Swap a plain toggle for a dimmer the right way — power off, tested, and up to code.
Dimmers transform a room, and the swap itself is one of the friendliest electrical jobs there is — as long as you respect the first rule: kill the breaker and test with a non-contact voltage tester before you touch a wire. Never trust the wall switch alone.
We photographed the existing wiring before disconnecting anything, matched the line, load, and ground to the new dimmer's leads, and checked that our bulbs were dimmer-rated LEDs to avoid flicker. The connections are just wire nuts, but neatness matters when you fold everything back into the box.
A quality dimmer runs $20 to $30. If you open the box and find no ground wire or a tangle of unfamiliar conductors, that is the moment to call a licensed electrician — knowing when to stop is part of doing it yourself.