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APRIL 30, 2014 | 37

REAL ESTATE

MONTANA LIFESTYLES
Highlight the Positives

By MICHELE DAWSON

If you’re getting ready to put your house on the mar-
ket you’re probably busy painting some of the dingy
walls, shampooing your carpet, and clearing the clutter.

But be sure you add something else to your list—strate-
gic lighting. With the right lighting, the look of a room
can turn from mediocre to sensational, making it seem
bigger, airier and more desirable.
The right lighting can enhance your skin tone, al-
low you to see what you’re doing, draw attention to focal
points in your décor, and make a big diference in how
you feel about your home. And best of all, it’s inexpen-

sive compared to other home decorating or remodeling
options.
Lighting experts tell us there are three types of light-
ing: general, which gives overall light to an area and al-
lows for safe function in your home; accent, which high-
lights and draws special attention to details; and task,
which helps you to perform tasks.

Rosemary Sadez Friedmann, a member of the Amer-
ican Society of Interior Designers, says there are three
other categories of light as well. Ambient light is a hid-
den source of light that washes a room with a glow. Aes-
thetic lighting itself can be a work of art, such as a neon
sculpture. Natural light, (sunlight, candlelight and ire-
light) is light that moves. Quality of natural light, sun-
light in particular, depends on many things such as time sign-related books and host of HGTV’s “Interiors by De- SHUTTERSTOCK PHOTO
to $50 apiece. Be sure to get a ixture that produces 200

of day, the weather, and what season it is.
sign,” takes a look at how you can improve your lighting to 300 watts each.
Lighting can also play tricks on the mind and en- and attract buyers, room by room:
“Now, no matter which room a prospective buyer
hance or minimize the physical size of the room. For • Any room: Use high-hats or recessed down-lights in-
walks into, it will be lit brightly,” he says. “And the light-
example, Sadez Friedmann says that if a room is too stalled in ceilings with a dimmer control.
ing ixture itself will be modern and attractive.”
tall, low luminaries that don’t allow light out the top • Bedroom: In addition to above, add a loor lamp or ta-
He also recommends buying six or so halogen lights
help shorten high ceilings; if a room is too small, visu- ble lamp and bedside lights for reading.
and placing one in each room.
ally push one wall open by washing it with light; and if • Bathroom: Angle recessed lighting to bounce light of
“Yes, they use a lot of electricity, but the extra light

a room is too wide, illuminate the narrow ends of the the walls and ceiling and help reduce glare and shad- often makes the diference when a buyer is on the fence
room. Conversely, if a room is too narrow, illuminate the ow. Use wall-mounted sconces or over-vanity lights and can’t decide whether or not to make an ofer on the
wide sides of the room.
beside the mirror. Light your shower’s interior with home,” he said.
In his book “Improve the Value of Your Home Up to uniform brightness.
So once you’ve added a few strategic lamps and ix-
$100,000” (John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2003), Robert Ir- • Kitchen: Task lighting is required here. Group down- tures throughout your house, don’t leave potential buy-
win says a dark house is a deinite turn-of to potential lights to focus more light on particular areas.
ers in the dark. Be sure to turn on all the lights before
buyers. “Not only will they keep you from getting a quick • Today’s decorative lamps and ixtures do more than you leave your house in the morning – you never know
sale, but they will also cut down on the amount of money illuminate. You can choose from decorative sconces, when your house may be shown to those potential buy-

you’ll get in ofers,” says Irwin, who has written more chandeliers, and table and loor lamps in a variety of ers.
than 50 books on a range of real estate issues. “On the shapes, styles and inishes that take a room from drab The obvious goal is to accentuate and highlight a
other hand, if you lighten up these dark spots, you can to dramatic with the lick of a switch.
home’s attributes. Creating the appropriate lighting
very quickly improve the value of your property.”
If you’re looking for a quick ix, Irwin suggests re- is one of the ways to attract a buyer and increase the
Chris Casson Madden, the author of 13 interior de-
placing all the old ixtures—they typically run about $40
amount of an ofer.

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