lampshade

6 Smart Ways to Brighten Your Home

Written on November 3, 2009 at 10:21 am, by Guest Blogger

It’s officially that time of year. The days are short, and we often leave for work before the sun rises and return to a dark home. We asked Kate Hart, a professional home stager and designer based in Philadelphia, to share some tips with us for how to brighten up our personal spaces during winter months. In addition to TV and radio appearances, Kate’s work has been featured in lots of books and magazines. Her business, Hart & Associates Staging & Design, helps families and realtors get properties ready to show. So she knows a thing or two about making spaces feel cozy, warm and bright. Enjoy! — Team DIY

• Replace your existing light bulbs with full spectrum bulbs. Made to emulate natural daylight, these bulbs most closely resemble the sunlight that your body lacks as the days get shorter. I like GE Reveal bulbs; they filter out yellow light produced by other light bulbs.

• Swap out a large painting with a mirror to push more light around the room. Choose the wall you see when you first enter the room so that your eye is tricked into thinking the room is lighter at first glance. I use Pizzazz MirrorSquares from MirrorMate Frames; they’re affordable, customizable, and they look great in groupings.

• Switch out dark-color or heavy fabric lampshades for lighter, white lampshades to add more light to a space without having to purchase a new lamp.

• Start your spring cleaning early. Make your windows sparkle by removing any streaks that block sunlight from entering your rooms. Vacuum dusty screens (or remove them all together) to add even more light to your space

• Add metallic accents. Your eye is naturally attracted to bright objects. Polished silver or chrome accessories, such as candle sticks, bowls, platters, urns—even mirrored furnishings—will reflect light back into the room, making it feel lighter

• Dress your rooms in winter white. Dark colors absorb light, whereas white reflects it. Replace dark-color bedding with a white or cream comforter or duvet set to give your bedroom a brighter look. Add a white or cream slipcover to a sofa or chair to refresh your living room. Remove dark, heavy window treatments and add crisp white panels. Keep warm by choosing a down fill for your comforter, and accent with soft materials such as cashmere and velvet.

Remember, it takes a few simple changes to brighten not only the home, but our spirits as well!

Visit Kate’s Web site to find even more tips and videos about home staging and design.

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Intern Emily: Lamp Makeover

Written on October 2, 2009 at 6:48 am, by Intern Emily (Emily Cook)

Hey there everybody! I’m Emily, the intern here at Do It Yourself magazine. While most girls my age scrimp and save for that perfect pair of shoes, I’m thinking about spending my cash on 1000-thread count Egyptian cotton sheets or a shopping spree at IKEA.

This is especially true now that I’ve finally moved into my very own apartment! I’ve been decorating the place since the minute I saw it on Craig’slist. But making my first apartment feel like home has proven to be a challenge on an intern’s budget. Guess it’s a good thing I work with these lovely ladies, right?

Now I want to share all of my DIY decorating adventures with you. I hope you like seeing how my place evolves. The way it’s going, it will never be done! But I’m OK with that. I’m having a blast making it feel like home.

As a college student, I do a ton of reading. It only took me a chapter to realize that my glaring overhead light wasn’t going to cut it in my little study space. (More on that later.) Talk about sore eyes! I made a trip to The Salvation Army to see if I could find the solution to my problem. Here it is!

I know, gross, right? But for only $9.00—and an extra 50% off that—I was willing to log some hours to jazz it up. All I had to do was rough up the metal surface with steel wool, apply a coat of metal primer, spray on a few layers of a cheery yellow paint, and top it off with a simple shade. It was money well spent. Check it out!

Only one problem. I bought the lamp “as is,” so I couldn’t return it if the sketchy power cord decided to send sparks flying the minute I plugged it in. What do you think?

Because I’d just rather not electrocute myself, I decided to play it safe and rewire it. I was a little nervous, but with the help of a simple kit and my handyman boyfriend, I did it in minutes. I didn’t even singe a single hair. It was super easy!

First, with the lamp unplugged, I removed all of the wiring from the lamp. I even removed the socket.

Second, I fed the new cord from my kit through the base of the lamp and out the top.

Tying the “underwriter’s” knot was the trickiest part. My kit came with a great diagram that helped me through it.

Next, I connected the appropriate wire to the correct screw on either side of the socket. (Everything was color coded, so it was simple.)

To finish it off, I snapped the socket shell in place.

I think the bright yellow will really pop against the black and houndstooth I am planning to do in my little study area. Be on the lookout for that project and more like it in future posts!

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