Do shades or domes have dead insects or dust in them? Clean them and see how much brighter the room looks. Are there scratches, dents, dings or tarnish on fixtures? If they can’t be buffed or cleaned, consider replacing them.If fixtures need to be replaced, consider your target buyer and the style of your house when choosing the replacements. For example, if the architecture and furnishings of your home are traditional, modern-style fixtures of polished gunmetal would look inappropriate. Or if you’re targeting younger buyers, the original circa 1970 pea green mod-style hanging lamp may need to go.
Lighting can minimize a room’s idiosyncrasies, creating optical illusions that make a room seem wider, a ceiling higher or hallway longer. Long, narrow hallways, common in today’s condominiums, can be transformed from wasted space to an art gallery with the addition of track lighting to illuminate artistic treasures. Is there a room that feels like the ceiling and floor are gradually closing in on you? By avoiding hanging fixtures and using those that throw light up a wall, such as floor can lights, one can make ceilings feel higher.
But if your ceiling has cracks or other blemishes, light that flows down to the floor moves the eye in that direction, distracting a potential buyer’s attention away from a negative feature. On the other hand, bowing walls of older houses require lighting that moves straight from floor to ceiling without hitting the wall. Here, the lamps or fixtures must be placed away from the wall and face the ceiling.
But if your ceiling has cracks or other blemishes, light that flows down to the floor moves the eye in that direction, distracting a potential buyer’s attention away from a negative feature. On the other hand, bowing walls of older houses require lighting that moves straight from floor to ceiling without hitting the wall. Here, the lamps or fixtures must be placed away from the wall and face the ceiling.
Often one can take fixtures already used in the house and move them to more appropriate areas. Life’s little horrors, real or imaginary, tend to disappear when rooms are lit properly.
Have a particularly small room? A mirrored wall will look double the size that it did when it was only painted. If the mirrored wall is across from a window, the natural light will be reflected and the room will seem brighter.
It’s important to remember that it isn’t enough to just have the proper light fixtures. You need to use them. Even during the day, lights should be on in every room of the house, including hallways, closets, bathrooms, on the stove, in the oven and under hanging cabinets. At night, be prepared for an evening buyer drive-by with lamps illuminated in rooms with windows that face the street. After all, folks need to know that Dracula isn’t lurking in the shadows.
Have a particularly small room? A mirrored wall will look double the size that it did when it was only painted. If the mirrored wall is across from a window, the natural light will be reflected and the room will seem brighter.
It’s important to remember that it isn’t enough to just have the proper light fixtures. You need to use them. Even during the day, lights should be on in every room of the house, including hallways, closets, bathrooms, on the stove, in the oven and under hanging cabinets. At night, be prepared for an evening buyer drive-by with lamps illuminated in rooms with windows that face the street. After all, folks need to know that Dracula isn’t lurking in the shadows.
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