How Good Lighting Is Important To The Appearance Of Your Home

Don’t settle with boring and out dated lighting. Make your home shine!

Thanks to renovation shows like House Rules, more and more people are taking DIY into their own hands. They now know that updating their lighting is not only affordable but also beneficial to the appearance of their home.

The benefits of good interior/exterior lighting

Lighting can completely alter the aesthetic appeal of a room. With a small change, you can transform your home from dark and dingy to bright and homey. Here is how:

Exterior lighting

Exterior lighting serves more than one purpose. Yes, it is great for adding street charm and focal points but it also offers a safety aspect.

• Use unique lighting options to create a talking point.

• Path lighting not only looks great but is the most common form of safety lighting on the exterior of the home.

TIP: Exterior lighting shouldn’t be too bright. Keep it dull so you don’t produce dark areas of yard that could result in safety hazards.

Interior lighting

Interior lighting can change the entire outcome of a room. By strategically placing lights in a certain way to maximise lighting, it completely alters the ambiance of a room.

• Bright rooms appear larger; this is why natural light is just as important as artificial lighting.

• Light tones – White is the brighter option but it often makes the room feel colder. Tinted and yellow tones are not as vibrant but give the room a warmer feel.

• Dimmers – These are a great option for living, dining and family rooms because you can alter the intensity of light emitted to suit the current activity. Dimmers are also great power savers!

• Consider making pictures or artworks a feature in the hallways, stairs and entries by positioning lights to showcase them.

• Light fixtures can transform your décor. Make sure you choose ones that compliment your personal tastes and your homes interior!

Look at places like Urban Lighting for a diverse range of interior and exterior styles to suit your individuality.

TIP: Make sure your lighting and fixtures are practical for your family and the style of your home!

How to improve lighting

Each room requires something different to get the most benefits from your lighting upgrade.

• Kitchen – Lights should be bright. This is so you can see what you are doing whilst cooking and give you a safe and comfortable space to prepare meals.

• Bathroom – By placing lights on either side of your mirror you will have ample lighting that is even with minimal shadows.

• Family room – If space permits, the use of a floor lamp or large pendant lighting instead of a table lamp will do wonders. This will create an interest point and add dimension to the room.

• Bedrooms – Add bedside lamps with individual switches. This provides a relaxing environment and allows comfortable and convenient reading.

You may be tempted to purchase a cheaper alternative but investing in high quality fixtures and lighting is worth the outlay! Just remember that for safety reasons and to reduce hazards, any wiring should be done by a qualified electrician.

By modifying your interior and exterior lighting, you are improving not only the appearance of your home but also the practicality and mood of each individual room.

How has modifying the lighting benefited your home?

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If the style of your home is starting to feel outdated, it might be time for a decorating project. Instead of blowing your savings on a whole house of new furniture, check out some of these budget-friendly ideas to decorate your home.

Shelving Units Are Your Friend

The beauty of shelving units is being able to stash those items you use frequently, but don’t want left all over the place. Picking shelving units in plain colours allows you to strategically place homewares on each of the shelves. Check out a retailer such as www.superamart.com.au for affordable and practical storage units, then dress them up by adding some colourful knick-knacks, vases or photo frames. You can also use these shelves for storing magazines, music collections or even linen. If the block layout doesn’t work for you, look at laddered designs for something different. Storage doesn’t have to be hidden away, or boring!

Add in Some New Lighting

Lighting your home doesn’t require expensive chandeliers or pearl light covers. There are plenty of inexpensive ways to add light to your home without going over your budget. Look for bedside lamps, lanterns for the dining table or candles to spread around the house. These are all quick, easy and affordable ways to add some light and colour to your home. Candles can be bought quite cheaply from department stores and there are so many scents, styles and colours available to match with the décor of your room.

Dress Up Your Walls with Canvases & Prints

If you have an eye for art, this is the perfect time to use it! Colourful artworks, beautiful photos printed on canvas and framed prints can completely change the look of a room. You don’t have to search galleries to find an investment piece for your home. Instead, select your favourite family photo to be printed and mounted, or scout around craft markets for creative transfers on wood and gorgeous sketches. Once you have found something you love, hang it as your statement piece in the room.

Reflect Some Light into the Room

Subtle additions of light through reflection can exaggerate the size of the room. Placing a mirror where it catches light (either natural or artificial light) makes the room instantly look bigger. Hallways and entrance ways can benefit from the addition of a mirror (either small or large) to brighten the area up. Mirrors can be bought second-hand from most charity shops, or purchased cheaply from many homewares stores. When hanging or standing a mirror, avoid placing it where the surface reflects outside a window or doorway – it’s considered very bad Feng Shui.

Add Small Pops of Colour

You don’t have to use large pieces of coloured furniture to decorate a room. Small pops of colour through rugs, throws, knick-knacks or vases can make a big difference to any space. You can pick up vases in a range of materials, colours, styles and sizes relatively cheaply. These can be placed on mantelpieces, side tables, dining tables or even on your shelving units. Don’t feel that you need to fill your vases either – let coloured or quirky designs speak for themselves.

Re-decorating areas of your home doesn’t have to be an expensive activity.

What are some of the key pieces you use to decorate with?

This is an S2 POST.

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