Improving Living Space on a Budget with Lighting
If you are searching for ways to improve your home, you can’t go wrong with lighting. Lighting can make rooms appear bigger, brighter and fresher. You can use it to highlight the best features of your home and achieve a more contemporary look. Here’s how you can improve your home inexpensively by using lighting.
In the Kitchen
Kitchen designers use a little known trick to make their designs sell. Simply place some uplights on top of the units. This bounces light off the ceiling, making the room look more attractive. If you opt for LED uplights, the lights don’t cost very much to run and will hardly ever need to be replaced, thanks to an average lifespan of 15,000 hours.
In the Living Room
If your living room is small, you can easily make it look larger with lighting. One trick is to place uplights in the corner of the room – this will create a pool of light on the ceiling to give the illusion of space. You can place strips of light alongside your TV cabinet on the wall – this looks modern and fresh. Mirrors will reflect the light and open up the space – to achieve this look on a budget, get an old mirror from an antique shop and paint the frame the same colour as your walls for a seamless look.
In the Hallway
Hallways are usually quite narrow and dark, but it is simple to increase the feeling of space with lights. Place uplights on walls along the stairs or go for a dramatic pendant fixture on the ceiling. You could even place strips of lighting on the treads of the stairs – just go for a warm white rather than cool bright white to avoid the nightclub look!
Dimmer Switches
If you don’t have the budget to change your lighting, invest in dimmer switches instead. Dimmer switches allow you to control the level of lighting in the room, so that you can play around with mood and ambient lighting. You could have bright lights for reading and homework, and dimmed lights for relaxing with a glass of wine after a meal.
Swap to LEDs
The primary way to save money on your lighting is to swap to LEDs. LED bulbs last longer, require less electricity and generate less heat than halogen or fluorescent bulbs. They are superior in practically every way. With more providers offering LED lighting for affordable prices, it doesn’t even have to be an expensive investment. If you don’t have the budget to switch over all of your lights, consider swapping the bulb of the light that you use the most for an LED alternative, and you will soon see the difference in quality, and on your electricity bill.
What tips do you have for improving your home on a budget?
*This is a collaborative post.
