Don't just Set the Table, Set the Stage: Mood Lighting

A couple of Sundays ago I gave you a little taste of some entertaining advice and I hope it helped you as you visited with company over the Thanksgiving holiday! Let's face it, no one wants to sit around in a stinky house so I hope that you tried some of the tricks I passed along.

Today I want to talk more about setting the stage for your next great event in the terms of how you can create a mood just by dimming or brightening the lights around your house. In all honesty, your next great "event" could be hosted and attended solely by you and as long as it fits your needs perfectly, well, that is all that matters.

Just like scents, lighting can have a huge affect on the ambiance in your home, and the feeling that guest come away with after even a short visit. I've said this before, but working in real estate really helped me get a better understanding of how people react in different environments. Especially when I would walk Looky Lou's through finished inventory homes that I had been trying to sell for months, it became obvious what the masses didn't want. When I had houses that I would show over and over again without any offers, my bosses would come to my partners and I wondering what we had to do to get someone to fall in love with that house. Were we showing it enough? Of course! Where we talking about the amazing house and the amenity loaded neighborhood? Really? Come on. It was my job to talk about the amazing house and the glorious neighborhood that anyone who was anyone was dying to live in. Most often the reasons why I didn't get an offer on certain homes was glaringly apparent and it was great when it was something we could fix. One of the easiest fixes on existing homes was addressing the lighting situation.

A too dark kitchen kept buyers away. They wouldn't always say "oh this kitchen is too dark" but time and time again if we would add in under cabinet lights and a few more overhead fixtures in that space, the right buyers would come along. In fact under cabinet lighting was one of the most popular "options" that my buyers selected when designing their homes with me. Not only to brighten things up but also to add ambiance to the kitchen, knowing that they would be entertaining in there. Recessed lights were another hugely popular addition; and because we are in the south where summer afternoons can sometimes feel like you are vacationing in hel...oh you get the point, I also sold a lot of ceiling fan junction boxes as well. Lucky for you, all of these lighting additions can be done by you, the oh so very handy home owner.

Technically, under cabinet lights are referred to as task lighting, though using them alone can certainly help to create a more subdued environment. We love our under cabinet lights; it was a huge perk for me when we bought our home that we already had them installed this time around because I have seen the difference a little lighting can make on resale value. My husband had already installed them on our previous home, and knew that we could use the same type of light fixture as up lighting above our family room bookshelves. And bless his heart, he was willing to install bookshelves and lights all over again when we moved a few years ago, which I am grateful for everyday when at the flip of a switch my most used room feels more cozy.


If you follow this link to the Home Depot web site, they offer a step by step tutorial on how you can install under cabinet lights. They listed the job as "hard" but say that even a novice can get everything installed within a couple of days. It looks like the prices for each light can vary but start out as low as $14 or so, depending on the retailer.

Not such a handy homeowner? You can also purchase wireless LED under cabinet lighting, and most of these lights use just 3 AAA batteries and will have you in business in no time at all. The down side of the battery operated lights is that most will need to have new batteries after about 60 hours of use. But if you aren't using it all the time, the ease of installation can be appealing.

That's it! Add a little light to brighten things up when used with your overhead lights. Or, use just your under cabinet or up lighting to set the stage for a cozy, and dare I say romantic, evening in.

Who am I? What am I doing? Why am I here?

Okay, maybe "Why am I here?" is a bit too philosophical. Though I do want to tell you a little about this southern girl and what I hope to do with this blog. It seems like we all have only a few great passions in life. For me, those passions include my family, our home, and real estate in general really, entertaining, and writing.

As a child I kept a journal which turned into journals and then an education in journalism and mass communications. This turned into a desire to work in advertising. That desire led me to a mid-size ad agency in a mid-size banking town that was having a huge real estate boom. Being the daughter of an engineer who grew up walking project sites and roaming around in one of the South's most charming destination cities it came as no small surprise when I realized I loved real estate too. Though I had a true passion for advertising, I couldn't afford to live on my salary, so I jumped ship when presented the opportunity to work for one of the largest semi-custom builders in the nation.

I loved it! It was such an educational experience. In learning how quality houses are constructed but more so in how to turn those houses into homes for the people who were building them. It was so satisfying to walk the finished home with all the colors and design choices that went into making it more than just brick and stone. Alas, that real estate boom ended, thus effecting my wallet once more, and now here I am.

Why do I call this "A Southern Girls Guide to a Happy Home"? Why not just a "girls guide"? Why "a happy home"? First, I am from the South, and believe where you come from can affect how you see the world, your sense of style, and your mannerisms, so I feel like that will help to explain my point of view and the projects that I want to share with you. Realizing that a happy home may imply something to do with marriage I want to clarify that this blog is about the actual home not necessarily the people within the dwelling itself. For me having a happy home means I feel a little less chaos in my chaotic life with two boys under the age of three and can think more clearly.

What is a happy home? Again, for me, a clean one(to a reasonable degree; I do have two busy children after all) that smells good and feels inviting...even when I am not expecting guest. Warm lighting, and music playing in the background as my boys and I have our morning milk and coffee or start impromptu dance parties when the mood strikes.

What do I hope to accomplish with this blog? I want to share some of the knowledge I've gathered along the way. Tidbits like how to add warmth and charm to a home that may be a little bland, adding value to your home with small inexpensive changes when you are preparing to sell it, and just everyday "hmmm that's a good idea" type of information. I'll also be sharing recipes and entertaining ideas, small construction projects, quick tips to help you out around the home and maybe a few laughs.



I have wanted to do this for quite some time and I hope it gives you more than you had before. So please, stay with me, send me feed back and hopefully I'll share with you something that you didn't already know.