Shopfront: Transforming your pad with lighting is easy, provided you know your uplighters from your dimmers.

A good book to look out for is Lighting: Recipes and Ideas by goddess of light Sally Storey (at Hodges Figgis, Dawson Street €11.35 paperback, €35.50 hardback or $12.00 on amazon.com).

It gives simple mood-altering light tips: a low level uplighter placed behind a plant will create jungly shadows on the walls; putting a light behind a sofa in a bay window will create a soft wash on the curtains; and for an ethnic, dappled effect, place an open ended wicker lampshade over a low-level lamp stand.