Kitchen lighting can increase home value

SEATTLE - Walk into a kitchen and one of the first things you'll notice is the space. Then it's the lighting. Lighting does a lot for any room of the house.

Home and Garden Television host Pat Simpson says you don't have to spend a fortune to upgrade your kitchen lighting. Here are few ways to use lighting to make that room pop.

"Take down the fluorescent lights and put up some incandescent lights if you have fluorescents," he says. "Put your lights on dimmer switches. Consider putting pendant lights in, drop lights that shine down over an island."

Another cheap way to spruce up the kitchen is to replace the pulls and knobs on the drawers and cupboards with new hardware.

Simpson says every dollar you spend on kitchen or bathroom upgrades will greatly improve the resale value of your house. In fact, spending $100 to improve the lighting he says, can bring a return in resale value of 750 percent.

For More Information:

Creating Kitchen Ambiance

Better Homes & Garden: Kitchen Lighting

Tips for a better kitchen remodeling project