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Best Replacement Lightbulbs for Not-so-Nice Fixtures?

Tess Wilson
Tess Wilson
After many happy years living in tiny apartments in big cities, Tess has found herself in a little house on the prairie. For real.
updated Mar 8, 2019
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(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Q: My family and I recently moved in to a new rental townhouse. The townhouse is lit almost entirely by overhead dual-bulb “boob” lights and some fan/light combos, all of which have marbled off-white frosted glass shades and all of which came with CFLs. While we appreciate the energy efficiency, the lighting is extremely yellow and makes everything look atrocious and pretty depressing at night or in areas without natural light…

We plan to be here two years, not long enough to justify purchasing about 15 new overhead fixtures, and toddler/space constraints limit our ability to have a bunch of lamps. What are some lightbulbs (brands and specifics, please!) that would brighten and cheer up these areas without costing us an arm and a leg (since we’ll need so many?) – we’ll save the CFLs to reinstall on move-out.

P.S. We used to use GE Reveal bulbs in our old apartment, but stopped purchasing as their reliability and lifespan plummeted… -Sent by Sophia

Editor: I love this question because light quality affects my mood/energy levels dramatically; yes, I am the princess of “And The Pea” fame. Please share your very favorite lightbulbs, as well as your least-favorites!

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