Our bedrooms should be our sanctuaries from the hustle and stress of our lives. Creating the feeling of an oasis or sanctuary in the bedroom depends a lot on lighting. Along with flooring and wall color, lighting can completely change the look and feel of a room, especially a bedroom.

Many homes have builders’ standard ceiling fixtures in the bedroom. These ceiling fixtures are most commonly semi-flush or flush mounted lights. While these are great for finding the lost sock under the bed or picking out an outfit, the overhead light can be harsh and flat.  Switching out a standard ceiling light for a chandelier instantly adds romance to the room. You may also want to connect a dimmer to your lighting to allow you to adjust the ambiance.

In addition to overhead lighting, having light next to the bed is a must. Whether you read in bed or not, a bedside lamp can provide easy lighting in the middle of the night. Choose a lamp that suits your style and also works on your nightstand. You’ll want a lamp that is in scale with your nightstand and the height of your bed.  If you have very small nightstands, you can also choose a wall mounted swing arm lamp for reading or a pair of pendant lights hung to flank either side of the bed.  Just make sure you have a switch that is easy to reach from the bed.

If you’re frustrated that your home never looks like the photos in décor magazines, don’t be. Before each shot, designers step up and bring in, remove, arrange and rearrange accessories and furniture so the look is perfect for the angle of each photo. Everything is polished and fluffed, and extra lights from the sides or hidden behind furniture make sure you can see every element perfectly. Those photos can give you ideas, but don’t expect any home, no matter how coifed, to compare to those images.

Given that, there are things you can do to help your home more closely resemble those beautiful magazine illustrations. How about trying one or more of these tips?

• Clear clutter. Yes, you’ve heard it before, but one reason everything stands out so beautifully in those photos is that the eye is not distracted by pockets of clutter. Sometimes you may have odds-and-ends living in the corners for so long that you don’t even see it anymore, but visitors do.
• Keep everything at its best. This means no smudges on that glass-topped table, throw pillows straightened and fluffed, rugs straight and accessories in just the perfect position. Polish wood furniture and floors till they shine. Notice how in this photo the floor and coffee table seem to glow, and the pillows are set just right. Little things like that make a difference.
• Check your lighting. You may not have spotlights hitting your table at just the right angle, but consider whether an additional light or two might make your rooms more inviting. Lighting is one of the most powerful decorating tools.
• Update. Are some of your accessories looking tired or dated? Is it time for a new light fixture in the dining room? How about taking the time to update your home? You don’t have to jump in and do everything at once. Instead, plan updates into your budget and fix up one element at a time. So many times people wait until they’re ready to sell a home before doing any updating, so the new owner gets to enjoy it rather than you. Don’t let that happen.

While our homes may never be quite as magazine-ready as those images, but by following a few tips, they can be more appealing and inviting places to live and invite guests. Why don’t you see what you can do to add to your home’s visual charm?

Would you like to update your home without spending a lot of time or money? Consider thinking about your home’s lighting. Whether it’s permanent fixtures or lamps, lighting is critical to the mood and look of your home. Here are some ideas.

When were your light fixtures chosen and installed? If it’s been more than 10-20 years, their style may date your house. Take a good look at them. Do they present the style you want? Do they provide the right kind of light for your home?

For example, does the light fixture in your dining room illuminate the table without glaring? Does it complement your furniture? Do your light fixtures coordinate well throughout your home or are you dealing with a hodge-podge of styles? It may be time to shop.

Using a tape measure, determine the preferred size of each fixture. Consider issues such as style and common metal choices in your home. Don’t feel obliged to replace them all at once. Take your time, prioritizing those that are most visible.

If you need more light, look at floor and table lamps. Or you could just take a small directional light and position it behind a piece of furniture aimed up to lighten a dark corner unobtrusively. You may want to be able to turn an overhead light off and have enough ambient light available from lamps placed strategically around the room.

Light is as much a design tool as color and space. Use it to make your home bright and inviting.

Too many designs for vaulted ceilings almost always ignore the extra height. This turns a design advantage to at best, a neutral. In the worst situation, it looks as if the room is only half finished.

This space really uses its high ceilings while still offering enough design interest at and below eye level.

To begin, the stone flooring has an appealing design and its personality and color mix sets the stage for the rest of the room. Notice the dark taupe diagonal elements that appear on this warm marble floor. You see that color repeated on the upper wall to the right and the stairs and banister.

Architectural elements such as the tall narrow windows and the oversized crown molding bring the ceiling into the design of the space. It’s also fortunate that this room has two stairways, which provide a natural connection among levels.

The artwork on the back wall works in this room for three reasons. The soft tones fit the color palette, the three-part design echoes the windows on both sides, and the height and positioning pull lower and higher levels together.

Two other pieces add to the design impact. Furniture is limited in this room, but the graceful marble-topped table has curves that echo the staircase and the wood base adds warmth among all of the harder surfaces. Finally, the simple plant shows an understanding of the proportions of the room with its tall and lean profile.

