Well, let's not get too carried away. ;) There is junk out there. But many of the LED options are good. You just have to make sure you're getting them from a place which knows what they're doing. Color temperatures have come down and are wonderful. And LEDs definitely do not use the same technology as old fluorescents. Light color does not equal similar technology. Kichler makes some great LEDs. But so do Color Kinetics, CSL and and others which we've used for clients. So in other words, if the price is in your budget, LEDs are a fantastic way to go. And in many applications pay for themselves in a reasonable amount of time.

As you can see, you will get varying opinions on what or what not to do. I did the exact opposite of what tomatofreak says not to do and am very pleased with the outcome. In previous apartments, I did eggshell on the walls. It was fine. We bought our first home last year and I went to a 'respected' colorist to get some assistance. We used BM Aura Matte on all walls except the kitchen. Love it. Wipeable (we have two little ones) and the effect is beautiful. For trim and doors I wanted high gloss. It is actually not as glossy as I expected but I like the look. We used BM Advance high gloss in Chantilly Lace (white, not off white). I wanted contrast and got it. For ceilings I was all prepared to do shades lighter/different ceiling colors in each room/make things complicated, etc. He said to go with BM flat ceiling white. That's it. No more. So, there you have it. I know you want someone to tell you what to do, but good or bad there are so many ways to approach paint colors. Do you want high contrast - go with white. And go glossy if that is what you want! ETA: If this didn't come across the first time, I wanted to add that everyone's idea of the perfect white or perfect trim is going to be different. At the end of the day, you have to live with it. I am sure there are other 'respected' colorists that hate high gloss trim and love different color ceilings. I decided I had to trust my instincts and go with what seemed good at the time. Hasn't always worked out for me re: paint, but as they say, it's only paint! This post was edited by mamorella on Fri, Aug 1, 14 at 14:39

I have dimmers on everything. I don't use them because I like the bright light. Also my kitchen is on the north side of the house so it is naturally dark. But, I have it set up for two or three switches on each gang. Next to main hallway: 1) half of recessed 2) island 3) table Next to range at DR doorway 1) other half of recessed 2) island Next to sink 1) other half of recessed- sink recessed is on this one 2) UCL'S Next to table 1) table light All of mine are dimmed separately. I would not gang the dimming except for the recessed LED's.

@beth h: Yes, 17kg in each piece of hand luggage. My arms and shoulders ached for a week! But I saw similar tiles in New York for $6 each, so the cost saving was worth the pain! Plus going through security was funny when they made me open the luggage to see what they were!