Have you ever arrived at a restaurant or the home of a friend and felt immediately welcomed and at ease because of great lighting? On the other hand, do you recall sitting down to a delicious meal but because the space felt like a cafeteria you couldn't fully enjoy it? I am extremely sensitive to lighting, I won't return to a restaurant no matter how good the food is if the lighting stinks. And we all know what I mean by stinks. Either too bright, not bright enough, flickering, buzzing, or it casts a funny tint that gives you and your friends an alien-like glow (Greetings earthlings). Some lighting can make you look downright bad, showing every blemish and line. Lighting in the home is equally as important. Not only should your home color palette look good on you (choose colors that you would wear to decorate your home, if you look great in red use plenty of it), but it should make you, and the things in your home, look like a million bucks.

What are the different types of lighting? Here are a few of the most common ones:

• Accent  - Also called 'mood lighting', it's primary function is to highlight something that you want to stand out. A bookcase, art, plants, a vase. Some use accent lighting in corners behind plants. It's suggested to use it sparingly.
  
• Task  - Most commonly used in an office area or near a cozy chair, task lighting gives you a beam of light meant for a specific task like reading, knitting, or drawing. A table lamp next to the sofa is a good example.
• Ambient - You find this most often in schools, medical offices, labs, office spaces, etc. Overhead lighting is the most common, fixtures, ceiling fans, etc. It mimics sunlight and illuminates the entire room with an even amount of light.

Then there is Decorative lighting -- Pendants, chandeliers, sconces... These not only provide ambient lighting to a room (most often dimmers are placed on them so they can create a mood for an event or dinner) but function as an attention grabber -- often one of the first things that you notice when you enter a room. Some decorative lighting also functions as an accent - such as sconces to accent a painted wall in the living room.

Now let's talk bulbs because a you can't do much with a lamp without these little guys. The most common are:

• Incandescent - These are recommended for living rooms, dens, dining rooms, and bedrooms. They bring out warm yellow tones and can be used on a dimmer. You can find decorative, bug, shatter resistant, 3 way, antique replica bulbs, you name it. My first experience with an incandescent bulb was when my mom and I had to replace the one in my Easy Bake oven. :) It provides good color rendition of human skin tones. If you don't like a warm glow, try GE Reveal bulbs or MB Halogen bulbs for clean, beautiful light.
• Fluorescent - Energy efficient, they often have a bluish tint. Most are linear, u-shaped, circular, or grooved. These are commonly used in kitchens, bathrooms and tanning beds. You can sometimes 'hear' them, as they make these cracking sounds and sometimes they flicker.
  
• Compact fluorescent (CFLs) - a smaller, even more energy efficient fluorescent bulb because they last up to 10x longer than standard fluorescents. The most common ones have this white swirly shape (think Dairy Queen soft serves), which not a lot of home owners like so they use them in lamps where the bulb is not showing. You can find some that are encased too. Not suggested in the bathroom as high humidity can shorten their life. You can use them in the living room, outdoors, bedroom, dining room, and kitchen. A panel of New York Times employees evaluated energy-efficient light bulbs in Any Other Bright Ideas? highlighting the benefits of CFLs though many are not sold on them yet. Common complaints: headaches, they make some people's eyes hurt, and they feel a bit institutional.
  
• Halogen - They last longer than other bulbs, cost the most, but are the brightest of the bunch. Think bulbs with flat tops and flood lights. Halogen light contains more blue and green than a standard bulb so the light appears whiter and brighter. There are also MB Halogen bulbs that look like your standard incandescent bulbs with the round top.

Quick tips:  Bulbs between 75 and 150 watts are the best for tasks and reading. Mood lighting is nice around 40 - 75 watts, use a dimmer and eyeball it. You should be able to see what's on your plate and the person in front of you. Distribute light evenly in a room, don't neglect corners or the room will feel closed in at night.

