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 that 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 3 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).
The cheapest, quickest fix for great lighting at home: Changing all of your switches to dimmers.