By the OLED UX Team
Good light quality can mean different things to different people. But to all people, how we light our world matters. It impacts everything from mood to the ability to do tasks. Superior light quality is not just for high-end commercial real estate and hospitality; it is something that could — and should — be in the home.
Take a simple example of kitchen under cabinet lighting.
Too many options deliver a subpar experience. LEDs can be glary and reflect annoying point sources across the counter. Halogens, (yes, many kitchens still have these!), are hot and provide limited illumination on the working surface. Fluorescents spread a wider, more uniform pattern, but may need “warm up” time, contain mercury, and suffer in color quality.
“Our favorite lights in the house”
So, when homeowners in New York decided it was time to change the halogen pucks in their kitchen, they opted for an organic light emitting diode (OLED) solution. With a single OLED light panel in place of each halogen, it was goodbye hole, so long glare, arrivederci shadows, and hello, comfortably, bright radiance.
We asked the homeowner if they were enjoying their new under cabinet lighting, and he responded “We love being in that space now! Plus, it’s nice that there are no more shadows in the corners. We had guests over for dinner the other night and they asked if we had redone our backsplash – the tiles looked bluer. I said, ‘sort of. It’s OLED Light – it’s amazing’.” His wife added “we now routinely dim all the other lights in the kitchen to be able to enjoy the OLED Lights more.”
As you can see in the images above, there’s an increase in illuminance level directly below the light; from 620 lux to 723 lux. Simultaneously, light splashes more uniformly and with a much wider reach with a naturally diffuse light source like OLED.
In addition, OLEDs operate at a much lower temperature than halogens thus dropping the counter surface reading by at least 4°C – no more melting chocolate and stale bread! These ultrathin light panels are tucked away nicely under the cabinet and there is the added benefit of superb color rendering that food looks as fantastic as it tastes. Finally, and most importantly, without the glare, you don’t have to worry as much about nipping that finger with that sharp knife! Bon Appétit!
