A few days ago I mentioned that I was giving the house a once over in terms of straightening, organizing and placing objects to their advantage.  I will be reviewing a few different strategies I use for evaluating each room; I call it a "Refresher Course," because we are freshening up the house.

I know that lamps can easily be overlooked.  But a simple way to enhance a room is to change/rearrange the lamps.  It has been a long time since I had a lamp on this glass table in the corner of my family room.  The fireplace (to the left of this photo) has two spotlights overhead, so lamp light isn't necessary.

No, it isn't necessary, but it looks beautiful!  I had forgotten how soothing it can be to have lamp light in a room on a dim winter afternoon.  It really warms up the room and makes the house seem lived in.  Do you know what I mean?

I brought this 20-year-old Laura Ashley lamp base (cream porcelain with a raised oak leaf pattern) down from the guest room and removed it's tired lampshade.  It was wonderful in it's day (a craft paper shade with oak leaf cut outs) but the "Coolie" shape looked very outdated and I thought the base could look new again, with the right shade. 

While I was out and about doing errands, I started looking at lamps at home stores, discount stores and the like.  When I found this oval drum shade in linen, I knew it was right.  It makes my table look cozy and perfectly balanced.  What a difference!  I found this lamp primer online that can help you to judge size, style and hardware for different lamps.

Step Two of my "Refresher Course" - reevaluate your lamps and their shades.