We’ve officially lived in our new home for two months. It’s taken us a lot longer than I expected to put our finishing touches on this house, and I’m convinced that it will take us at least a year to make this place look how we’d like it to.
Folks, the wall color is wearing me out. The entire house is painted in a flat, beige color. Never in my life did I ever think I could grow to despise…beige. I mean, it was the staple of the 90s, was it not? I wanted to repaint the entire house, but with 3000 square feet, this costs a lot more than I’d like at the moment. Really, what’s been bugging me has been the low lighting in some areas of the house. And when we use lights…the beige turns into an ugly, yellow monster.
I wondered, how do I battle the yellow hues our light bulbs cast at night without breaking the bank on paint? That’s when I heard about GE reveal® LED light bulbs. Previously, I thought LED lights were only for signs on storefronts. I was also afraid of having a bluish hue to my surroundings, like some of the Christmas icicle lights I saw on some houses. But, seeing is believing.
In our master bedroom (which still has a way to go in decorating) I was striving for a cozy feel. On the recliner (which my husband insisted on having in the bedroom) I added a white, Mongolian fur pillow for comfort and texture; our headboard is white velvet, and our lamps have an antique mercury glass finish…none of which looked as crisp and clean at night. Even our beautiful, mahogany nightstands take on a sickly, dingy, yellowish hue at night with the Soft White light bulbs. The gorgeous wood also looks, for lack of a better word, cheap.
Truth be told, I needed to be sold on GE reveal® before I proposed changing out light bulbs throughout the house. I’m not an easy sell for marketing departments. I mull over purchases far longer than other normal people. I had to see the difference with my own eyes, at the same time, side-by-side. At night. So I replaced the old light bulb on my nightstand with a GE reveal® light bulb and left the Soft White bulb on my husband’s nightstand for comparison. The difference left me speechless.
Again, here’s the side-by-side:
Lighting…it makes all the difference. Even the ugly beige looks more tolerable. Just a little. And just a little goes a long way in holding out paint purchases. (And that’s one less budgeting conversation we need to have right now).
GE reveal® isn’t just a bulb; it’s a room makeover. I will never go back to ordinary Soft White bulbs. Even my husband, who thinks I’m silly for insisting on getting rid of alltheBEIGE, said the rest of the house looks “weird” now that I replaced the bulbs in two rooms.
My husband’s escape is the kitchen. If he has a rough day at work, wiping down the counters is stress relief. Grilling up a steak also does this for him, while benefiting me :) Lighting is important for me when I eat. I can’t eat in the dark; I just can’t. Seeing as we often like to eat standing up at the kitchen island, I decided to replace all of the bulbs in our kitchen with GE reveal® bulbs as well. The difference was unbelievable.
The before:
The after:
For point of reference, look at the produce on my countertop, next to the stove. Look at the yellow of the bananas and the green of the plantains in the before and after. They look natural. GE reveal® illuminates homes with clean, beautiful light. Can you imagine how much more appetizing vibrant foods like red peppers, yellow squash, and zucchini would look at dinnertime? Also, look at the stainless steel appliances. Even my granite countertops look less yellow.
GE reveal® light brings your home to life. These pictures have not been retouched to exaggerate color. I had the same manual settings on my DSLR in all three pictures.
Will you transform your home with GE reveal®?
In the comments below, tell me what you want to reveal in your home with GE reveal lighting for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card to complete your own #100reveal.
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This sweepstakes runs from 1/19/2015 – 3/1/2015.
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