Besides brightening living spaces and making them useful, lighting is an integral part of good home decorating that can set certain moods. Cleverly placed lights can draw attention to a favorite piece of artwork, or be repositioned to give the room an entirely new look.

There are three ways that lighting is used in the home: general, task and accent lighting. General lighting provides the room with an even background of even light. Task lighting focuses light for doing certain jobs, and accent lighting adds drama to any room.

The lighting choices available to today’s home decorators and do-it-yourselfers are virtually endless because lighting manufacturers are continuously designing new products to match any decor and budget. The most difficult installations are best left to an electrician, but there are many home lighting projects that can be done yourself.