Why do you pay an interior designer? It is the same reason you likely pay your mechanic
or even your doctor, you have to pay them because they know things about your decor, car or body you do not. It just makes sense, you're proficient at that which you do and they're good at their business, simple really. But let's say some of the secrets of the pro's like those of your interior designer were leaked out to you. Then you could very easily do some of the design work yourself and save a bundle in the process. Or even if you still wished to hire them you would now come off knowing a whole lot more than all of their other clients and would be addressed with just that much more respect.
Tip #1. Spread your lighting sources out to about every 10 ft or so. Then start searching for dead shadow spots. Dead spots are areas where your lighting coverage does not quite adequately cover and causes shadowy areas. If you notice the table lamps lighting designs of the pro's one of the things that becomes rather obvious is there are virtually no shadows. How do they do that well we will go into that in a little detail.
It's really simple, as a matter of fact it's so simple it's almost embarrassing. The top design pros simply 1st do not put lighting elements in front of objects especially large objects like entertainment centers. They place them strategically to the sides and preferably to one of the corners so that light is cast to at least two sides of the large piece and they then do the same from the opposite side. Try this out and your lighting experience will no longer be stuck in the shadows. last but not least for tip number 1 they walk around things tan look for dead spots and just keep making little adjustments here and there until only the shadow knows where the shadows used to be.
Tip#2. Discover how to cut all the glare out. This tip too is truly simple and easy to do that top designers might want to have a spat with me if they knew I was sharing their high profit tips that they use to do very little work and get paid well for.
Here's all there is to it. You go sit at each and every position in your space, that is to say you sit at every seat in your space that you're currently lighting and look at each and every light source from that position. Of course each of the light sources has to be on at the time. When you look at this light source is there any glare? Does it hurt or strain your eyes even in the slightest to look right at the light? Is the light shinning directly at you from underneath the shade?
If any of these are occurring the remedies are so super simple. First you mow lamps around until you get the right ones with the right heights so that the light is not shining at you from directly under the shade. Then you look at the lamps that you just can't deal with and you exchange them out to other areas of the house first if you can and get new ones if you can't. Then you look at the diffusing quality of your shades. Are they evenly dispersing the light. If yes great, if not then you will need to learn to properly take lamp shade measurements and replace them. There is so much more to correctly getting your lamp shade measurements than meets the eye.