If you think that LED lighting is energy efficient then you would be correct. If you think that LED lighting is always harsh and bright then you’d be incorrect. The Starbucks in New York City’s famed Times Square has undergone an LED lighting makeover and the result is anything but harsh.

 

Starbucks joined forces with Focus Lighting, a New-York based architectural lighting design firm, and Florida-based LED Source on the store’s renovation. The store is located in the middle of the Times Square Theatre District and the location inspired the store’s Broadway-styled design.

 

The soft, warm hues featured in the store are made possible thanks to new LED lamps from Toshiba. The LED lamps are not only more energy efficient than traditional bulbs, they also have a longer life, which means less time spent changing out the bulbs. As an added benefit, the bulbs don’t contain mercury or lead and so there are no hazardous waste concerns should a bulb break.

 

As I sit here on what is considered a cool day in Arizona, with morning temperatures in the 50s, I look at the photos of the store and think how relaxed I would be if I were sitting in the cozy comforts of the Broadway-inspired Starbucks store sipping a nice hot chai tea. Is anyone up for a trip to Times Square?