Now that we know all about the various types of lighting and bulbs, how do you use them to create the perfect environment in your home? Instead of telling you myself, I'll let the lighting experts over at GE  show you the way. They have an amazing site all about how to design with lights, you can click on any room in their virtual house and learn all about the best ways to illuminate it.

On Friday I'll be back to reveal some of my favorite sources for actual light fixtures including NICE, you can see one of their handmade pendants above.

(image from NICE)

I want you to picture in your mind two or three people you care for deeply. Imagine that you and these loved ones are doing something you enjoy together -- maybe you're skiing the Rockies, laughing over a warm cup of coffee, or sharing a meal around a table plated with your favorite foods.

Now, imagine that you're fulfilling one of your life's dreams -- accept the Pulitzer for your life-changing novel, photograph the city of Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower, or tuck your grandchild into bed and kiss his forehead.

In any of these imagined scenarios were you sorting through papers that need to be filed on your desk? Folding laundry? Paying bills? I doubt it. When you imagine living a remarkable life, you don't visualize running errands or doing chores. You see time spent with people you love doing things that bring you happiness and building lasting memories.

At Unclutterer, we write about organization and simple living for the purposes of relieving stress and anxieties in your home and office so that you can focus your efforts on achieving the remarkable life you imagine. If you have processes in place to handle bills, you never have to worry about them being paid on time. If you know where your client research is in your filing cabinet, you're prepared when your boss asks you to sit in on an important meeting. If your home is clean and organized, you can comfortably invite in unexpected guests to share a cup of coffee and inspiring conversation.

And it is with this same spirit that I'll be writing my posts on Tuesdays and Thursdays for Real Simple. You deserve to live an amazing life and not have mundane worries keep you from achieving it. I'll provide tips and suggestions on organization that can help you find a state of order in your life, keep chaos at bay, and hopefully bring you a few steps closer to the remarkable life you imagine.

Hi everyone! I'm Holly Becker, a new writer here at Real Simple and I'm very excited to meet you and start working alongside the RS web team. Going forward, you can catch me three times a week (M/W/F) covering what's hot in design and decorating. I'll spotlight my favorite online stores and introduce you to the designers, artists, and bloggers who inspire me. I'll also toss in a few surprises to mix things up! This is all in addition to my daily musings over on my design blog decor8.

My bio sheds light on some of the basics but first I have a little tale about following dream.

I didn't take the traditional route to land my dream job. I took a bit of a detour. Sure, I'd always known that I loved decorating and writing, my family and teachers constantly encouraged me in this direction and everyone knows what they're naturally good at. But I didn't listen, instead I jumped into the corporate world as a way to pay for my rent and afford college (the company paid for my tuition) promising myself that once I obtained my degree I would resign. After nearly a decade, I realized that I needed to stop suppressing my creativity and venture off on my own. I found some satisfaction in my work and the company gave me opportunity and skills that I would not have learned otherwise, so I'm glad I spent the time I did in corporate. In fact I wouldn't change a thing.

One year before resigning, I started taking design classes on nights and weekends, read tons of design books from cover to cover, and took on clients by placing ads on Craigslist.org in Boston. In the Fall of '05 I resigned, and though I was terrified, my gut told me to do it. I decided to put my dreams before earnings for one year, a time period I gave myself to grow out my business. I had the security of knowing that even if I failed, I'd already succeeded because trying counts for something! Plus I had years of experience and a decent resume to fall back on so I could always crawl back.

Since that scary day in '05, my newfound career as a freelance writer and interior design consultant (aka decorator) took off like a rocket, exceeding all of my expectations. I primarily have my husband to thank for believing in me and of course decor8 clients, readers, and sponsors for their continuous support. It takes a village to raise a child and my village is the web. Through the internet, I discovered friendship, inspiration, and a way to make a successful living doing what I love.

I hope you enjoy my contributions to Real Simple, it's great to be here. I value all feedback and suggestions so feel free to contact me at hollybecker@gmx.net or you may comment below. It's nice to meet you!