Lumeny

Lumeny is a neologism used to refer to the perceived quality of light produced by a lighting installation, integrating brightness, color fidelity, glare, distribution, and temporal aspects. It is not an official SI unit and has no standardized definition.

The term emerged in design and architecture discourse in the early 21st century, formed from lumen, the SI unit of luminous flux, and a -y suffix to denote a property or character. It is commonly encountered in informal discussions and some product descriptions.

Lumeny is related to, but distinct from, established lighting metrics such as luminous flux (lumens), illuminance (lux), color rendering index (CRI), and correlated color temperature (CCT). It focuses on perceived quality rather than measurement alone, and is highly context-dependent.

In practice, lumeny appears in architectural briefs and marketing materials as a qualitative descriptor for warmth, diffusion, and comfort of light. Assessments are typically subjective, sometimes supported by checklists or viewer surveys, rather than by objective benchmarks.

Because no formal standard governs lumeny, its use can invite ambiguity. Professionals often prefer to rely on established quantities (lumens, lux, CRI, UGR) for specifications, while acknowledging lumeny as a colloquial reference to how light feels in a space.