Never Underestimate The Importance of Lighting

The days may be getting longer, but Daylight Savings Time hasn’t arrived yet, and the cold, dark, winter nights are still with us. So here are some cold-weather tips for interior lighting that will keep your home looking warm and cozy during the remaining weeks of winter.

• While recessed lighting easily illuminates a room, it does not provide the ambiance that lamps do. Use down-lights and accent lights to create a medley of effects from spacious to intimate.
• Use a minimum of three lamps regardless of overhead lighting. This will give the room a more spacious feeling as the light radiates inward. Place the lamps triangularly in the room to ensure that the dark corners are illuminated.
• Change a dark lampshade to a translucent shade and you’ll bring a new and brighter look to your lamp and room.
• Up-lights give a radiant glow to a room. Place a floor style lamp next to a sofa or chair where a table lamp won’t fit.
• Lamps do not need to match, but they should share the same weight and mood.
• Small lamps can add a warm, inviting look by placing them in unlikely places such as inside bookshelves, on a kitchen counter, in bathrooms or on small foyer tables.
• To soften the edges of kitchen counters, use under-cabinet lighting. This not only provides ample light for kitchen tasks but leaves a warm, inviting look to your kitchen.
• Accent lights are wonderful to spotlight special pieces such as artwork, large plants or trees, important collections and displays. For example, you might shine a light up through the foliage of a large plant or tree, producing an interesting interplay of lights and shadows.
• Set a pretty table for two, buy fresh flowers and dine by candlelight.
• Nothing makes a home cozy like the crackle and warmth of a hearth. So get a fire going and make the most out of your fireplace while it’s still cold outside.