Lighting can change the way a house looks in more ways than you can imagine. You can have a sterile, generic looking house with bright lights one time; and then at another time you can totally soften the mood just by changing the bulbs to something more dim and romantic.

But it's not just the lights that add to the ambience or the feel of your home. It's where these are placed that matters as well. So here are a few light sources that you might want to consider when you are thinking of beautifying your house with just a play on lighting.

• Desk lamps – These are great because you can put them just about anywhere there is a table. These are about 12 inches in height minimum and can be used for just general lighting for various rooms in the house including the living room, family room, the dining room or the bedroom. Add an incandescent bulb to give off a soft yellow glow or you can use a fluorescent bulb if you are using it in a place like your home office.

The other great thing is that these lamps are easily transferred to other rooms where you might need them. An alternative to these are table lamps that are slightly larger and are a little harder to place in a room.

• Floor lamps – These bulbs are actually great to have in dark corners of your house where light does not reach. These are great in places like the veranda or in the den. Just don't install them in places where you might have thick carpets or else these are an instant fire hazard. Otherwise, these are a great source of light and depending on the light bulb you can have any mood set in the room.

• Wall lamps – Ever notice those nifty lights that they have in hotel room walls? Don't you wish you could have those lamps installed in places of your house where space is an issue? Wall lamps are not that expensive and not that difficult to install. The only thing you really need is a good sense of placement. These are great to have above your bed in the bedroom or even along a hallway that is probably dark at night.

• Chandeliers – Something that has always been a fixture in most modern houses these days is chandeliers. Not only do these exude class and quality, but these give the room these are placed in an air of richness that can't be quite duplicated.

There are all sorts of chandelier designs that you can choose from. What's important is that you fix it in a room just right. Remember that a chandelier should be about 30 inches above a table in a dining room so that there is room to stand and not hit it. It should be a lot higher if you put it in any other room as part of the décor. Also, don't use really bright bulbs to light the chandelier. Use just a soft bulb that can provide 200 watts of lighting to an area because of the reflected light.