One of the most overlooked areas of a new home is lighting. This may seem strange given that every plan for every new home has lots of lighting in it. However, the truth is that most of those plans cover the power needed for basic architectural lighting in every room or, as our team often says, "you are covered for four cans and a fan."

If you are like most of us, you live in a home with poor lighting, but don’t worry, it isn’t your fault. What has become the standard for residential lighting, often referred to as “four cans and a fan,” is pretty poor lighting by most standards. Sure, it is efficient and safe, simple and effective, but it certainly isn’t attractive. It is an improvement over a single light in the center of a room, but that is a pretty low bar.

If you agree that your home could look better with different lighting, read on to find out exactly how experts think about the three layers that create beautiful spaces; ambient, task and accent lighting.