Indoor Lighting for a Dark Space
 

The darkest places in our homes are often the ones we struggle to light adequately. Often lacking a window for natural light, closets, laundry rooms and attics are often equipped with little more than a single flush mount (or worse – light bulb with a dangling string!) to light the room.

You may not be keen on springing for expensive indoor lighting for these dark spaces, and we don't blame you. However, dark spaces still need to be well-lit! Here are some economical ideas for lighting your home's dark spaces.

• In the Closet: For smaller closets, one of the best indoor lighting solutions is a fluorescent strip over the door, on the inside. It'll provide plenty of light and save energy. It's extremely economical, and you'll never have to stare at the unsightly fluorescent tube!
  
  In very large closets, consider adding recessed lighting. Before doing so, be sure to check your local ordinances for guidelines on using recessed lighting in your home.

• In the Laundry Room: If you have cabinets, try easy-to-install under cabinet lights to illuminate a dark laundry room. For the most functionality, install them toward the front of the cabinets. Voila! A discrete and simple way to add task lighting to your laundry room.
  
  If you've got a smaller laundry room without cabinets, the fluorescent-strip-over-door approach will work fine.

• In the Attic: You probably don't spend much time here, but your attic needs to be adequately lit for safety reasons. Consider installing a fluorescent strip or a flush mount fixture instead of a pull chain; this way, you'll be able to turn on the light as you're entering.