Grey, cloudy days and darker nights don’t show your property to its best advantage. So, here are a few simple lighting tips that will help turn your home from dull to brilliant. They’re ideal when you’re doing winter viewings.
Make your house shine out
Garden lighting will boost your property’s kerb appeal and showcase what your garden offers even when it’s dark. (As well as helping prospective buyers find their way around.)
Invest in a smart new light fitting for the front door. Add some path lighting. Drape a few twinkly lights around the patio or use them to light up trees and shrubs.
Tip: Low-voltage lights are an easy and cheap option. You won’t need an electrician to fit them.
Check, clean and fix
Check every light fitting in your home. Replace bulbs that have blown. Give them a quick clean (cobwebs and dead flies aren’t a great look). Replace any lampshades that are faded or broken.
Tip: Always use LED bulbs. They can help improve the EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) rating of your property.
Be smart with lighting
Use several different types of lighting in each room – something interior designers call light layering. It can make a room look more welcoming and interesting, and even a little larger.
For example, in a kitchen diner, have task lighting over areas used for cooking and then decorative feature lighting over the dining table. In a living room, have more subdued ambient lighting, task lighting for reading and perhaps some feature lighting to highlight your favourite pictures and ornaments.
Be clever with colour
Cool white light bulbs can literally make your home look cold and uninviting – as well as highlighting any shortcomings in your décor. Warm white light bulbs are better in winter. Adding a pop of colour – such as pink or peach – to some rooms can also create a cosier look at this time of year.
Tip: Smart LED bulbs, where you can select the perfect colour using a remote control or phone app, make this very easy to do.
And finally…
Before a viewing, turn on the lights in every room to ensure buyers get a warm welcome on arrival.
We’ll leave you with this nugget of wisdom from flamboyant, flowing-haired interior designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen.
“Before designing a room, you need to consider two types of lighting: natural and electric. Make the right choice and you can turn a dull, soulless room into a vibrant space.”
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