Look at the image to the right. Doesn't this room look amazing? If you look closely you can see that there is light coming from multiple sources so the room is equally light and bright. You have the ceiling can lights which provides overall light. Then you need some specific lights like the pendants over the island and the chandelier over the table. Lastly, there are lights under the cabinets and coming from the vent hood - called task lighting. In a living room, you would have a fourth layer with table lamps.
You don't want to have just one source of lighting, like the canned lights in this space, because you will get dark spots all over the room. The rule of thumb is to have 2-3 light sources in each space. Don't be afraid to use lamps on your counters, in your bathroom, or even outside on your cooking station. It not only can add additional lighting but it can also bring a homey feel to those spaces and a little interest, as it's unexpected and you don't see it in every home.
Don't be afraid of "drama" lighting. Drama lighting includes fixtures such as spot lights on artwork or up-lights that shine up from the floor to illuminate a space or a tree in the room. I love a good uplight on a tree because it can create really cool shadows on the ceiling. I went in a home a couple of years ago and they had lighting (like puck lights) built into the floor uplighting the hallway. It was not only unique but it added such drama and interest into what is normally such a boring space in a home.
We covered the interior, now let's discuss exterior lighting, which is just as important.
Look at how the up-lights on these palms turn these everyday plants into an actual piece of focus. Great lighting can add so much to the home's exterior especially when it's integrated within a great landscape design.
I've often said you can make an ordinary, cookie-cutter home look extraordinary with great landscape and great interior design. We all know people who live in big neighborhoods where all of the homes look pretty much the same, but there are those that just stand out because of the way they've been finished inside and out. A perfect example are model homes, and that's exactly why they spend the time and money to make them look so enticing.
When it comes to selling just changing out a few fixtures can have a big impact on how the home shows. I recently had a seller swap out some fixtures to a more popular style, since the homes original fixtures were put in 13 years ago. It was amazing to see how such a small change really made the rooms feel different.
If you have questions or need ideas please reach out, I'd love to help.