We've said it before and we'll say it again: good lighting makes all the difference in a room. If your space is feeling a little lackluster, click below for 10 simple ways to improve it through lighting...
10 Tips to Improve Your Lighting
- Consider scale. Table lamps are great, but sometimes a large lantern, an oversized pendant, or a big sculptural floor lamp can bring the focal point that a room requires.
- Add a dimmer. This allows you to easily change the mood and brightness of your lighting depending on the time of day. For a quick demo on how to install one, click here.
- Include at least three sources of light in each room: general (overhead or pendant) lighting, specific (task or table) lighting, and ambient (sconces, candles or decorative) lighting.
- Choose the right shade. White shades let more light through, but usually create a colder tone. Colored shades will tint the light, making it appear creamier, warmer, or cooler depending on the hue you choose.
- Use CFLs or LEDs for energy efficiency. CFLs tend to emit a harsher light, but you can try full spectrum versions for light that enhances blues and reds.
- Light the dark corners of your home: closets, shelves, kitchen counters, cupboards. Areas like these are often neglected, but they become more functional and beautiful when properly lit.
- Use candles for ambiance. Nothing helps to set the mood for a party like a row of tealights or a set of candlesticks on a dining table.
- Incorporate reflective surfaces into your home. Mirrors, glossy floors, and metallic finishes will bounce light around a room.
- Deal with ugly fixtures. We've all had them: the hideous frosted glass, 1970s ceiling fixtures that wash the room in dingy yellow light. Switching out the shade or replacing the fixture all-together can completely change the look of a room.
- Maximize natural light by keeping your windows clean. It's cheap, simple, and really does make a difference.
Photo: Better Homes & Gardens
Comments (5)
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I think this has been posted before. The tips are helpful, though.
That first picture is not the best inspiration. The lamp looks like an oversized water balloon about to descend on the table.
MoMA offers LED votive candles that operate on batteries. MoMA also offers a cool string of lights to hang from the ceiling. Strings of LED Christmas lights were available through Pottery Barn until recently. I imagine LED Christmas lights will be restocked shortly all over the place.
view AustinSarah's profile
yeah, i don't love that photo with the 'water balloon' but this is a helpful post.
we found out how powerful lighting could be when we put an 'uplight' behind our TV stand, under our open stairs...and saw the sun-ray pattern it made going through the stair boards! it is awesome and makes that hallway look amazing.
it's such a pain to go around and constantly turn lights on and off though, if we have a lot of them...plus trying to save money keeping the lights off...
view nikki moore - photography and vintage treasures's profile
The full spectrum (mimics daylight) CFLs are awesome! It really made a difference in my kitchen — which gets absolutely no natural light. It's still rather ugly, but it's not as bad.
But I still use the regular (yellowy) CFLs in other places that I want to be cozier.
view erinpeace's profile
Good post and I'd like to add: think about the night-time lighting plan.
view Bikegirl71's profile
I agree - correct lighting with layers can add some much more to the room design. I found some lighting tips on lightology website that gave me ideas I used in my house. I still have to work on my landscape lighting - this will be challenge for me.
view Ally09's profile