I just purchased a grey sofa. In our living area, it looks green! We have greyish tan walls which we will probably change. The first thing I wanted to look at in our room though is the lighting. In the afternoon when light is coming in, the sofa looks charcoal grey like it is supposed to. This is our den/basement and we have fluorescent lighting. I was wondering what color of lighting should we go with to tone down the green in the grey? I looked online and they have full spectrum, cool white and warm white. Our current bulbs don't say whether they are cool,warm or full spectrum. Thanks!
Most lighting stores and even Big Box building stores like Home Depot and Lowes have a display with various color temperatures of light bulbs, particularly fluorescents. Can you take a sample of the sofa fabric with you, like the cover to one of the cushions? Bring it and place it under the lighting samples and see which will give you the color you like. I was a lighting consultant and I tend to think a cool white or bright white will be your best bet -- it's in the blue spectrum rather than warmer yellow tones that you'll find in warm white. Even if bulbs don't have a color name on them they should have a 4 digit color temperature number like 4100, 3000 or 3500. You want something 4000 or higher which will be closer to what's called northern sky light. You can get bulbs up to 5000 or 7500 temperature but they will be a bit dimmer than the 4100 bulbs though the color will be truer.
If you look at the spectral output of a cool white vs warm white emitter ....There is more blue/ green in the cool white and more red/yellow in the warm. Hook up a few table lamps with Normal incandescents and you will see what your eye will see with a full spectrum light on the color of the couch. Remember that light is also bouncing off your walls. Full spectrum are more expensive but will mimic the sunlight most closely. Ok more of an explanation check your current bulb..Warm White will say 2700-3000K. Cool White from 3500K-4000K. Daylight will be 5000K. Aquarium will be full spectrum or in the 6000K range. Walmart has a GE sunshine tube (in the orange cardboard sleeve) that is a relatively cheap full spectrum bulb.
