19 Secrets for Getting Good Lighting in Every Spot Around Your Home

Nothing makes or breaks a room quite like lighting. It changes the mood, sets the ambiance, and can help define spaces like living and dining rooms or nooks and kitchens, particularly in open-concept layouts. Plus, why settle for bad lighting when the fun, functional options out there are endless?

If your spaces are looking less than brilliant, take a few of these tips with you the next time you shop for a new lighting fixture or try to reconfigure your lighting situation in any part of your home.

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All Around the House

These tips can be applied to most rooms in your home and will help you get a sense of what to look for when you’re shopping for new lighting fixtures and installing them in your space. In general, it’s best to:

• Include at least three sources of light in each room: General lighting (overhead or pendant), Specific lighting (task or table), and Ambient lighting (sconces, candles, or decorative).
• Maximize natural light by keeping your windows clean—it’s cheap, simple, and really does make a difference.
• Choose the right shade for your fixtures: White shades let more light pass through but can create a colder tone, while colored shades will tint light, making it appear creamier, warmer, or cooler, depending on the hue you choose.
• Incorporate reflective surfaces into your home; mirrors, glossy floors, and metallic finishes will bounce light around a room.
• Swap in more decorative lighting for builder-grade fixtures to change the look of your room.