights provide pleasant brightness and have a particularly long burning time. Their different colours are also ideally matched to our napkins and tablecloths. You can find the Switch & Shine refills in our product finder - as a classic wax candle or made of stearin. The cups used are made of resource-saving, recycled PET.

A real alternative to wax candles today are LEDs as illuminants. Many models have a candlelight function that imitates the flickering of a real flame. In a holder or as a table lantern, LEDs are hardly distinguishable from wax candles, while they provide warm or cool light as desired. The electric mini-lamps have several advantages for the catering trade.

Above all, their efficiency compared to incandescent lamps and halogen lamps makes LEDs a popular light source: their power consumption is about 85 to 90 percent less than that of a normal incandescent lamp. The battery also lasts a correspondingly long time, so that the LED shines all day long on a full charge. If the battery is empty, it can simply be recharged without having to buy a new candle or battery.

Einige Modelle, etwa in unserem eigenen Sortiment, sind zudem wind- und wetterfest, sodass sie sich im Außen- und Innenbereich gleichermaßen anwenden lassen. Hinzu kommen verschiedene Leucht- und Farbprogramme: Per Fernbedienung ändern Sie kurzerhand Farbtemperatur und Lichtfarbe, um die Wirkung des Lichts je nach Bedarf anzupassen. Genau wie Stearin-Kerzen (s. o.) produzieren LEDs keinen Ruß, der sich langfristig an Wänden und Decke ablagert. Ohne flüssiges Kerzenwachs bleibt Ihre Tischdekoration außerdem von Wachsflecken oder sogar Brandlöchern verschont. Es fallen weniger Kosten für den Ersatz an.

Auch bei Ihren Gästen punkten Sie mit LED-Beleuchtung. Schließlich setzen Sie ein sichtbares Zeichen für den Umweltschutz. Im Gegensatz zum klassischen Teelicht fällt bei LEDs kein Aluminiummüll an. Und anstatt die Kerzen mehrfach in der Woche – oder sogar am Tag – auszuwechseln, genügt bei LEDs ein einfaches Wiederaufladen. Je nach LED-Modell hält der Akku bis zu 25 Stunden lang ohne eine erneute Aufladung – so zum Beispiel bei unseren Moving Flame LEDs. Zudem können Sie bei einigen Modellen verschiedene Modi mit unterschiedlicher Farbtemperatur und Lichtfarbe auswählen. So steht Ihnen eine Lichtquelle für mehrere Lichtstimmungen zur Verfügung. Kurzum: Für eine nachhaltige und einladende Beleuchtung in Ihrem Restaurant sind LEDs eine hervorragende Alternative.

Möchten Sie mehr über kosteneffiziente LED-Konzepte erfahren? Besuchen Sie gerne unseren Themenbereich Licht, um die Vorteile von LEDs in Ihrem Gastrobetrieb kennenzulernen!

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