This post will teach you how to light a room when you’re staging to sell a property!

Light plays a crucial role when selling a home! When done properly, it drifts into the background; seemingly unnoticed. Allowing a potential buyer to see a space that fits their needs. When executed poorly, a potential buyer will be left wondering why a space feels cold or dark. Even a room with plenty of light can feel ‘off’ because the color temperature is wrong.

This is an important part of staging because it not only affects how a home looks but can also impact our productivity and mood.

“When did buying light bulbs get so challenging?” - The purpose of this post is to make sure you’re using the correct color temperature and brightness for a rooms intended purpose, to help make a sale.

Take a look at the image below:

To make sure you get the intended result, there are two factors to consider when lighting a room:

Color Temperature
Lumens (brightness)

Color Temperature

What is color temperature? Color temperature is a measurement used to describe a lights visual appearance and color; as shown in the image above. This measurement is represented as degrees Kelvin (°K) and generally ranges anywhere from 1000°K and 10,000°K (I promise, this isn’t a science lesson). However, most home light bulbs fall between 2700°K - 6500°K. Where 2700° is a much warmer and 6500° is much cooler.

Now, as I just stated, this post isn’t a science lesson. People write entire books on the subject and I can’t break down the science of light in this post. Mostly because, it’s not why you’re here - “just tell me what bulbs to buy.”

Different rooms serve different purposes. Knowing that there are different colored lights (warm and cool), can help tailor a room for the intended purpose/mood.

So what color should be used for a certain space? The best way to answer this is by breaking the color temperatures into three categories: warm, neutral, & cool.

Warm White:

Range of Degrees Kelvin: 2600°K - 3200°K (ideally 3000°K)

Color associated: Yellow/Orange

Mood/Productivity: Relaxing - Warm, Cozy, & Relaxing

Neutral White:

Range of Degrees Kelvin: 3200°K - 4500°K

Color associated: Neutral white (see image above)

Mood/Productivity: Balanced & Functional

Cool White:

Range of Degrees Kelvin: 4500°K - 6500°K

Color Associated: Blue

Mood/Productivity: Bright & Stimulating

“So, where should I start?” you might be thinking.

I’m not expecting you to go out and buy a different type of lightbulb for each room. In most rooms, a neutral color will get the job done. However, knowing there are different color temperatures ensures you don’t put a yellow/orange light in a room that probably should be on the cooler side.

Below, you will find a list of different rooms and the recommended light temperature (these are just recommendations, your space might need something slightly different).

Kitchen

**Temperature:** Neutral to Cool (4500°K)
**Why:** Balances warmth and clarity, making the space feel clean, fresh and functional.

**Tip:** Use under cabinet lighting to add brightness to countertops (more on brightness after color temp)

Living Room

Bedroom

Bathroom

**Temperature:** Neutral to Cool (4500°K)
**Why:** Bright enough for grooming tasks but still inviting.

**Tips:** Avoid overly cool (> 5000°K) lighting, which can make skin tones look unnatural.

Dinning Room

**Temperature:** Warm to Neutral (3000°K - 3500°K)
**Why:** Enhances warmth and makes food look more appealing.

**Tip:** A chandelier or pendant lights in the lower range (2700°K) adds elegance.

Hallways

**Temperature:** Warm to Neutral (3000°K - 3500°K)
**Why:** Enhances warmth and makes food look more appealing.

**Tip:** If possible, consider a dimmable option.

Entryway

**Temperature:** Warm to Neutral (2700°K - 3500°K)
**Why:** Sets a welcoming tone of the home.

**Tip:** A statement light fixture in this range adds warmth and character.

Home Office

**Temperature:** Neutral to Cool (4000°K - 5000°K)
**Why:** Enhances focus and productivity while reducing eye strain.

**Tip:** Use task lighting (desk lamps) in the 5000°K for work areas.

Laundry Room

**Temperature:** Neutral to Cool (5000°K)
**Why:** Bright lighting helps with spotting stains and sorting clothes.

**Tip:** Overhead LED panels provide even, shadow-free illumination.

Garage

**Temperature:** Cool (5000°K - 6000°K)
**Why:** Maximizes visibility for tasks and organization.

**Tip:** LED strip lights in work area improve functionality.

If you’re not sure which light temperature your room should use, ask yourself: “what mood is this room trying to convey?”

Which mood from the three colors above, mostly closely represents the mood you think your room is trying to convey?

None of this matters however, if your space is lit improperly. Some rooms are meant to be light, some are supposed to be a bit darker - in all actuality, it’s your space. Light it however you want! This is just a guide…
This is where Lumens enter the conversation -

Lumens (Brightness)

Lumens are the amount of brightness a bulb gives off. This is important because a 20 square foot bathroom needs far less light than a 750 square foot kitchen with vaulted ceilings. Keep in mind, a lower lumen bulb in a small space might appear brighter than a high lumen bulb in a large space.

Depending on how old you are, you might remember buying light bulbs based on watts. As LEDs have become the normal, watts aren’t as important as they used to be. The amount of ‘watts used’ is how much energy the light bulb is consuming… so for the sake of this post, ignore it.

How many lumens do you need? Based off of a helpful chart I found on hangoutlighting.com you will need to do some basic math:

Step 1: Find the rooms total square feet (length of room x width of room) - you can ballpark this, just get close

Example: 15’ x 12’ bedroom = 180 Square Feet

Step 2: Find the Total Lumens Needed for the Space - Using the chart below from hangoutline.com, take your ‘total square feet’ and multiply it by the ‘suggested lumens’ of that room.

Example: 180 sq ft x 15 (from bedroom part of the chart below) = 2,700 lumens for the space.

Once you know how many Lumens are needed to light your space, you can find light bulbs in the correct color temperature.

***NOTE ON TOTAL ROOM BRIGHTNESS: This post is intended to help stage a home to be sold. In that situation, you want the room(s) to be bright. However, if you have found yourself on this page and you’re trying to light a space for yourself, you might want a darker room. I personally like my home office to be a bit moody and dark. Therefore, I would probably go with the smaller number on the chart if I’m lighting for my own personal space. Some trial and error might be needed to dial in your space.

It’s important to point out, you don’t need all those Lumens coming from one lightbulb or one fixture. Let’s take our example above: 2,700 total Lumens for the bedroom.

Looking at the image below. You will notice that there are four light sources. You might not want the lamps on your nightstand to be as bright as the light above your dresser in real-life. But for staging, the goal might be to draw your attention to the bed and not the dresser. So you might want brighter lights on the nightstand when staging. Play around with the space and decide what the focal point is and light accordingly (when possible).

With all the information above, you should be ready to light your home! I promise the time spent making a home feel inviting with proper light will be worth the effort!

A few final lighting tips:

Match light bulb color - Don’t stray more than a few hundred degrees Kelvin between light colors in a room. And always use the exact same bulbs for a single fixture!
Avoid extremely cold color temperatures - I’d advise not buying bulbs with color a Kelvin rating over 5500°K except for a workshop or garage. If anything, go with a brighter lightbulb in a slightly lower Kelvin rating.
Mix and Match - Contradicting my first tip, there is a time and place to mix and match lighting.
1. Example - Say there is a cozy reading corner off a living space. You might want to go with a very warm light in that corner to add a bit off moody light and cozy feels.

Got questions or need Real Estate Photos and Media, we’d love to hear from you!

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The Temperature of Light: Selling with Psychology