Light is a very useful aspect of interior design. It makes the room look bigger and brighter and really lets the features stand out. But, depending on where you are and a variety of factors, Including what direction your home faces and what’s built around it, natural light can be in short supply. Take a look at our tips for maximising and utilising the light in your home well.
Think about replacing your windows or doors
The most major move you can make to ensure that light is coming in is to look at your doors and windows. A common problem with double glazing is the condensation that gets between the panes. Replacing those windows will allow more light to get in, undisturbed by droplets between your windows. While you’re at it, you can look into floor-to-ceiling. Or bay windows that will allow the room to be flooded with light.
But if you have a room where the light just isn’t hitting, consider replacing the doors with glass panel alternatives to let the light in. You can find new doors that will flood light into the room here. For example, at McNaughton Blair (https://doorways.co.uk/internal-doors.html).
Think about your soft furnishings
The thing is, all of that will be for nought if you then invest in some heavy and dark curtains. They will block out the light. Which might be the point if you’re someone who considers their living room an at-home cinema, but it defeats the purpose. If you can’t part with your heavy curtains, grab yourself a pair of mesh curtains, too and pair them together. Keep the mesh curtains closed to keep the chill off, but let the light come in. And close the heavy ones when there’s a Game of Thrones marathon on.
As for the rest of the room, mix up textures in your soft furnishings for the light to land on in different ways. This will keep the eye guessing and elevate the look of the room. Play around with wool, twine, wood, cotton, etc, for a good mix of colours and textures. Take a look at https://thedesignerrooms.com/ for inspiration.
Think about your colour palette
It’ll be of no surprise to you to learn that white is really good at reflecting light. Which is why every hospital waiting room and rented property is painted white. But you don’t have to forgo all colours or even miss out on the current deep hues trends that are going about to enjoy the light in your room. There is the option of going with pastels that will keep the room light but give you the colour you want. If you do go with something deep and dark, you can accent the room with white features to catch the light for a high-contrast look.
And then there is colour blocking. You can add a pop of vibrant colour to a wall, to a nook, to the skirting. Or simply freehand paint onto the wall. It’s an area where you’re truly allowed to be creative in the home.