Staging houses

Making and improvement to you kitchen can make you whole home appear different.

Bad lighting can take the joy out of a kitchen. It makes cooking more of a chore and discourages people from getting together. Even the finest cabinetry, appliances, and countertops look dull and unappealing in dim lighting. Yet many people who live in older homes - and even some in new ones - make do with light from a single fixture in the ceiling.

The owner of the house seen here faced that situation. Although the house is new, most of the light in the kitchen came from one incandescent fixture high on the ceiling. Electrical contractor Peter Eng, of New Milford, Connecticut, suggested a remedy: L-shaped track lighting on the ceiling to boost overall light levels in the room and low-voltage halogen task lighting under the cabinets.

When it comes to making a dramatic impact on how your home looks at a minimum of cost.

Lighting costs a lot less than other home decorating or remodeling options," says Chuck. He and wife Cindy are owners of CC Lighting and design, located on Lone Tree Way in Brentwood.

Lighting can help you perform tasks more easily, make you feel safer and more comfortable and add beauty and drama to a room. It can open up a small room or warm up a big one, and do it for less than most other decorating solutions. What's more, with the rapidly increasing number of energy-efficient fixtures and bulbs, it's an option that can pay for itself and help in the fight against global warming.

With the real estate market in the doldrums, more homeowners are sprucing up their current homes rather than buying a new one. Here are some tips that can help you make the right choices when it comes to lighting up your life by lighting up your home:

Outdoor lighting adds curb appeal. Lighting up a walkway with low-voltage light-emitting-diode (LED) lights not only helps you watch your step, but adds a touch of romance to your yard once the sun goes down. Uplighting a palm tree or architectural details of your house can provide an upscale look.

Exterior lights can help keep your home secure. A floodlight set up on a motion-detector switch can brighten up those dark side-yards only when needed, reducing the cost associated with fixtures controlled only by on-off switches.

Get the right size fixture for the job. Whether indoors or out, buying a fixture that's too large for the space it's meant to illuminate is a waste of money and electricity, while under-sizing can leave the area too dim. A lighting expert can help you avoid both problems.

Get expert installation. Hiring someone who's not properly qualified to install things such as ceiling fans can be dangerous. Because of the vibration and torque put out by these fixtures when they operate, improper installation can lead to the fixture literally tearing itself from your ceiling. Incorrect wiring of three-way light switches (like those in most hallways) means they might not work properly. Replacement switches are not always wired in the same way as the one you're replacing, notes Cindy, and a qualified installer will know that.