Situation: You want bright light for cooking and dimmable light for dining in your eat-in kitchen.

The Light Fix: Halogen Bulbs
You cook there; you eat there; you entertain there; you pay bills there. Your all-purpose kitchen needs all-purpose lighting. While compact fluorescent bulbs are long lasting, most are not dimmable, and they can slightly mute or distort colors. The crisp light from halogen bulbs is best.
To Buy: Philips Halogena Classic clear bulb, $4 to $5, Home Depot stores. (For recessed lights, use Philips Halogena Indoor Floodlights; $6 each, Home Depot stores.)