Glare-Free & Green: Kathy Pryzgoda on CFL Lights at Home
By now, most of us green-minded girls know about the advantages of compact fluorescents (CFLs) over incandescents—the major one being that your average CFL can last up to 10 times longer than its incandescent counterpart, conserving countless units of precious energy. Unfortunately, we also know that CFLs tend to create a glaring, less than lovely light, making us think twice about using them to illuminate the interiors of our homes.
Lucky for us, lighting designer Kathy Pryzgoda of SoCal’s Light Studio LA is here to help. (That’s her, pictured below, and all photos here and on our home page are of her eco-friendly lighting projects.) “A CFL can have four times the brightness per watt of your standard incandescent bulb,” she told us. This may be great for lighting up your midnight rock climb or inspecting your skin for emerging pimples, but for creating a cocktail-party glow in your living room?
Not so much.
Unless, of course, you follow Pryzgoda’s foolproof CFL tips. First off, to avoid creating a glare monster, “Never leave a compact fluorescent bare,” she said. “Shade it!” Pryzgoda suggested sheer, semi-transparent or light-colored shades instead of opaque shades, which can leave you in the dark. Her expert rec? “Adding a semi-transparent pink or amber shade will help warm up the fluorescent light and create a beautiful glow.”
Thinking of replacing your recessed incandescents with fluorescents? We applaud you. But, Pryzgoda warned, don’t just swap out your cans for CFLs—you may end up overwhelming a room with harsh, bright light. Instead, she advised replacing the recessed lights’ baffle trim with a lensed shower trim or sand-blasted lens.
Confused? Follow Pryzgoda’s simple how-to:
1. Check the light’s housing to find out the size of the trim and manufacturer, which should be clearly visible.
2. Find out if that manufacturer offers the right kind of trim to soften the light of your new CFL bulbs.
3. Install said trim and bathe in the beautiful glow.
Finally, Pryzgoda reminded us to check your whites before you buy CFLs. “Warm white is most like an incandescent bulb, and cool white is most like daylight, which has a blue-green cast,” she explained. To get all technical on you, here’s the rationale: “Color temperature is measured in ‘degrees Kelvin.’ A typical incandescent bulb is 2,700 degrees Kelvin, while the color temperature of daylight is 5,000 degrees Kelvin. Fluorescents are available in a range from 2,700 to 5,000 degrees Kelvin, so you can pick your perfect light.” Riiight.
For more information on color temps and home-friendly CFL lighting in general, visit light-maker Sylvania, which offers the very cool—um, we mean warm—Living Spaces CFLs line. Or check out Philips, a personal favorite of Pryzgoda’s.
Spot on!
