Lighting Can Make
A Huge Difference!

In the dreary winter months every home needs brightening up, especially those that are going to be marketed to potential buyers. Lighting can make an otherwise “garden variety” room very interesting and inviting!

One homeowner and client of Re-Creating Interiors (an interior redesign company owned by Accredited Staging Professional and Realtor®, Mary McDonald), recently added and balanced lighting in a room. Friends that evening asked if she had redecorated or gotten new furniture! A commercial client and CPA firm added lamp light to desks in a room that offered only overhead fluorescent bulbs. Their clients visit them primarily in the winter months and the added warmth has welcomed them into a more inviting atmosphere.

There are many types of lighting. Ambient light is that which surrounds you. Overhead lighting is an example of ambient light. Adding dimmers to ambient light makes it more functional. Task lighting includes lamp light. Accent Lighting, while not meant to illuminate the room, adds drama. Small lamps on bookcases and up-lights beside trees are examples of accent lighting. Kinetic light is “light in motion” and is achieved using candlelight or fire in a fireplace. Check your room to see if it offers the different types of light.

Positioning light throughout the room is also very important. It is best to try to balance it by placing at least 3 lamps in a triangular pattern. Is there a matching lamp in another room you may want to use? Simply changing a lamp shade can change its look and is an affordable way to extend the use of a lamp you may already own.

Until we can throw open the windows and let the sun shine in, addressing the lighting in our homes can not only improve the feel of the room but it can lift our spirits as well! This is one reason why the Mary Opfer team at REMAX pays close attention to a home’s lighting (among other things) before it goes on the market.