How To Use Lighting To Make Your Home Look More Expensive

If you are looking to impress your guests, you may be trying to make your home appear more glamorous. Fortunately, there are some easy ways to make your home appear more expensive. One pro-approved trick is to adjust the lighting. House Digest spoke exclusively with Whitney Vredenburgh, owner of Nested Spaces Home Staging & Design, who is Home Staging Resource-certified and a RESA-PRO member, to learn more about this design hack.

According to Vredenburgh, lighting is an easy way to make your home look more expensive. "We use table and floor lamps in homes often to create ambient light. Ambient light is a softer light than what you typically see in light fixtures and is especially softer than canned lights. ... Depending on budget, it's nice to splurge on lights that are focal points in areas like the entry, dining room, and kitchen pendants."

When trying to decide what lighting to add to your home or change in your home, start by making note of what you already have. Learn about the three types of lighting you should have in every room, according to our interior designer. Then, decide what your space may need and how to make it look fancier.

When choosing light fixtures for your home, it's important to keep in mind the color temperature of the light and the types of fixtures you use. During Whitney Vredenburgh's exclusive interview with House Digest, she talked about the importance of using warm lights in the home instead of cooler sources of light. She suggests that homeowners use an LED bulb that is 3,000 Kelvin, which is usually a 60-watt soft-white bulb. 

She explained that when purchasing a light, it is good to understand how different Kelvin levels impact the space. "Lower than 3,000K, and the light is too yellow; 3,500-5,000K, and the light is very cold," Vredenburgh said. "The higher the number, the colder the color temperature." Vredenburgh recommends using the same temperature lighting throughout the entire home to create consistency within the house, which makes it feel more high-end. 

When it comes to the amount of lighting in the house, Vredenburgh recommends adding fixtures to make the space appear more expensive. "I would suggest adding ambient light from floor lamps and table lamps to each room," she says. "Ambient light provides a warmth and coziness in a home that is hard to replicate without actual lamps. We love pairing table lamps with a floor lamp. It's a great way to add various lights into a room and provide different textures and finishes."

Choosing lighting that looks expensive can be a challenge, especially when on a budget. There are lots of ways to create unique lighting features with simple Dollar Tree DIYs. In her exclusive interview with House Digest, Whitney Vredenburgh said that if you do want to purchase light fixtures, you could look at places like Hudson Valley Lighting, Visual Comfort, and Currey & Co for high-end lighting, and check out Wayfair and Amazon too!

If you want to splurge on your lighting, don't feel like you need to replace it all at once. Vredenburgh suggests focusing on areas where you or your family spend the majority of their time and on the entryway and outdoor lights. "Remember, a light you love will stand the test of time, like a good pair of jeans or a sweater," Vredenburgh said. "And, you don't have to buy all lighting at the same time ... Rather, view it as a fun progression."

By using some stylish statement lighting ideas to brighten up your living room or other spaces, you will be able to easily make your home appear more expensive and elegant. However, remember that when making a design choice, it's important to consider what you like. If you don't like a fancy, expensive look in your home, then don't worry about how others will perceive your space. Choose the design that makes you the happiest!