Do some of your light fixtures look like they are fugitives from another era, and are certain rooms in your home better looking with the lights off? If so, it’s time to do something about it.

Small changes with regards to lighting can make a dramatic improvement in the look and feel of your home, and they don’t cost much to do. Here are some ideas from the experts at LightingShowplace.com — a company that over the past 13 years has helped more than one million customers with their projects — on how to dress up your home in an instant, starting at the front door.

* Front Door

When you drive up to your home at night, what do you see? If the answer is “not much,” then you should replace your front entry light with a lamp that gives off more light. A well lit front entrance says ‘Welcome,’ while at the same time enabling you to greet guests and identify visitors. Not only will updating your lighting improve the look of your home from the street, it will enhance your sense of security because the front door will be better lit.

If you have a single lantern next to the door, consider replacing it with matching wall lanterns to give the home a warm look, while assuring the safety of those who enter. For homes with a porch or overhang, you have even more options: a recessed, chain-hung or ceiling fixture.

* The Dining Room

Want to dress up your dining room without spending a small fortune on new furniture? Simply painting those plain white walls and switching out the chandelier hanging over the table will make a dramatic difference.

Not sure what color to go with? Here’s a guideline from the National Kitchen and Bath Association on what some of the most popular colors can do:

* Soft yellows can be cheering and make individuals feel sunny. Bright yellow can be used as an accent that attracts attention and helps to brighten a room.

* Green is the ultimate pacifier. Often associated with nature, it is both relaxing and reassuring. Pale yellow-greens conjure images of growth while deep greens are associated with status and wealth.

* Blue arouses feelings of freshness, coolness and relaxation. In lighter hues, blue is airy and open, while dark blues represent wealth, strength and respect, evoking the feelings of reassurance in individuals.

* Red attracts attention, causes excitement, and even raises blood pressure. Intense red is stimulating; however, it can also be distracting in large amounts. Red is associated with wealth and sophistication, while high value reds (pinks) can make people feel good about the way they look.

Once you choose a paint color, move on to the task of replacing your plain, boring fixture with one that gives the room more of a “wow” factor. For a look of opulence, you may want to go with a crystal chandelier. For a more contemporary look, consider a fixture that features softened and rounded lines. If you’re going for a modern look, you’ll want something with
polished surfaces, strong geometric shapes and asymmetry, while the rustic look reflects the visual patterns found in nature.

Adding a floor lamp in the corner of the room that fits the same theme will help you really dress up the room. It will make those extra chairs resting near the wall a more inviting place to hang out while people are waiting for the meal to be ready.

* The Bathroom

And if your bathroom still looks like it’s circa 1970 with dark paint and globe lights around the mirror, choose a lighter paint color and swap out the fixtures for a bold new look.

An ideally lit bathroom will have a fixture above the mirror with usually two, three, four or more bulbs. This fixture will provide overhead and top of the features lighting. The next type of fixture you will need to achieve a well lit bathroom are scones. One sconce on either side of the mirror will help avoid shadows and fill in the rest of your face and neck properly. Most bathrooms will require additional flush mount ceiling lighting in the toilet area or center of the room to fill the entire room properly with light.

When it’s time to start shopping for fixtures, you don’t need to spend a lot of time running from lighting store to lighting store. To get an idea of the latest looks available, just log on to www.lightingshowplace.com, and you’ll have access to an online catalog with hundreds of fixtures to choose from. You can shop by brand, collection of style and once you find a look
you like, the site makes it easy for you to pair up matching pieces.

According to Daniel Auer of LightingShowplace.com, customers come to his online store for three key reasons. “They come to us because they know they can find quality merchandise at a good price, that they can expect the products to be delivered quickly, and that they’ll have all their questions answered either in the informational articles on our Web site, or on the phone when they talk to one of our customer service representatives.”

Auer adds that unlike box stores which typically hire people who aren’t familiar with all the brands and products they sell, his customer service personnel can answer any question the customer has, and they will offer a quick response via e-mail or phone.

Whether you’re ready to shop for your lighting needs today, or just looking for ideas that will jump start your project, log on to www.LightingShowplace.com.

Nothing says “summer” like outdoor entertaining. But if poor lighting means your outdoor activities end when the sun goes down, it may be time to brighten up.

From the front door to the backyard deck, lighting plays an important role in the beauty, usability and safety of your outdoor living space. Small changes in lighting can have a big impact on your home’s curb appeal and your ability to enjoy outdoor living.

Daniel Auer, a lighting expert with LightingShowplace.com, offers a few tips on how to improve exterior lighting.

Light the Way

“Night-time visitors should feel welcomed with light as soon as their car stops in front of your house,” Auer says. That means driveways and walkways leading to your front door should be well-lit enough to ensure safe footing, yet not so bright that they overpower the main lights above or beside your front door.

At the door, if your home currently has just one lantern next to the door, consider replacing it with matching lanterns. Flanking the door with matched lights will create a warm, even glow while assuring the safety of those who enter. If your home has a porch or overhang, you have even more options: a recessed, chain-hung or ceiling fixture.

Light the Landscape

“When it comes to landscape lighting, many homeowners tend to forget about the back yard,” Auer says. While simple canister lights, directed on key landscape elements like trees or planting beds, can create drama for your home’s facade, don’t overlook the value of more whimsical choices or of lighting your back yard. More powerful, practical path lighting makes sense for front areas where guests may be walking from car to house. In back yards, consider using more delicate path lights to highlight areas, like water features and seating arrangements. For example, LightingShowplace.com sells path lights shaped like graceful flowers, with a gentle light subtly nestled within the bowed head of the bloom.

Deck it Out

If the kitchen is the heart of the home, a great deck is its crowning glory. Americans are now building and expanding decks more than ever before, as the trend towards great outdoor living spaces continues. Just as you employ lighting to create usability, mood and appeal in your kitchen, the right lighting outdoors can enhance the safety and enjoyment of your deck.

“There are numerous ways to light your deck, from lanterns that sit on the post caps of your deck rails to outdoor lamps that work with your outdoor furniture much as lamps do indoors,” Auer says.

One of the hottest trends in deck lighting plays to a hot trend in deck construction – decorative rails, all the rage right now, require decorative lighting. From strand lighting designed to mimic the twinkling of the stars overhead to sconces shaped like flowers and animals, the options for adding light to deck railings have boomed in the past few years.

You’ll be a Fan

Overhead fans are a great way to add multiple layers of lighting – not to mention comfort – to outdoor spaces like gazebos, screened porches and decks. Any fan that you love indoors can easily be used outdoors with the proper wiring. What’s more, most fans offer dimmer options so you can adjust light levels to match the mood of your gathering.

Fans with blades that evoke the look of leaves or fern fronds are particularly attractive in outdoor settings, helping underscore the natural appeal of the space.

When you’re ready to begin brightening your outdoor spaces, consider an online resource, like LightingShowplace.com, rather than a big box home improvement store. With a few mouse clicks, you can instantly assess what’s in inventory from thousands of choices, and access customer service personnel who are trained to answer questions about the brands and products offered.