Winter Is the Perfect Time to Get More Light

3 ways to add some light to your home and heart during winter.

• Heating & Cooling
• Lighting

Deborah Burnett of the American Association of Interior Designers, who has seasonal affective disorder, shares tips to brighten rooms and lift spirits:

1. Use halogens. They keep the light bright, white and crisp till they die; standard bulbs grow dim and yellow.

2. Make mirror magic. Display an 8" x 11" framed mirror on a tabletop easel ($6 at craft stores) behind a green plant to reflect light and lend a springtime feel to the room.

3. Plug in accent lights. Also called "uplights." Use with warm white compact fluorescents on the floor of dark corners. Under $10 at home stores.

From Reader's Digest - February 2006

 

• Dramatic Recessed Lights
• How to install recessed low-voltage lights, even in the toughest situation--by fishing wires.
• 
• Add an Electrical Outlet
• Use this easy method to install a new electrical outlet without a lot of wire pulling.
• 
• Brighten Up Your Kitchen
• Install a track lighting system with this step-by-step guide.
• 
• Low-Voltage Track Lights
• Affordable low-voltage track lights.
• 
• Discover More Energy
• 26 ways to chase fatigue out of your day
• 
• Kitchen Lighting Improvements
• How to choose new lights for your kitchen.
• 

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Confusion was understandable at a Chinese buffet serving sushi to a mostly Hispanic clientele. To avoid a painful mix-up, the owners posted this warning: "Wasabi es muy caliente. No es guacamole." ("Wasabi is very hot. It is not guacamole.")

-- Julie Shoup, Topeka, Kansas