This small upgrade was done in a living room in Los Angeles, California. The room itself was fine, but it always felt darker than it should, even during the day. I didn’t want to do a full renovation, so I focused only on lighting.
Before photo – dim living room and old light fixtures.
I started by replacing the main ceiling fixture and adding a floor lamp near the corner. I honestly thought it would take less than an hour, but the wiring in the ceiling box was tighter than expected, and I had to pause and reset everything.
During renovation – installing new light fixture.
After switching to warm LED bulbs and adjusting lamp placement, the room instantly felt more open. One thing I didn’t get right the first time was bulb brightness, the first set was too harsh, so I swapped them out the next day.
After photo – brighter living room with improved lighting.
The final result isn’t dramatic like a remodel, but it made the space more comfortable to use every day. One corner is still slightly darker than the rest, but overall the improvement was worth the effort.
If you’re in Los Angeles and your room feels off, lighting is a good place to start before changing anything major.
Real Note
This was a small fix, but trial and error mattered more than I expected.