Home Upgrades: The Right Lights Make All the Difference

Improving the light and flow in a home is one of the key elements that helps make your house feel like a home rather than a showroom. When it comes to showcasing the house for the purpose of selling, lighting can be a cheap and efficient upgrade.

More Natural Light

Nothing beats natural light. Not only can natural light not be replicated, it saves on electricity bills. Plus, seeing the sun out just puts people in a better mood, better mood may sway a potential buyer to actually buy. There are ways to improve natural light in the home. For instance, try not to block window light with bulky, dark furniture. Dark furniture, window side, will not only take away the life from the room, over time sun damage will fade the furniture. Large windows should ideally be accented with lightweight fabrics, allowing the rays to pass through. An alternative to curtains are shutters, not only are shutters modern looking, they are also hygienic since they don't absorb dust, like curtains or blinds. With shutters you also have more control over how much light you want passing through.

Tip: North facing windows bring light into a room but not direct sunlight.

Since each room essentially has a different personality and feel to the space, it is best to capture that by changing up the lighting style.

Dining Room

Dining rooms have a focal point; the dining table and chair set, and in some cases the serving pieces and sets. The only thing remaining to complete the room, is the centre point, the lighting itself and the fixture style. This is the fun part where one can show the furniture in the space, not the owner's style per say. Casual, formal, funky, retro, modern, the options are endless! Dining rooms are all about ambient lighting, most people tend to go with a chandelier, because it plays as a dramatic focal point.

Tip: The recommended height for hanging a chandelier is 30 inches above a dining room table, from the lowest part of the chandelier.

Hallways

In the same fashion ones would choose to accent a dining room with dramatic lighting would carry on to lighting a hallway space. This could be one show stopping chandelier or a series of lighting that walks with you as you take every step. Grand lighting in a hallway showcases how big and open and how high the ceiling is. At the same time it will draw your eye to everything in the hallway; perhaps a staircase, large showpiece or a wall painting. For that reason, try to keep the hallway clean with minimal places your eye will travel.

Tip: Hallway lighting should be evenly distributed over the distance.

Bathroom

Bathroom lighting is quite important, since people usually begin and end their days in this particular room. It's one of the places people pretty themselves up and also a place to relax (soaker tub). Depending on the bathroom design, you may want to lit different elements of the design; above mounted fixtures or side lighting for the mirror, ceiling mounted fixture in the shower area, etc. Halogen bulbs are generally the standard for bathroom lighting, but the newest compact fluorescent bulbs are also a great option.

Tip: To eliminate shadows under the chin, eyes and cheeks, fixtures should be mounted on the sides of the vanity mirror.

Bedroom

This is the place where you can truly show off the space and personality. For a clean, balanced look symmetry is key, which can be achieved with side lamps. To create a modern bedroom look that also saves space, try low-watt, hanging pendant lighting that suspends from the ceiling right above the nightstands. Centre mounted ceiling lights hanging directly over the bed is not a great idea, as it's less comfortable since the light may be directly in your face when lying in bed. Dimmers do well in bedrooms (and family rooms) to control brightness. When natural light isn't an option, a swing-arm floor lamp provides the perfect amount of light, wherever you want it. For bedroom lighting, keep in mind ceiling height, size of space and the mood you're trying to create.

Tip: Choose one primary source of light and then choose smaller fixtures for soft additional lighting to highlight certain parts of the room, or for a specific task (ex. reading in bed would benefit from a side table lamp).

Kitchen:

One of the busiest spaces in a home is most likely the kitchen. It's the food prep space and eating place. For that reason people tend to over light the kitchen. Kitchens are all about task lights to showcase the workspaces. The least expensive, easiest way to add a layer of lights is underneath cabinets and countertops. Plus, underneath lighting prevent shadows on counters, while looking stylish. Energy saving lights like LED's are a great option. Track lights are great for illuminating food prepping area. Fluorescent lights are great to help create a brighter ceiling that bounces and reflects light throughout the space without glare.

Tip: With many white surfaces, you are able to lower the wattage of bulbs used or even cut back on the number of fixtures and still have a well lit room.

Quality lighting contributes significantly to the overall ambiance of the home. When planning the lighting of a home, one should take into account the natural and artificial lighting options. Any time you're tempted to evoke your personal style to the home when selling, remind yourself that your goal is to add value, not artistic expression.

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Search for Toronto Real Estate in the largest database of New Condos; Resale Homes for sale by TheRedPin. Search Condos for Sale Toronto visit TheRedPin.