I went to Home Depot and saw the bright white, I think it might be 3200 - 3500. I am trying to go more economical route by going for HD ecosmart integrated with trim. I am also thinking about buying trim and CFL bulb, then buy the right color temperature once led bulbs are cheaper. Is Anyone going this route?

5000K and up? You can't be serious. 5000K is already a very cool white. Try to put it behind a lampshade at night and it looks just plain bluish. I agree though, 2700K is just too warm. Not quite torch-like, but close. I wouldn't use 2700K unless you want a very cozy feeling. And unless you get high CRI, I personally find 2700K feels a little like a sodium vapor street lamp (not in a good way), everything is all orange and it sucks the color out of the room. Like I stated previously, 2700K is going to be noticeably a bit more orange-colored than the incandescent bulbs everyone was used to before. But if the choice comes down to 2700K vs 5000K, which one is it going to be? Because unfortunately many LED lamp brands do not offer any color temperature options in the middle. 2700K = suffocatingly warm, 5000K = sterile laboratory Sometimes they will have a "bright white" color temperature option (3000K), this has a very "bright" feel like something you would find in a modern house.

Running up the white flag, I surrender. You are right. A renter is not an owner, and it would be best to work with the landlord. I will make just one additional comment for renter's "rights". Saying that most tenants are terrible painters is unfair--so are many landlords (or at least the painters they subcontract with). I have lived in places where it looked like the painter stood in the middle of the room and did a quick circle with a paint sprayer--overspray EVERYWHERE: lights, switches, blinds, floor edges, etc. I have friends in an apartment where every grease spatter or piece of crud, including spiders, was simply painted over. I have a family member living in an apartment where the owner charges $800 to have his painters come in to paint an accent wall--a 9x12 foot wall! And then another $800 to paint it back when you vacate. A lot of landlords are awesome, careful, and responsible. So are many tenants. As more and more people can not afford to purchase a home; I hope that landlords/owners will work to make it somewhat easier/more reasonable to make a rental feel like home. Not sure why I'm on my soapbox about this today :) Maybe because all of my kids are out of the house living in apartments indefinitely. Sorry, I really did not mean to offend or step on the toes of professionals and landlords that know far more on the subject.

Hello seaninebowen, For color temperature, the most commonly used in residential outdoor lighting is 2700K (soft white). As far as wattage goes, that would be dependent on your fixture's ratings (line or low voltage, max/min watt.) and your personal preferences on the intensity of the light output. -Evan K.