Still in the dark when it comes to lighting and windows? From sconces to skylights, these tips will brighten your home in a flash.

Want to see your home in a whole new light? No need for a major remodel, just make some simple tweaks to enhance what you already have. Think new lights under kitchen cabinets that show off your countertops and add ambiance; geometric accent windows that create drama and new focal points; and skylights that offer instant brightness with the touch of a remote control.
“So many of us are playing the hand we’ve been dealt,’’ says David May, general manager of Hacienda Lighting in Scottsdale.
Instead of asking for different cards, May and other experts say, we settle for what we got when we moved in. We’re content with ineffective and outdated lighting (do bulky light bars in a bathroom sound familiar?), energy-wasting windows, dim spaces and boring basics in the face of more choices than ever before.
Giving your home a light, bright makeover may seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Valley professionals weigh in on how new lights, windows and skylights can help transform a room or entire home.
Let there Be Light

“Lighting used to be more of an afterthought,’’ says Carmen Buffin, senior designer for the Expo Design Center in Phoenix. “It has become a much more important part of the design.’’
She and May say that too many homes suffer the same fate: a single ceiling light placed in the middle of a room and not much more.
Not only is that ineffective, it does nothing to create warmth or ambience. To achieve that, May says, a room needs layers of lights, such as a ceiling light, a table lamp and wall sconces.
For a bit of drama, you might also add recessed can lights that can set off an architectural feature or a piece of artwork.
Of course, you won’t benefit from having these layers in a room without dimming switches. These are a must to help create mood and, for ease, can be operated by remote control.
Right now, buyers have more choices than ever when it comes to lighting options.
In the kitchen, consider installing lights inside glass-paned cabinets to show off nice tableware and under cabinets to enhance granite or tile work.
Instead of putting pendant lights above the kitchen island, add visual interest by using them over a dining room, game table or wet bar. Replace old light bars or overhead lights with wall sconces, which instantly update a room and create warmth. Throughout your home, upgrade to ceiling fans that have uplights for indirect mood lighting, May says.
Finally, May and Buffin say, consider a chandelier. A mainstay in formal settings like the dining room, they are showing up in nontraditional spots, such as above a bathtub, inside a walk-in closet or in a child’s bedroom. And they are available in a rainbow of materials and colors. Try teak-colored crystal on a bronze-finished frame, a mini-chandelier all in pink or a dramatic ruby red dazzler.