Every Norrlys lamp leaves the workshop with the same bulb in the box: a dimmable LED rated at 2200K. People ask why we do not offer a choice. The short answer is that we tested the alternatives in our own rooms, through a long Tromsø winter, and kept coming back to this one.
What the number means
Colour temperature is measured in kelvin. Lower numbers are warmer and more amber, higher numbers cooler and bluer. A candle burns at around 1900K, an old incandescent bulb at about 2700K, and an overcast noon sky at well over 6000K. Most bulbs sold for homes sit at 2700K or 3000K, which is fine for a kitchen worktop and a little stark for an evening sofa.
At 2200K the light has the colour of a late sunset. It warms skin, deepens wood, and makes linen and paper shades glow rather than shine. It is also the temperature our shades were designed and tested under, so the colour you see in our photos is the colour you get at home.
Why dimmable matters
Warm light only works if it can also be low. A bright 2200K bulb still feels harsh at full output, so every bulb we ship is dimmable. Pair it with a dimmer switch or a plug-in dimmer, and in the evening keep most lamps at half.
If you replace a bulb, look for 2200K or 2400K, a colour rendering index (CRI) of 90 or more, and the word dimmable on the box. Then keep every bulb in the room at the same temperature. Mixed bulbs are the most common reason a room feels slightly wrong after dark.
