If you’ve ever felt like something was off in your home, it may be the lighting! For years, we lived with bad lighting in our builder grade home.
But, room by room, as we’ve updated each space, I have made a big effort to update the lighting to fixtures that I love and that provide the proper lighting we need. Further, I’ve made sure to update the light bulbs too which can make a big difference, more on that below!
Today, I’m sharing 5 builder grade lighting upgrades we made throughout our home that have really help to transform the look and feel of our home!
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1. Living Room Chandelier & Sconces
In our living room, we replaced the ceiling fan (that had no light) with a vintage look chandelier with 5 light bulbs.
We also had zero lighting surrounding our fireplace. So, we installed fireplace sconces. The whole room felt warmer, moodier, & more intentional with these updates.
For the sconces, we used these rattan and brass plug-in sconces, but they can easily be converted to hardwired too! I have them set on a timer, and they come on every morning and evening and I love the soft lighting they provide.
BEFORE:
2. Kitchen Ceiling Can Lights
The outdated can lights on our kitchen ceiling stuck out in all the wrong ways. They were outdated, bulging out of the ceiling, and the light bulbs in them were a cold, harsh, blue/yellow color.
We replaced them with these recessed LED can lights and it was a total game changer. They are easy to install, look great, and have 5 color temperature options. We set ours to a nice warm 3000K.
BEFORE:
3. Primary Bathroom Sconces and Flush Mount Light
In our primary bathroom we swapped our builder-grade six bulb vanity light, with harsh, bright lighting, for this gorgeous, double wall sconce! I love the soft light it provides and I can’t believe I went years without this type of lighting in our bathroom.
Also, we replaced the one bulb ceiling light with this clover shaped, flush mount light that has 2 lights!
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4. Bedroom Lighting
In our primary bedroom, we replaced the ceiling fan (that had no light) with this dreamy chandelier that also has 12 candelabra light bulbs! It not only looks incredible, but the light it provides in our bedroom is perfect!
We also added these marble base table lamps for each side of the bed on our nightstands. It’s great for evening light.
5. Light bulbs
As I mentioned before, I always update the light bulbs in our light fixtures.
When we moved into our builder grade home, every light bulb installed was a traditional incandescent bulb with awful color. They were either cold blue or dim, yellow orange lighting. Not only could I not stand the color, but those light bulbs always made the rooms feel harsh and cold.
So, my favorite light bulbs to use are LED bulbs (which are longer lasting) with 2700-3500K lighting color, which is more of a warm, soft light color. Also, as far as lumens go, I usually stick to 800 lumens or I go up to 1600 lumens if I really need extra bright light, for standard base bulbs!
Here are some light bulbs I love in our home:
- 60W Equivalent, 8W A19, Medium Base, 800 Lumens, 2700K, Soft White
- A19 Standard Base – LED Edison Light Bulb, 12W Equivalent 100W, 1600LM High Brightness, 3000K Warm White
- E12 LED Candelabra Bulbs 40 Watt Equivalent, 470Lm Warm White 2700K
Here is a look at the extra bright 1600 lumens bulb in our small laundry room that has no windows:
We’ve of course made other lighting updates in our other rooms, but these are my favorite 5 lighting upgrades! I have another fun update planned for our dining room next, stay tuned!
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