Shine the Light

Lighting Your Home Inside and Out

Now that the clock has turned back and darkness sets in early, it may be time to assess your home lighting situation indoors and out. Good lighting can add cheer and a sense of security to your home whether you are selling or staying put. This is one of the most overlooked areas by sellers. Good lighting is one of the single most important aspects of effectively showing a property. During home staging consultations I often see homes with rooms having little to no lighting and burned out or dated outdoor fixtures. So lets look at the good stuff for staging or just everyday living...

Exterior lights welcome visitors and provide a sense of safety and security while flattering a home's best features be it landscape or a substantial front door or entry. Well placed fixtures that are of the proper scale are like jewelry. They can really make a home shine, literally. Bright porch and garage sidelights can be combined with inexpensive and energy efficient solar path lights that guide people to your cheery door.

Indoors and out, layered lighting is the way to go and is easy to set up even if outlets are not available. When we say "layered lighting" this means using various fixtures and brightness levels to effectively light an area. Inside, combining lamps, overhead can or ceiling lighting with softer "mood" lighting gives a room interest and impressions of bright and fresh to warm and inviting.

Interior lighting can enhance wall and furniture colors or ruin them. It is so important to brighten your spaces. Dark corners and dimly lit rooms are depressing and can bring down and age a home. Single over head lights or ceiling fan lights are harsh and unflattering and just don't get the job done. Main living areas and bedrooms should always have two 2 to 3 lamps depending on the size of the rooms and other lighting available such as overhead or can lighting. In large rooms set up lighting in a triangle so there are no dark corners or unlit areas.

Bathrooms, Kitchens, and laundry rooms should be very bright areas. These can look dingy and don't feel clean even if they are.

Make sure your fixtures in these areas are equipped with the highest watt bulb the fixture will safely allow.

Same rule for garages. Dimly lit garages are scary and dark. When showing your home for sale, remember to check for burned out bulbs, inside and out.

Today, wireless lights and wireless light systems are a growing trend. There are products to fit every budget from simple battery operated switches that you can place where needed to operate a lamp to elaborate systems that not only enable flexible placement but are very energy efficient as well. It's worth your time to check out what is going on in the wireless lighting world.

Have fun with it, experiment and see what makes you feel best, chances are it is what will give potential buyers a good impression also. Even if you are not selling, these tips will make your home more comfortable for you!

AccentPositives provides effective and economical Home Staging Consultations and services on site and on line. We are located in Corona and service the Inland Empire of Southern California and the Palm Springs area. Call 951 833 8529 8529. Email staging@accentpositives.com. Visit www.accentpositives.com and www.accentingspaces.com.