4 lighting tips that can transform a room

buy what you love

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think of lighting as the jewelry in your room.
just as the right necklace or earrings can take and outfit from ordinary to stunning, the right lighting can elevate your room and make it feel special. an interesting and beautiful light fixture or lamp can make any space come alive with personality.

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hard-wired fixtures such as pendants, chandeliers and sconces can be pricey, so be sure and purchase ones that you know you will love for years to come--whether that is a modern, sputnik-type chandelier or a set of vintage brass sconces with intricate scroll-work. if you love it, it will work.


divide the light (types of interior lighting)

lighting is generally categorized as ambient, task or accent lighting. when each of these lighting categories is present, the result is welcoming and well-lit room.

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 ambient, or general lighting provides enough light to function in a space, and is accomplished with ceiling mounted fixtures, or can lighting.

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task lighting helps you perform a certain task such as reading, preparing or cooking food, writing or grooming. this light is usually provided by smaller, portable desk or floor lamps,  pendants and under cabinet lights.

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accent lighting is used to draw attention on a piece of art, a texture on a wall, or other architectural feature. these lights tend to quite bright, and are generally track or wall mounted spot lights or picture lights.

if your room feels flat or the you feel the lighting could use some improvement, look around and see if you have all three types of lighting. if not, add the missing component, and your room should feel more balanced and welcoming. all three types of lighting can be purchased at stores like habitat lighting.


hide the cords (make lighting cables invisible)

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we have all seen those beautiful, glossy spreads in magazines where lamps seem to magically float on glass tables in the middle of rooms, without a cord to seen. most of these miraculous feats are accomplished with photo shop, but you cant photo shop "real life". you can, however, minimize the appearance of unsightly cords. simply take a few minutes to manipulate your cords down the backs or legs of furniture so that they are not as obvious. there are also products on the market that attach to your furniture and keep cords tucked neatly away. cords can then be kept along baseboards and neatly brought up to the outlets.


check your bulbs

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often, if a space feel sterile or too dark, the simplest solution is often to change your light bulbs. if you have a space that feels dark, try upping the wattage of the bulbs in your light fixtures, or switching to a more energy efficient form of light such as fluorescent or LED, which tend to feel brighter than most incandescent bulbs. if your space suffers from "hospital syndrome"-where the lighting feels bright and flat and has a cool cast to it, consider switching to a bulb that promises a warmer output of light.

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going with a 3 way bulb can be a great option in a bedroom or media room, where at times you want a small output of light, and at other times you need the light to be brighter.

This post is written by me and sponsored by  habitat lighting. The opinions expressed in this post are entirely mine.