Art speaks to the soul; there's no beating the contentment you feel when you bring those beautiful pieces home unless they're showcased with the proper lighting! The right lighting, temperature, and color can reveal details in the art you would never have seen otherwise, making the experience much more powerful.
But did you know you can achieve this with smart lighting? Of course, we're not talking about any lighting system; we mean a smart lighting system specifically tailored to display your artwork to museum quality (only it's open 24/7 in your home!).
Let's go over how to bring new life to every masterpiece in your collection!
Smart LED Lights
The magic of LED lighting has simplified how to showcase artwork because it's so versatile — you can use the same LED bulb to create different effects with the right technology. LED lights also have a more concentrated beam spread than other lights, and the lack of UV rays means it's perfect for preserving precious masterpieces. And LED lights have 90 percent heat reduction compared to halogen lights, so they produce the truest light.
When coupled with smart settings, and the way you view each work of art changes drastically — for the better!
CRI: Color Rendering Index
Displaying art to its literal best lighting cannot be done without CRI — the color rendering index! The CRI describes how accurately artificial light shows the colors of the objects and people around you from a scale of 1 to 100. Essentially, the CRI evaluates each object's color rendition and color accuracy under different lights!
Color Temperature
Color temperature differs from CRI because it shows how warm or cool the lighting is. The temperature is measured in Kelvin and is vital to showcase artwork to its fullest potential. With LED lighting, they require a color temperature range of 5,200 K to 5,400 K so they can tune the colors accurately (a must-have when displaying art!).
Why High-Quality CRI Fixtures
When using your smart lighting to showcase art, you can't ignore the importance of high-quality CRI fixtures. These fixtures help produce colors the way the sun would but without any of the harmful UV rays. Sunlight has the highest CRI measure, which shows the most accurate representations of colors in a work of art — but high-quality LED fixtures with the proper CRI rating are the next best thing!
The higher the CRI level, the better the artificial light can accurately render the colors the artist intended for the eye to see.
Color-Tunable vs. RGB
Along with CRI-rated fixtures, you'll also need the lights to change color, which can mean one of two things. One, they can be tunable white lights that change the color temperature to appear warmer or cooler at different times of the day. These mimic the effects of sunlight without changing the actual color, so you have more flexibility and control over your lighting. You can also tailor the lighting for each art or artist to bring out the depth and impact of what you see.
RGB lighting are lights that literally change color (RGB means red, blue, green). These lights can also change color temperature, but the quality and effect won't be the same as white-tunable lighting.
Pro Tip: Tell our team how you want your art to look, and we'll develop a lighting system that can take each painting, sculpture, or carving to new heights!
Directing & Placing the Lights
Having the best lighting fixtures is only the first step; they don't mean a thing if they're not correctly placed! This, of course, depends on the type of lighting you want.
- Track lighting aims spotlights where needed and will retain proper color even when dimmed.
- Trimless, adjustable LED recessed lighting provides a cleaner look and is more suited for low-ceiling applications.
- Wall washers can wash the wall where the art is displayed for a more casual look.
It's also crucial to direct each lighting at a 30-degree angle from the center point of the artwork to reduce glare, especially if it's under glass. Larger frames require a 35-degree angle while texture-filled paintings require a 25-degree angle. Of course, our team will handle which fixtures to use, where to place them, and create the ideal settings for your home gallery!
Pro Tip: The sooner you tell us what your plans are, the better detailed we can be with our plan to showcase your artwork in the best lighting!
What a Masterpiece!
Exhibiting the art in your collection to the best it can look is a lot of work — but definitely worth it! And with the smart lighting experts at , we'll bring the gallery experience to your home! We'll work with you to plan out each display so we can determine which fixtures to use and set up the automated system, so you never have to fiddle with it — it's already planned out for you!
So, if you have quite the collection, don't keep them all in storage — call or stop by, and we'll help you show off your impeccable taste!