Have light issues in your home? Just moved in and need to know the best place to put your light fixtures? Building a home and want the best light possible? We’ve got some suggestions and a little professional advice too. Most of these ideas are fantastic for older homes without built-in ceiling lights.

• Use wall sconces on either side of the fireplace. They add a beautiful expression to the room while giving you a bit of needed light.
• Place a spot light on the floor near a large potted plant or tree. For the best look, try to hide the fixture behind a piece of furniture, basket or another item situated on the floor. Using light to highlight design aspects will give your room a fresh, modern feel.
• Everyone knows the traditional lamp on the side table routine, which works great. However, hanging a pendant light off to one side of the room is a perfect addition because “symmetry is great, but it’s important to break it once in a while. Now [your] space [will] look organized without feeling compulsive,” says Steven Sclaroff (Owner of Steven Sclaroff, a home-furnishings shop in Manhattan).
• “People’s biggest mistake with the dining room is getting all their light from overhead sources,” says New York City–based interior designer Bunny Williams. “It’s cold and not intimate.” She suggests counteracting this effect by dimming chandeliers and pendants to mimic the effect of candlelight. When using hanging light, try not to place it too low or too high. You will either distract your guests or make the fixture seem disconnected from the table. Ideally, you want to create a centerpiece. So the bottom of a chandelier or a pendant should be about 30 inches above the tabletop. Try using shades on a chandelier; they soften the glare of bare bulbs.
• Accent the walls with sconces. You will feel that there is a space in the room outside the rooms central lighting. Plug-in sconces are easy to install; conceal the cord with a plastic cord cover painted the color of the wall.
• Install recessed lighting to shine a light directly on a specific area. This not only gives you the option of drawing attention to a beautiful picture, but also gives you light where you like to read, or a dark dreary corner without having to add a lamp.
• “Consider hiring an architect who can help you ‘harvest’ natural light by designing your new home with daylight in mind. Then, look for a lighting designer who can work with the architect to help you save more energy,” says Linda Segreto of Schrager Lighting Design in Ridgefield, CT. Using natural light is a great money saver too!

Coming Soon: Julia and Geoff just moved into a home built in the 1940s which has no overhead lighting (other than the kitchen). Choosing lighting ideas for the home has been tough, but by using some of these tips they made it work. Look out for “Julia and Geoff’s Fixer-Upper” later this week for what we did to make their home more modern.