Decorating? Don’t Forget Lighting for the Home

March 3rd, 2009 Posted in Kitchen Lighting

If you are considering redecorating or updating your home, don’t forget the lighting.  Well chosen and properly installed lighting can make all the difference in your remodel.  Lighting for the home has changed dramatically and can add so much value for very little.  Bring your home into the 21st century by simply replacing bathroom or kitchen light fixtures.

Start out by asking a friend or neighbor to give you an honest assessment of your current outside and inside lighting.  For just a few hundred dollars, you can change to a more updated look in contemporary lighting for the home without making any major renovations costing thousands of dollars not to mention the mess and inconvenience.  

If you are shopping for curved track lighting for the home there is a wide range of choices.  Art glass, pendants, monorails and much more is available.  Art glass can be ordered in amber, black, opal or red.  It is also available in frosted amber, amethyst, white, or green glass. Choose hardware made of bronze or satin nickel in contrast to the gold hardware popular in the 80’s.   

Think outside the box when installing or replacing outside landscape or patio lights for security or decorative reasons.  You have so much to choose from such as spheres, pendants, and pole mounted fixtures.  You can choose glass or bulbs in colors such as white, red, green, blue, or yellow and stone-like finishes in terracotta, sandstone, or granite that seamlessly blend into your landscape.  Many patio light fixtures are also available in cordless and rechargeable models that have the ability to float in ponds or pools.

Whether you are looking for a simple accent lamp, or an elegant chandelier, it is important to keep size in proportion with the room.  The recurring blunder that a lot of homeowners make is purchasing lighting for the home that is either not bright enough to serve a purpose or way too large.  You should strive for inviting lighting.  You want your family and guests to feel relaxed.

When a visitor is approaching your front gate, or front door or when they have entered your foyer their senses are receiving signals as to what type of personality you have.  Will they feel as if they are entering a brightly lit, hostile environment?  Or will the soft lighting welcome them, make them feel like special guests and beg them to return?

When picking out a post lamp or fence mounted light for your front yard it is best to go a little larger rather than skimp on the size.  To maximize curb appeal, imagine the front of your home as your neighbors would see it from the street.

By following a few simple rules for lighting the interior and exterior of your home will help create the right light for all activities, whether indoors or out.  It is quite easy to shop online and carefully peruse the various lighting store’s offerings.  Contrast the various prices and styles with what you can find locally at an electrical shop or hardware store in your area.  Changing the lighting in the home can add more value than you could imagine.