It’s your First Apartment.  Make yourself Light at Home!

Moving into your first apartment may be daunting.  The finality, the financial drain, the freedom!  It is time to personalize your space with great style and originality.

Whatever your taste may be and however your style evolves, keep in mind that-even the most challenging of spaces look better in the right light.  So, here are some quick tips to getting the lighting right and making it feel like home….

Top 5 Illuminating Tips to Lighting Your Own Way

1. Keep it Simple: Opt for focused task lighting and energy-efficient light sources.  Stick to affordable accessories and light fixtures.  Go for a streamlined look, in keeping with the new “organic minimalism.”
2. Keep it Safe:  Check wattage restrictions on all lamps and light fixtures and purchase bulbs accordingly. Be sure that lamps are equipped with the appropriate bulbs and light fixtures are installed according to code.
3. Keep it Clean: Make sure wires are neatly secured and concealed wherever possible. If outlets and junction boxes are not where you want them—swag a fixture or consider track or rail lighting to direct light exactly where it is needed.
4. Keep it Soothing:  Consider investing in a portable fan and some low-level tea-lights to create a calming environment for relaxing with friends and for promoting a good night’s sleep.
5. Keep it Affordable-Upgrade bulbs in all light fixtures and lamps with new compact fluorescent (CFL) lamps, light-emitting diode (LED) nightlights and innovative energy-efficient halogen bulbs.  Top quality bulbs may cost a few bucks more upfront, but they will help you save on energy and maintenance costs in the long run.

 Top Pics include:

• Table and floor lamps from Pacific Coast Lighting and Kathy Ireland Home.

These table lamps from Kathy Ireland Home’s “Manhattan Modern” collection are young and chic. Recently purchased from 1800lighting.com to make this first-time apartment owner feel right at home in her mid-town Manhattan environment.

• Torch Lamps that provide a little something extra

This torchiere from Adesso is also a sleek and functional lamp table with a task light, too!

• Storage ottomans and accessories from Uttermost

A decorative ottoman makes an excellent coffee table and provides superb storage.

• The Sleep Fan by Savoy House

• Utilizing “red noise” and allowing for a choice of volume control and breeze options, the Sleep Fan provides individualized comfort with sound and air circulation to induce a blissful night’s sleep.

* “Red” noise, which delivers low tones with the absence of high frequencies, has been known to induce a more soothing, deeper sleep than white noise.

Visit a Capitol Lighting showroom or 1800lighting.com to learn more about this portable sensation and take advantage of unbeatable discounts and special offers on lighting and accessories to make yourself light at home!

So maybe you don’t have your dream job yet, but you can get started cultivating your dream home.  Well-planned lighting makes every inch count.

A few more tips to working it out and making light of the situation …

Running out of space?

• Be grateful for hand-me-downs and look for bargains, but do not take anything if there is nowhere to properly display or neatly store the item.

• Never leave home without a tape measure.  Choose lamps and light fixtures that are perfectly suited to your space and sized accordingly with furnishings.

Running out of money?

• Opt for focused task lighting and energy-efficient light sources.
• It is also a good idea to invest in dimmers, which may be added easily and inexpensively to almost any lamp or light fixture.  Efficient use of dimming devices serves not only to adjust the lighting to suit the occasion, dimmers also help you to conserve energy and extend the life of your lamp.
• Relax and realize that you can live with a lot less.  You do not have to decorate all at once.  Take your time to find products that you love and that you will keep and enjoy for a while.

And now, What to make yourself for dinner?…Maybe Mom or Auntie will invite you over for a meal!