Tips to improve your home's lighting-without an electrician

Having the correct lighting in a room can make or break its ambience, says Mike Greeff, CEO of Greeff Christie's International Real Estate. Think about it: a restaurant with its soft, dim, flattering lighting, with candles on the tables, creates a cosy environment and romantic mood. Now, imagine that same room at closing time when the staff has turned on the fluorescent overheads to start cleaning up - it's a completely different room, with a completely different ambience (or lack thereof). That is the power of lighting.

When thinking of changing the lighting in our homes, many of us have the knee-jerk reaction to call the electrician, and we start to mentally prepare for the hefty bill that awaits us at the end of the job. But what if you could do the lighting yourself? There are, in fact, simple ways to improve the lighting in your home, without it costing an arm and a leg.

Unify your bulbs.

Swap out all the mismatched bulbs, especially those dated, compact fluorescent ones and replace them with one type of LED bulb. In older homes there are sometimes three or four different types of lightbulbs (each with their own colour temperature). This easy hack can go a long way towards elevating your lighting and creating one, unified mood, says Greeff.

Aim for at least two three layers of light.

Layers are essential when it comes to lighting. For the best result, try to get at least two layers or sources of light in every space. Your first layer should be the practical one, which is the typically brighter, overhead lighting. This layer is particularly important in areas you need a lot of light like bathroom and kitchen. The second layer of light, also known as the accent layer, is used to create the ambience in the room as well as highlight the extra touches or finishes used in the room. The best way to showcase this layer is by using accent lamps on coffee tables, dinner tables or even, in some cases, in a cosy corner on the floor.

Diffuse your light.

When building your layers, you need one that is diffused. To diffuse a light means to soften it by reducing the glare and harsh shadows. You'll immediately recognise how expansive the light is once it has been diffused: it becomes a lot softer, warmer, and more flattering. Diffusion can take many forms, including the opaque glass of a bulb and the fabric of the lamp shade. If all your light is coming from clear, bare bulbs and fixtures with opaque shades, you might want to think about swapping some of the bulbs and shades for a more inviting light.

Read the room.

Consider what the space will be used for and go from there.

• Dining room: an overhead chandelier with a dimmer works best.
• Kitchen: The kitchen is a bit more complex. Hone in on your work areas and light them directly.
• Living room: In this room, lighting should be a part of the décor. Use a combination of floor lamps, table lamps, and down-lights. The living room is where people come together so ensure that the mood is set appropriately through the lighting.
• Bathrooms: Like kitchens, bathrooms are trickier. Some say, go the clinical route with the brighter the better. But others prefer a softer glow from dimmable light fixtures. Compromise and incorporate both, but with the addition of candles to really get that warm and relaxed setting.

Put lamps everywhere.

Lamps are no longer just for pedestals. They can be used throughout your home to create the perfect lighting. You can opt for mix 'n match lamps that you can put on shelves along with books or even on an open shelf in the kitchen.

Always add a dimmer.

For multipurpose rooms, dimmers are a must-have. They allow for flexibility depending on the time of day, event, or mood, and bonus, they save electricity. Aesthetically, dimmers are non-negotiable, especially if you only have one light source in the centre of the room.

Don't forget candles.

Having anything ''by candlelight'' is automatically more inviting. Try to place candles in as many spots around your home as you can and for safety reasons, place tea-lights for example, in glass jars. Candles are an inexpensive way to transform the mood of the room completely so it should be the ultimate go-to when wanting to improve the lighting around your home.

Light is a powerful thing. The correct light lifts the mood and sets the ambience and at home, it enlivens the little things like our morning routines and family time around the dinner table. Remember that lighting can completely transform a space, not just by brightening dark corners, but by affecting your emotions, too. If you want to improve the lighting in your home, the few simple DIY adjustments mentioned above will do the trick, and it will be easy on the pocket.