With a few smart design decisions, this room makes the best of its high proportions while still maintaining warmth and interest.

Most people are used to looking at their front doors from the inside because they enter their homes through a garage or side door. How long has it been since you looked at your own front entryway?

People form an impression of your home before they walk into it as they stand by your door waiting for you to answer. Is your front entrance engaging and interesting or just a way into your home? Well, it’s time to stretch your design eye out your front door.

Start by taking a good look. Is your lighting something special or just the fixture that was there when you bought your home? Does it make your front door stand out like the one in this photo? Changing this out is a low-cost upgrade. Walk outside after dark. Do your lights provide enough illumination to keep your guests safe as they come to your door? Look for dark spots and fix the problem with solar lights or other outdoor options.

This door works because of the contrast between the door itself and the surrounding home. Does your front door announce its presence with color or contrast? Doors can go in almost any color direction. This photo shows a dark brown/black door, but if you take a look at the second photo you will see how color can add style.

This photo shows two townhouse doors side-by-side. Using the different color choices helps each to stand out with an individual flavor.

Consider color, lighting, and also changing the surface of your path or landing with tile, brick or stone as these photos show. You will be well on your way to an entry that gives the first impression you want.

This is more than a hallway. This passageway has its own personality and charm. It invites you to walk down it, have a seat, and browse the artwork. It makes you want to linger as you walk from one room to another, and it makes the journey a pleasant one.

Can you say this about the hallways in your home? For most people, at best a hall is well-lit with a picture or two to add interest. What makes this hall so special? How about attention to every detail?

First, the flooring matches the rooms surrounding it. Yes, spending the money for hall flooring is well worth it. You see it from every room in your home. Some people even choose to use a special motif or layout down a hall to make it more interesting.

The next smart choices are wall and ceiling colors. By choosing a warm tone for the walls and keeping the ceiling several shades lighter, this hall feels cozy,

If your hallway has the space, adding furniture like the choices made here changes the shape of the space and helps mitigate the long narrow feeling. It gives the eye something to rest on along the way.

Finally, the smartest decision involves the lighting. By choosing track lighting and setting each light as a spot for the artwork, the hallway becomes an interesting mix of light and shadows, with artwork highlighted as you walk through.

Whether visitors pause to take off their shoes or admire a painting, this hall has become more than a way to move from one room to another. It is a room in its own right, with its portion of charm and design. Can you do the same with your home’s own passageways?

This outdoor living area has more than the view to recommend it. In every way, the space is inviting and comfortable while appealing to the imagination.

Given the late sunset timing of this photo, one of the first elements that make this space work is lighting. The chandelier over the table provides more than light with its reflection creating an abstract design on the ceiling. Other lights are simpler, but allow the entire space to be visible. Although this space is outside, adding two lamps on low tables adds to the feeling that this is almost an indoor space.

The remarkable flooring also sets the covered “room” apart from the rest of the deck. No need for an outdoor rug with this mosaic of rectangular stone in varying light and dark tones. This works well with the larger rectangles of stone in neutral tones that make up flooring for the outer area.

The strong architectural patio cover requires a home in a style that measures up to it, but any cover will define an outdoor space. The furniture under cover would be suitable indoors, but with today’s outdoor fabrics these pieces may be designed to handle the weather. The more traditional outdoor table toward the railing would appeal to those who want a closer look at the view.

If you want your outdoor area to feel as magical as this one, look at your lighting and other design elements to add a special appeal to spending time outside.

From a time when they were totally out of style, crystal chandeliers and light fixtures are coming back to popularity with some interesting differences. Are you drawn to the old-fashioned glamour of crystal? Here are some suggestions for introducing it into your own home.

First, crystal is not just for dining rooms anymore. The right chandelier can make a bedroom or bathroom really sparkle. There’s a charm to crystal, particularly at low light as this photograph shows. Would some crystal elements add romance to your bedroom or bathroom? Why not take a chance?

Second, consider style when choosing to add a crystal light fixture. Newer options reach far beyond the traditional circular light with handing teardrop crystals. Take a look at the dramatic crystal light on display in the contemporary dining room below. Sparkle can be traditional or ultra modern. Choose the look that suits your taste and your home’s style.

Third, consider proportion. Some chandeliers will look out of place if they are larger or smaller than the room needs. From a height standpoint, lights need to be 32-35 inches above the surface of a dining table. In other locations, the lights need to be high enough to walk under.

Finally, remember that a crystal chandelier or other light fixture has some maintenance requirements. In order to keep that sparkle, an annual cleaning of the crystals makes a noticeable difference. For complete cleaning instructions, check your manufacturer’s instructions as different materials require different types of care.

Are you ready to add some sparkle and shine to your home? Take a look at both today’s and yesterday’s crystal chandeliers. You may find something that makes you sparkle!