When choosing the right lighting in your home, you think you’re done when you’ve picked out the actual fixtures. That’s just the beginning. Speaking of light fixtures, we replaced literally every chandelier, pendant and sconce in the newest #NixonPack house and I can’t wait to share them with you. But that’s another day. I don’t want you to wait one second longer to make this quick switch that will completely transform the entire vibe of your home.

You’re standing in the lighting aisle at Home Depot, paralyzed by the enormity of the light bulb selection. Come on, I know it’s not just me. The shapes, the wattage, the newest, most long-lasting bulb, the tone. Ultimately, the choice comes down to daylight or soft white. Some people (old me) just grab a few and think what the heck difference could it make? Well, would you like to live in a hospital room or a spa? Oh, look, everyone has their hands raised for the operating table spa.

You might’ve heard that taking photos with no lights on, just daylight, makes for better pictures, right? It’s true. So I applied that logic to real life (who does that?!) and made the mistake of putting “daylight bulbs” on Jon’s honey-buy list in the last house. He replaced every single can light, every lamp and each tiny chandelier bulb with “daylight” as requested. The horror. Listen, replacing one or two bulbs will not break the bank. But swapping every can light in the house? That’s an investment and you don’t want to completely botch it like I did. Our last home was white white. All white errrything. Mix that with daylight bulbs (think: fluorescent) and, no lie, guests compared it to visiting the morgue. Lesson learned.

This house we switched out every single bulb with soft white. Oh, hello warm, sweet sun on your face. Soft white translates to instant hygge. It’s inviting, flattering, and envelopes you, your space, and all your lovelies in warmth. In our opinion, soft white is the only way to go. #NixonPack Tip: Put everything on dimmers. That is Jon’s biggest pet peeve when he walks in a kitchen and the lights are on full blast. We always tell clients it will pay dividends to make all of your main lights dimmable. Your home shows better and truly feels better. Just make sure you buy lights that are able to be dimmed (yes, there are some that can’t be!).

Did you make the switch? Tell us what you think below!

(image via westelm)