Refresh, Renew, Rejuvenate
Your Home with a Makeover
(ARA) - Consider renewing and refreshing your living
environment with a makeover. To make a notable difference this
year, spruce up your home with a touch of personality and
style. Combining fashion and function, lighting is one of the
easiest ways to rejuvenate a room, giving it an entirely fresh
look and feel.
"Now more than ever, it's easy to revitalize your home with
simple accents like lamps, mix-and-match lampshades and even
light bulbs with color-enhancing benefits," says Catherine
Bailly Dunne, author of "Interior Designing for All Five
Senses." "We're seeing a surge of stylish lamps -- both modern
and retro -- dominating the market. When used in a variety of
styles, colors and designs, they can help consumers breathe
new life into their homes or simply provide a new look for a
new season."
With more than 60 percent of consumers spending leisure
time at home rather than out and about, it's no surprise that
home accents such as lamps and stylized lampshade "separates"
have become important fashion accents in homes across the
country.
Sometimes, refreshing a room can be as easy as changing a
light bulb. Bulbs like GE Reveal filter out yellow rays common
in ordinary light bulbs, making colors, fabric, walls and
artwork appear richer, crisper and more vivid.
"It's amazing the impact lighting has in our homes and in
our lives," says Dunne. In fact, in a recent survey by GE
Lighting, nearly three quarters of Americans said that light
quality affects their moods. Survey respondents overwhelmingly
acknowledged the importance of good lighting for a variety of
home settings including romance (76 percent); dinner with
friends (75 percent); watching a movie (72 percent); cooking
dinner (58 percent); taking a bath (50 percent); and even
paying bills (33 percent).
When looking to update the ambiance of a room, consider
some simple and affordable lighting accessories. For instance,
popular animal-print lampshades might evoke a sense of daring
or adventure. Laced with beads, fringe, sequins, appliqués and
trendy crystals, lighting fixtures can inspire playfulness and
charm. And what better way to display one's light-hearted
nature than lighting a bedroom or den with a whimsical
character lamp.