Ambiance With Lights

For me, there's nothing worse than walking into a room that's ablaze with white fluorescent lights. It's garish and cold with absolutely no personality. In my opinion, how you light your home says a lot about who you are!

Let's say you're young and energetic....full of life. You wouldn't want to dress in drab clothing that simply doesn't suit your style. You'd wear something colorful and fun, right?

Or when you're looking for a home, wouldn't you look for something that suits your lifestyle? Let's say you love to hang out on your deck and fire up that barbeque, then you'd look for a home that either has that deck or at least room to create one, right?

Believe it or not, choosing lighting is just an important! Why? Because it sets the tone, sets the mood, sets the ambiance.

Are you a romantic at heart?

If so, then soft, cozy lighting is right for you. One really neat way to get an unusual look is to install wall sconces and a dimmer switch is a must because it gives you control over how bright or soft you want your light to be. Wall sconces add touches of warmth to walls reminiscent of long ago days when blazing torches were used to light castle walls. Same effect only safer!

Are you fun, flirty and whimsical at heart?

How about a fun, flirty floor lamp? Floor lamps tend to make a statement because they're so noticeable....like they're saying, "Hey! Look at me standing here by myself!" There's a lot of options to choose from as far as design goes, although my favorites tend to be like the one pictured here. It's so colorful and bold and truly draws attention to itself! And a floor lamp doesn't necessarily need to be placed by your favorite chair.....try sticking it in the corner...it will create a beautiful glow from floor to ceiling.

Are you a more practical type?

Then desk and table lamps are a sure fit for you...and they certainly don't need to be straightforward or basic. There are so many designs that there's bound to be one that will fit your personality. The library type desk lamp is classic, while a tiffany style lamp has flair!

Are you theme oriented?

Do you hunt or fish or play golf? Do you play baseball or soccer or drive a racecar? Whatever your theme may be, I can almost guarantee that there's a lamp out there for you.

When day is done and night has settled in, how do you want to feel when you turn that light switch on? Do you want to feel cozy with dim lights sprinkled around the room? You can have a table lamp here, a floor lamp there, a wall sconce turned down low......you can have can lights placed behind large potted plants (these are great! They shine up through the leaves and the result is light and shadows cast up on the ceiling and walls...the effect is amazing).You can also put can lights behind furniture. It's a great way to light the area with no visible source of light! Can lights are small lights that can be placed on the floor or other surface...they're usually placed behind something for ambiance.

And let's not forget about pendant lights, chandeliers and can lights for the ceilings. Pendant lights add character over countertops, bars and tables while chandeliers tend to linger over dining tables.

Of course none of this is written in stone...you can put whatever type of lights you want wherever you want it.......and that's the beauty of it. Break the rules!

What color of light soothes you?

Lights come in every color imaginable. Your room can glow in purples, blues, oranges, golds, greens...and every color in between! The color helps to set the tone of a room. An example is that blues and whites are cool colors so if you choose to these colors for a light source it won't really give you the coziness you might be looking for. Blue lighting does tend to be quite striking though. Oranges and golds are warm colors, so even though they don't throw off heat, just looking at them will make you feel all warm!

And let's not forget about pendant lights, chandeliers and recessed lights for the ceilings. Pendant lights add character over countertops, bars and tables while chandeliers tend to linger over dining tables.

Of course none of this is written in stone...you can put whatever type of light you want wherever you want it.......and that's the beauty of it. Break the rules!