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When it comes to lighting your home, you need to ensure that the light fixtures you use give you enough lighting needed for the different rooms and spaces in your house. Good lighting is important for ambiance, tasks, aesthetics and for seeing better in and around your home. Check around your home and see if it has the best lighting qualities. If the answer is NO, then here are some tips on how to choose the best light fixtures to achieve the perfect lighting for your home:

Determine your lighting needs

There are different needs for lighting. Your choice of lighting fixtures should match with the specific need you seek to address. For example, task lighting is usually focused on the work space you are working on while ambiance lighting lights a general and wider space and creates an ambient feel in the space lit. Once you have determined your lighting needs, the next step will be to choose the lighting options aimed at meeting that need. Remember you can light each room in such a way that you create the desired mood for each room in your home.

Provide lighting for security and safety of your home

Ensure that you have sufficient and appropriate lighting on your sidewalks and walkways. You need to choose ambient lighting which is just bright enough to keep your property safe and deter intruders. Your security lighting should not be too bright, which can rise your electric bills unnecessarily or become disturbing to your neighbors. Perhaps you should consider using motion activated flood lights at all the exterior corners of your home to further deter intruders. Another tip would be to check the kind of lighting used by your neighbors and copy them.

Improve your home’s exterior with wall sconces

You can use wall sconces to provide washes of light directed to the exterior walls of your home. This will help create an ambient feel on the exterior walls during evening hours. If you choose to go with directional wall sconces which either point up or down, they can help draw attention to the beautiful exterior of your home.

Choose multiple light sources for your home

Different rooms serve different purposes. You can choose to install different light fixtures in the same room. For example, consider installing counter lights in your kitchen to provide task lighting and a floor lamp in your living room next to your favorite couch for lighting when you wish to read that great novel. In the bathrooms, consider installing lighting at the mirror which is free from any shadows.

Consider recessed lighting for high ceilings

The use of can light fixtures can allow you to vary the brightness of light in a room to create the ambiance that you desire at a particular time. You can connect these fixtures to dimmer switches which can then be used to vary the amount of brightness that comes into your space.

After choosing the lighting fixtures you need to install, you should then look at your budget and ensure that the type of lighting fixtures falls within your budget. You can then head to your best home depot and make your purchases making sure that you settle for best brands. Finally, once you have done your purchases, you can either install the lights yourself or call an expert to install them for you and create the ambience that you desire.

With average home prices on the rise and increasingly competitive housing markets around the country, many people have no choice but to make the best of the lifestyle associated with apartment and condominium living. While this can make you feel tight on space, keep in mind that there are plenty of ways of maximizing your design to satisfy the needs of your household.

Recently, a good friend of mine reached out to get my opinion on adding a futon to her home. She had always thought of futons as cheap pieces of furniture more suited for the younger years of life, but she has encountered the problem of needing more space for guests to sleep in her 900 square foot home. I reassured her that futons can absolutely compliment a luxurious and cozy home, as long as you pay attention to the right things when you choose one. Here are the main things to keep in mind.

Choose a Well-Constructed Hardwood Frame

I can’t stress this point enough. Without a doubt the most important factor in choosing a high quality futon is to start with the frame. Everything else is replaceable, and if you buy something that stands the test of time you can make a pretty safe bet that you’ll be changing that mattress eventually! Cheaper and lower-quality models of futons tend to come with metal frames or metal/wood hybrids. Not only does this look tacky, but in most cases this is done to cut costs rather than to improve the strength of the frame. The best thing to do is to look for a futon with a frame that is made out of solid hardwood – preferably something that matches the rest of your furniture, though this can be hard to come by. The less pieces that need to be assembled the better, as this is indicative of sturdy and quality construction.

Pay Attention Mattress Colors and Don’t Skimp on Quality

As with all things interior design, choose your colors wisely! These days futons are available in far more options than black and white. If you are looking at the right products you should immediately notice that there are tons of options for colors and even a wide array of printed patterns for some models. Some futons can be bought with microfiber fabric (great for stain prevention and also particularly soft) or even leather. Make sure to choose a mattress cover that compliments your room well – or stands out if that’s what you’re going for.

While we’re on the topic of mattresses I should point out that the mattress quality is worth some thought. You want your guests to be comfortable! Keep an eye out for mattresses that are nice and firm, offering plenty of support. You can even find some options that have built-in springs, much like a bed mattress.

Last (But Not Least), Accessorize!

One last thing to consider before we make a decision – Since we’re working with a confined space, wouldn’t it be nice if you can find a futon that provides some extra drawers for sheets, blankets, pillows, and more? These days you can, and for a little extra money it’s often worth the upgrade. Many of the top brands allow for this modification so keep an eye out.

No need to turn your back on a futon because it reminds you of your college days, just make sure you find a product that fits in well with your current lifestyle. Now you should have everything that you need to make an informed choice!

Happy Housekeeping.

The technology behind electric fireplaces has come a long way in recent years. What was once a somewhat tacky device has now become sleek, attractive and luxurious upgrade that can bring the comfort of a traditional fireplace to your home – without the need for a chimney, a constant supply of wood, expensive cleaning costs, and of course the fire hazard. Electric fireplaces also have the advantage of being much more customizable than traditional fireplaces. Here are the key things to keep in mind as you are considering products that fit your home.

Style

One of the beauties of electric fireplaces is that they come in all shapes and sizes. There are many different types of frames available to suit your needs. You can find models that mimic the appearance of traditional fireplaces to give you that quaint sense of comfort, or you can choose something that is a little more modern and has a clean-cut and stunning design. You can also choose different media to go in your electric fireplace. The standard is to use faux logs as the base of the hearth, but you can also find nice stones that will serve the purpose or even glass marbles. Another nice feature of electric models is that you have control of the flame color in many cases. In addition to the obvious natural orange flames you can choose to have blue, purple, or even green flames. If the product you are using offers this feature you can usually switch between the colors with the click of a remote, so that you can choose whichever color best suits your mood.

Design

When it comes to design there are quite a few options, and you’ll have to pick one that best suits your home. The simplest and most accommodating is the free-standing option, which essentially needs only a standard wall outlet and a place for it to be put. The more affordable options are similar to flat-screen televisions, and the more advanced options of this style will look like a traditional fireplace and even come with a mantel. You can also find standalone electric fireplaces that serve as entertainment centers, so you can put your television on top and books on the shelves.

The next type of design worth considering would be an electric fireplace insert. These essentially nest inside the hearth of an existing traditional fireplace, and as such they can be the most realistic electric fireplace design. These however are really only the best option if you have a fireplace already, and you simply want to convert it to electric.

The final design is really the most modern, and they come in the form of wall mount and/or wall recessed. This is where you can find sleek designs. If you’re looking to bring your home to a new level of luxury, this is probably a good bet. Installation can be a bit involved though, and you may need to consult with a professional.

Function

Of course you can’t forget the primary purpose of a fireplace, which is to stay warm. It is important to buy an electric fireplace that will emit the warmth that you need for your room. You should also keep in mind whether or not you want a model that allows some level of control of the heating levels. Most will allow you to control at the very least from high heat, medium heat, low heat to no heat and just the electric fireplace flames.