Well-Kept Secrets In Home Decorating

When it comes to redecorating your home, many people would say perfection lies in the details. So once you've selected your designer paints and custom fabrics and draperies and picked out high-end furnishings and artwork, take a moment to look around you.

There's a good chance you may have overlooked some significant details throughout your home. Because they serve such an ordinary function, switches, outlets and dimmers are often overlooked details in home-remodeling projects. With the increased attention given to home lighting, a greater number of architects, builders and design consultants are adding designer-styled switches, outlets and dimmers to the redecorating equation.

These inexpensively priced products offer the perfect finishing touch to a newly redecorated room, adding benefits like convenience and energy savings, while enriching the home's décor.

Rocker-style switches, for example, offer a contemporary, distinctive look for any room in your home. Some versions emit a soft luminescent glow that helps you find your way to them in darkened areas. Designer-style outlets are available in a variety of colors and textures that blend with most wall coverings.

With today's rising energy costs on everyone's mind, replacing your light switches with dimmers may seem frivolous, but a dimmer is apt to pay for itself in the energy it saves. A dimmer lets you adjust lighting for the mood and ambience you want, while helping you reduce lighting usage by up to 30 percent. Many models now come with a preset switch that remembers the last selected brightness level. Dimmers are as easy to install as a light switch. They're ideal for bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, dens, home theaters and elsewhere.

An occupancy sensor can easily replace a standard light switch and automatically turn lighting on when you enter a room and off when you leave. These devices feature designer styling instead of a clunky "scanning device" look. These sensors let you enjoy the magic of hands-free light when you enter the kitchen with an armful of packages.

Whatever you need to add a decorative touch to, designer-style wiring devices and wall plates are available in a wide choice of styles and colors to beautify your home's décor.