Thanks to the difficulty (or impossibility, if you're a renter) of re-wiring a home, we rarely consider lighting (not just light fixtures) part of our decorating plan. But the truth is, bad light can make even an expensive and perfectly curated room feel cheap and uncomfortable. Take some time out right now and reconsider your rooms' lights with a few tips from a professional.
The latest Issue of Real Simple magazine features an interview with Lighting Designer Melanie Freundlich. What does a Lighting Designer do, you ask? In a nutshell, Melanie's job is to create custom light schemes for clients with galleries or upscale residences. Sounds cushy, yeah?
For the rest of us who can't afford to hire a light designer and don't even know what a custom light scheme is, Melanie spilled some of her secrets for lighting your home to Real Simple. Here are a few of our favorite tips:
• The secret to a beautifully lit living room is variety. Consider using a range of lighting in varied heights and locations.• Bring more light to certain spots, like a great vignette or favorite objects.
• Keep different parts of a room at different brightness levels to prevent "lighting fatigue," that feeling you get in a bright, shadow-less conference room.
• You don't need lights in the middle of the kitchen. Instead, make use of directed lights on countertops and kitchen islands.
• In the bathroom, a perfect light scheme includes lights above and on both sides of the mirror to help fill in shadows. (I guess lighting fatigue isn't as important as good hair in this room.)
• Don't forget to light vertical surfaces, like art or even the wall itself.
• The cheapest, quickest fix for great lighting at home? Changing all of your switches to dimmers.
For the rest of the interview, check out the September issue of Real Simple on a newsstand near you.
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The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
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Nice ideas. I disagree with this statement though: You don't need lights in the middle of the kitchen.
tip #0.1: have a gorgeous house - like this one!
@Jae V. - I also disagree. You'd have to have a lot of undercabinet lighting and small table lamps to compensate for an overhead light.
A kitchen should have one (or more) light(s) overhead and task lighting for the counter space.
Variety of lighting in the kitchen is as important as the variety she called for in the living room.
You can update a room affordably by installing an IKEA light. It is much more cost effective than installing a dimmer. A dimmer switch can run anywhere from $20 to $40. Note that dimmers only work on dimmer fixtures (not fluorescent).
Another point - the bulbs themselves - that is important too. I refuse to use CFL bulbs in my living spaces - only in my closets. I find the lighting depressing and make up for increasing my carbon footprint other ways. I use LED for under cabinet; halogen in the hallways & over counter; amber-colored clear bulbs in the amber glass shade lights on my fireplace; pink shaded soft bulbs other places, etc. There are so many choices in just the bulbs themselves, on top of the shades and type of lamps!
I think this is a great article, but funny, I don't think the image they use is an example of great lighting. Seems a little sterile to me.
I once got some advice from an interior designer on lighting. Maybe it's a little old school, but I've found it useful.
-Three or more different sources of light around a room will create the most flattering light
-Be careful with high overhead lighting directed straight down - it creates a lot of shadows on faces and can make a room look sterile
- You should never be able to see the glare of a bare bulb from your light fixtures when you are sitting (or standing) in a room. Consider adjusting shades/table heights/pendant lights as needed. (I realize that many specialty light fixtures feature their bulbs, but this rule of thumb has worked well for placing our lamps with shades)
MARBELOUS - the problem with your CFL bulbs is the Kelvin or color of the light they emit. You are probably buying "daylight" CFL's in 3500K or above, these give off a very bright blue/green/grey light. Look on the package for CFL's that are 3100k - 2700K these are more warm light similar to an incandescent bulb.
and if you are using CFL bulbs in fixtures where the lamp can be seen, purchase a shrouded bulb rather than the usual "twisty" style. The twist lamp is house inside a more traditional shaped shroud, this diffuses the light and prevents you from seeing sunspots if you look directly at it, unlike the undiffused twisty bulb.
LED's are fantastic, but these also require attention to Kelvin for color of light.
Halogens give off fantastic light, but they also create heat and are not as efficient.
SMITTY07NYC great ideas! I would add that there are three are three basic types of lighting that when used together in your home they create the perfect result:
Ambient
Task
Accent
Check out this website for great factual, professional and helpful info on what lighting design is really about: http://www.americanlightingassoc.com/Lighting-Fundamentals/3-Types-of-Lighting.aspx
Nice piece with good advice. No fluff--more like this, please.
And even a couple of helpful comments--bonus!
With autumn upon us I am updating the lighting in the house and I'm frustrated by a few things:
CFLs neither dim nor deal with the 3-way thing well (even a "3-way dimmable" CFL buzzed and flickered).
LEDs aren't bright enough! The brightest sold at Home Depot is the equivalent of 75watts and it was $40! Some bulb advice on AT would be much appreciated.