Lighting Your Home Right

Have you ever gone into a room that just felt good but you couldn’t put your finger on why? It could be the lighting. In a well-lit room, everyone feels relaxed and looks their best. This is why it is important to be considerate of the bulbs and fixtures in your home and how they can create a more inviting environment that encourages people to linger.

LIGHTING MISSTEPS AND CORRECTIONS

• Lighting Misstep: Avoid overly bright overhead lights that can tire the eyes.
• Correction: Install dimmers.
  
  
• Lighting Misstep: Not matching the function of the room.
• Correction: Localize and layer your light sources to focus lighting on the main functions of a room.
  
  
• Lighting Misstep: Using different types and colors of bulbs in the same room.
• Correction: Learn about light bulbs and choose a similar type of bulb throughout a room to avoid different colors and frequencies of light that could make a room feel disjointed.
  
  
• Lighting Misstep: Using lighting at all the same height.
• Correction: Implement lighting at different heights to fill a room with soft light and create better ambiance.

 

LIGHT IT RIGHT – ROOM BY ROOM

Entryway Lighting: The entryway is where your lighting story for your home begins.  Fun and functional lighting like an entry table lamp and overhead light make a great start and set the stage for the rest of the home.

Great Room Lighting: This is a place to put our feet up or have great conversations with friends and family. Add light to your seating areas with table and floor lamps. To draw the eye up to a high or vaulted ceiling, use overhead lights. If the room has standout architectural features highlight them with a spotlight or sconces.

Kitchen Lighting: When lighting a kitchen, it’s about merging style with function. Good overhead lighting and lighting for cutting surfaces is important. One of the most visible forms of kitchen lighting are pendants that hang over islands or peninsulas. You can choose to have them blend in or stand out. A good tip is to match your pendants to the materials on your cabinet hardware.

Dining Room Lighting: In a dining room, the lighting is one of the main focal points. This is the place to splurge on lighting and put up your favorite chandelier, as it will hang at or a little above eye level. Don’t forget to install a dimmer switch in this room to set the mood. Want to tie in the dining room lighting in to your kitchen space? The tip here is to use a material or shape that is cohesive with the kitchen design.

 

Bedroom Lighting: Bedroom lighting starts with overhead light. This could be a pendant, flush, lighted fan or chandelier. Then coordinate your secondary lighting choices like table lamps or sconces by choosing a similar material, color or shape that appears in your overhead lighting.

 

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While touring and selling St. Louis and St. Charles County real estate, The Boehmer Team have seen all kinds of ways that people light their homes. Our favorite tip is to be sure to use the same color and type of lighting within the same room. In other words, don’t make a room disjointed by mixing halogen and LED lights in the same space. Also, don’t forget to utilize natural light to brighten your spaces and save energy. Check out some of our favorite places to shop for home lighting: Houzz.com and Wayfair.com. When you’re ready to sell a home, contact The Boehmer Team to help you stage your home – and its lighting – to make it looks its best so that you get the most value from your home sale.

 

 

Kitchen Island Dreaming

Dreaming of a beautiful kitchen island to expand your kitchen workspace and storage? You’re not alone. Throughout the St. Louis and St. Charles county areas, the real estate market is seeing plenty of requests for this amenity. Also, it is one of the most common requests made to home remodelers when updating a kitchen. 

Islands look inviting and offer extra storage and functionality. In most cases, an island becomes a gathering space or focal point in the home. They can even create an overall impression of a more luxury-grade kitchen. Even if you’re not planning on selling right now, adding a kitchen island can make your home more attractive while increasing its value in the long-term.

 

The Value of a Kitchen Island

Speaking of value, did you now that most small kitchen remodel projects (like adding an island) will recoup an average of 83% of their cost when the home is eventually sold?  That’s actually higher than the return on investment from most other remodeling projects.

 

The Cost of a Kitchen Island

So what does a kitchen island cost? That depends on several factors including the size, materials, and features, for example a bar, a sink/drain and any built-in appliances. But on average, the cost of a kitchen island ranges from $3,000 to $5,000 with less expensive models as little as $100 and more expensive, custom-built options as much as $10,000 or more.

Why not have MULTIPLE kitchen islands?

Ready-Made or Repurposed Furniture Kitchen Islands

Great ways to add a kitchen island on a budget is to purchase a ready-made island or to repurpose another piece of furniture like a desk or table to create an island. This allows you some creativity. However, it’s a good idea to match your island with the look and feel of the rest of your kitchen and home.

 

See more repurposed island ideas at: theshabbycreekcottage.com

Custom-Built Kitchen Islands

Building a custom kitchen island will ensure you get exactly what you want for the space your kitchen has. The island can be built with cabinets that match the rest of your cabinetry for a seamless look.  You can choose your materials, counters, and whether it has electricity, appliances or running water.  Of course, the more options you choose, the higher the price. But you could build the kitchen island of your dreams and your home would be more valuable for it.  

 

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If you are wondering whether you should add a kitchen island before selling your home, contact The Boehmer Team. We may be able to help you decide if it’s the right project to improve the value of your home before a sale. Or we may be able to recommend a contractor to assist with your project. Have a real estate question? Contact us any time.

 

 

Want more info on kitchen islands? Click one of the links throughout this article for more in depth information on aspects of kitchen islands.