This post is sponsored by Kichler Lighting but all opinions are my own

Today I’m going to mix a couple of my “hats” and bring you my take on the Importance of lighting in a home from both a Homeowner and a Realtor perspective.  I’ve been a homeowner for over 17 years and a Realtor for over 14 years.  Wearing both of these hats I’ve picked up some valuable information on some of the important design and staging elements that give a great first impression but also add ambience to a home.

When preparing your home for sale, or even planning ahead for future sales, lighting should be top of mind as one of the design elements that can have big impact for a relatively low impact on budget.

Lights On

One of the most universal staging tips in real estate is to “turn on all the lights” . Now that being said, my personal preference is to turn on the “right” lights.  I personally find it overwhelming to walk into a home that has every single light on.  I find it way more impacting to walk into a home that has been strategically lit, giving the home a sense of ambiance.

If you are getting your home ready for sale, consider lighting as a key staging essential.  Walk through your home from a Buyers perspective and try to determine where you might be able to update the lighting in a space for the best possible first impression.

Consider this from both a style and function aspect.  An outdated lighting fixture can be changed out with a new modern fixture and completely freshen up a space.  The alternative is that a Buyer will walk in, see a dated light fixture and immediately start a tally in their mind of the things they need to change.  Its a negative spin that could have easily been avoided.

There are also times to add lighting.  This can be done with table lamps, floor lamps, or adding fixtures.  If a room is poorly lit, consider adding some sort of lighting to the space.

Consistent Theme

In today’s day of online shopping, Pinterest, and social media, its so easy to get overwhelmed with the amount of options to choose from.

I’ve been in a ton of Builders show homes over the years and one of the most important elements is a consistent theme.  I remember this one new build that I showed to Buyers a few years ago.  It was a beautiful brand new home but sadly the finishing details were so confused.  They had mixed too many themes and there didn’t seem to be anything to anchor the space.  The home was well built and structurally sound, but the Buyers just couldn’t see past the design confusion.

Now, I’m not saying you can’t mix a copper faucet with black lighting or vice versa.  Its just important to choose an overall style whether that be Modern Farmhouse or Mid Century Modern, or perhaps Scandinavian, and let this theme bring all the elements together.  Lighting plays a huge role in this.

As a Homeowner, I’ve had to walk through this part of the process.  I love so many styles but ultimately our home in a Modern Farmhouse style home so I’ve had to take this theme and roll with it.  Its so much easier to make decisions once you’ve narrowed down a style and theme.

Here are 4 spaces in our home showing how we took our theme and tied it together with complimentary and consistent lighting.

Color Temperature

The final item to consider when adding lighting to your home is the temperature of the lighting.  Some spaces suit a warmer tone while others can really benefit from a daylight bulb.  I know for us we chose more of a daylight bulb for our kitchen to enhance the work space function while in our dining room we opted for more of a warm tone for ambiance.

If your home is lacking natural light you might want to consider daylight bulbs because this will give the illusion of the bright natural light that a Buyer might be looking for.

This may even require a bit of trial and error.  We definitely made the mistake of trying a daylight bulb in our dining room.  Lets just say it was NOT the look we were going for.

Don’t underestimate the importance of this simple yet impacting piece of your lighting decision.

Before you start making any substantial changes to your home, consider first whether there are some smaller updates that you can do which will give big impact.

Its amazing what fresh paint and some updated lighting can do to give your home that a great first impression!

Until Next Time,