Lighting Guide

Lighting for Home Resale: What Buyers Notice and Appraisers Value

Lighting is one of the most overlooked factors in residential real estate, yet experienced buyers and agents note it immediately. Homes that photograph well and show well in person are disproportio...

Dimmer Switches: The $20 Upgrade That Changes Every Room

A dimmer switch is the highest-return-on-investment lighting upgrade available in any home. It costs $15-35, installs in 20 minutes, requires no new fixtures, and immediately transforms every fixed...

Outdoor Security Lighting That Does Not Ruin the Neighborhood

Security lighting is necessary — good exterior illumination is a genuine deterrent to opportunistic crime and a meaningful safety improvement for anyone navigating a property at night. But most res...

The Lighting Upgrade That Pays for Itself: Where to Invest First

If you have a budget for lighting upgrades and need to prioritize — because every room cannot be done at once — the question is which changes produce the most visible improvement per dollar and per...

Guest Bedroom Lighting: Making Visitors Feel at Home

The guest bedroom is an interesting lighting design challenge: it needs to work for a wider range of occupants and needs than your own bedroom, it is used less frequently (making investments harder...

The Science of Flattering Light: How Lighting Makes You Look Better

The difference between a photograph taken under good light and one taken under bad light can seem like a difference of a decade — even with the same subject, same camera, and same location. The sam...

Mudroom and Entryway Lighting: Practical, Durable, and Still Beautiful

The mudroom is a utilitarian space that most homeowners approach with entirely practical requirements: bright enough to see what you are looking for, durable enough to withstand daily traffic, and ...

Art Deco Lighting: The Style That Defined a Century of Glamour

Art Deco lighting is among the most recognizable and most requested interior design aesthetics — and among the most frequently misunderstood. True Art Deco (from the 1920s Exposition Internationale...

Sunroom and Conservatory Lighting: Matching the Light to the Space

Sunrooms and conservatories occupy a unique position in the home: they are indoor spaces but bounded by glass on most or all sides, making them deeply connected to outdoor conditions and natural li...

How to Mix Metal Finishes in Your Lighting (And Not Regret It)

Matching all metal finishes in a room used to be the unspoken rule of interior design: all your cabinet pulls, faucets, and light fixtures in the same finish, all the time. This rule has been large...