If you want to impress your guests, you might try making your home appear more glamorous. Luckily, there are some easy ways to make your home seem more expensive. A trick recommended by professionals is to adjust the lighting. House Digest spoke exclusively with Whitney Vredenburgh, owner of Nested Spaces Home Staging & Design, certified as a Home Staging Resource and a RESA-PRO member, to learn more about this design hack.
According to Vredenburgh, lighting is an easy way to make your home look more expensive. “We often use table and floor lamps in homes to create ambient light. Ambient light is a softer light than what is typically seen in light fixtures, and is particularly softer than canned lights. … Depending on your budget, it's nice to opt for lights that provide a focal point in areas like the entryway, dining room, and kitchen pendants.
When deciding what lighting to add or change to your home, start by noting what you already have. Learn about the three types of lighting our interior designer says you should have in every room. Then decide what your space needs and how to make it look more chic.
Focus on temperature and invest in lamps
When choosing lights for your home, it is important to consider the color temperature of the light and the type of lights used. During Whitney Vredenburgh's exclusive interview with House Digest, she talked about the importance of using warm lighting instead of cooler light sources in the home. She suggests that homeowners use a 3,000 Kelvin LED bulb, which is typically a 60-watt soft white bulb.
She explained that when purchasing a light fixture, it's good to understand how different Kelvin levels affect the room. “Below 3,000 K the light is too yellow; at 3,500 to 5,000 K the light is very cold,” said Vredenburgh. “The higher the number, the colder the color temperature.” Vredenburgh recommends using lighting at the same temperature throughout the home to create a unified atmosphere in the home that makes it feel more upscale.
When it comes to lighting levels in the home, Vredenburgh recommends adding light fixtures to make the space appear more expensive. “I would suggest adding ambient light to any room through floor and table lamps,” she says. “Ambient light provides a warmth and coziness to a home that is difficult to replicate without real lamps. We love combining table lamps with a floor lamp. It’s a great way to add different lights to a room and provide different textures and finishes.”
Choose lights for your home
Choosing lighting that looks expensive can be challenging, especially when you're on a budget. There are many ways to create unique lighting effects with simple Dollar Tree DIYs. In her exclusive interview with House Digest, Whitney Vredenburgh said if you're looking to purchase lights, you could check out suppliers like Hudson Valley Lighting, Visual Comfort, and Currey & Co for quality lighting, and check out Wayfair and Amazon too!
If you're looking to spend money on your lighting, you don't have to replace everything at once. Vredenburgh recommends focusing on areas where you or your family spend the most time, as well as the entryway and outdoor lighting. “Remember that a light you love will stand the test of time, like a good pair of jeans or a sweater,” Vredenburgh said. “And you don’t have to buy all the lighting at once… Rather, think of it as a fun evolution.”
By using some stylish statement lighting ideas to brighten up your living room or other rooms, you can easily make your home appear more expensive and elegant. However, remember that when choosing a design, it is important to consider what you like. If you don't like fancy, expensive looks in your home, then don't worry about how others perceive your space. Choose the design that makes you happiest!