#designreference

Five hundred lumens is roughly the brightness of a 40 watt incandescent bulb, or about 5 to 8 watts on an LED. It gives you a soft but useful glow, enough for reading, hallways, small bedrooms, and most bedside lamps. It is gentle, not harsh, and works best in smaller fixtures or as part of layered lighting. The key idea: choose bulbs by lumens, not watts, if you want the right brightness.