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12 Nov 20

10 ways to brighten and lighten your home

Pale pink walls, white floor lamp, black desk, pale wood chair and monochrome geometric rug. Image by Little Greene

Here are my easy tips for keeping your home feeling on the bright side this winter, or indeed any time of year. And if like me, you have a house that isn’t flooded with oodles of natural light, I share my design hacks for ramping up the brightness.

Now the clocks have gone back, and the evenings are dark, they can really begin to affect our mood.  I’m committed to batting away the blue’s in every way I can because arguably things are looking gloomy enough! With many parts of the world still in some form of lockdown, we could kind of cope during the sunnier months, but how do we keep our peckers up during these dark times spent indoors?

Well, I’m happy to report that the feel-good vibes are just around the corner, read on…

Ramp up the lamps

This is never a bad idea but at this time of year upping the ambient light is where it’s at. I’ve just popped a decorative lamp in my kitchen worktop and its cheered things up immeasurably, bringing a golden glow in the dark corner next to the window. Other places where I’ve seen lighting used cleverly in kitchens is above the wall units, a strip of rope lights for example (maybe in the Xmas decorations box) plugged in and thrown up onto the top of wall units can instantly throw light up onto the ceiling which is a real room brightener. I’ve got occasional lamps everywhere in my home. You’ll find them on my hallway table, on my desk and even on the linen cupboard on the landing, as well as in the usual places like next to the bed and sofa. Think about creating lovely pockets of warm light throughout your home- it’s such a mood booster. And I’ve not tried them yet, but you can get smart bulbs, Ikea and Philips Hue do them amongst others which means to can control the light intensity and even turn them all off from your smart device before you go to bed.

Mimic daylight

I invested in a Lumie daylight lamp last year, after being recommended it wellness expert and designer, Oliver Heath. I have a Lumie Glow clock and can set it in the morning to wake me up with light that mimics the sunrise. Strong, regular light signals keep our circadian rhythms, such as metabolism and sleep, on track. However, most of us don’t get enough bright light in the winter and the shorter darker days can trigger ‘winter blues’ symptoms, like lack of energy, wanting to sleep more and socialise less. Even a well-lit office only provides around 500 lux compared with 100,000 lux in natural daylight. Bright light therapy is a convenient and natural solution, so I’m considering using my glow clock lamp in the day too for the ultimate mood boost. Failing that always try and have your desk next to the window during the day, with a view of the outdoors to boot.

 

Neat shutters at the window, a pale wall colour and reflective floor allows the natural light to flood this bedroom in the home of designer Matthew Williamson

Hello sunshine

During the day I have my lamps and lights on, as my house is dark, but I make sure they are energy saving. However there are some things you can do to harness the natural sunlight throughout the day. First of all, don’t underestimate a good window clean! And as this is the time of year for cutting back in the garden, prune any shrubs or trees that are blocking the daylight outside. Also, consider your window treatments. As my home has titchy windows, I need to maximise the light all year round. I’ve done this with extra wide curtain poles at the windows so I can fully draw the curtains, otherwise, you can lose up to a third of the light accessing the room. Another solution is to opt for neat tailored Roam blinds, hung outside the recess so they can be drawn all the way up.

Declutter

Groan…it’s my nemesis! That old chestnut again, but over the last two weeks, I’ve had a massive clear out of the house, taking bags of clothes to the charity shop and passing a few unwanted house items on via eBay or Facebook marketplace. As many of us have discovered when you spend more time at home, too much stuff that constantly needs moving from surface to surface or from room to room can quickly feel oppressive and exhausting. Having less stuff choking up shelves and floor space instantly makes a home feel and appear brighter and more spacious. On a decorative front, you can also declutter visually by avoiding clashing colours and patterns. A more minimal approach to styling can also appear brighter and airier too. Not that I’ve mastered that particular style!

Paint it pale

If you are looking to redecorate you might like to consider painting the walls a light inducing colour. First up though consider if your room is already dark, maybe due to the aspect or small windows. If this is the case I always argue that you should embrace the darkness and go for a bold or only hue as you’re just fighting a losing battle otherwise. But if light is the way you want to go be wary of pure brilliant white. It’s a hard and stark colour and without the warmth of glowing sunshine to warm it up can just look flat and uninspiring, or worse still, depressing. Instead, pick a pale shade with some warmth to it and avoid any cool blue tones. Lilac, grey, and of course blue fall into this category. Pale pink is a personal favourite of mine as its soft too, but pale pebble colours are a warm neutral or pale green have the feel-good factor. Just don’t go grey. Far too chilly for a mood-boosting interior!

You don’t need to go neutral for a light-filled home. Pastel shades of pink, pebble and green make for a bright home that feels soft too, coupled with light giving floors, oversized mirrors and oodles of lamps and wall lights. Perfection! Design by Ham Interiors

Floors and ceilings

These two surfaces make up such a large surface area of any room and are so often ignored. I recently bought a massive pale cream Beni Ourain rug for my living room to replace the old Persian and the transformation was incredible. Floors offer a great way to bounce light back up and into the room. Aside from rugs, pale timber floors, tiles and even painted floorboards are all great ways to achieve a lighter look.

Go for gloss

While ceilings are largely painted white to reflect light back down into the room, I have seen small rooms with low ceilings cleverly painted in gloss paint. Now you have to prep your surface within an inch of its life, but it can look really effective and light inducing. Also consider painting your window frames and window sills in a light gloss paint, again really harnessing the natural light and amplifying it.

Reflect the light

Once you have the light streaming into your room, think of ways to enhance it and reflect it all around. A large wall mirror is an obvious one but even a gallery wall of prints with glass frames can help reflect light back into the room. Consider glass, mirror or polished marble for occasional tables and coffee tables for their light reflective qualities. Smaller touches like metallic frames, lamp bases, fixtures and fittings can all add a light and bright highlight.

My living room was transformed with the addition of this pale Beni Ouarain rug from Kulchi. Glass and mirrored tables and plenty of reflective framed artwork continue to bounce the light around.

Keep it cosy

With all this lightness and brightness being pumped into the room a word of warning to keep things cosy. While hard shiny surfaces are idea light enhancers too much can leave a room feeling cold to the touch and stark. So, make sure you balance the look with plenty of cosy textures like deep pile rugs, rattan, velvet and wool.

Avoid bulky blocking furniture

Heavy, lumpy and dark furniture can help to create a cosy vibe, but it kills the light and bright vibe! Consider switching heavy lumpen sofas and coffee tables for something finer lined and that stands up on legs, thereby showing more of that light inducing floor! If you have a dark coloured sofa, break it up with light coloured scatter cushions. A round dining table on one central pedestal look lighter than a heavy wooden one with chunky legs and similarly fine legged chairs are visually less dark and heavy than solid upholstered ones. If you already own dark wood furniture, consider giving it a lick of paint in a brighter hue.

 

KNOCK DOWN WALLS

It may seem extreme but one of the most effective ways to get more light into your home is to knock down some of the walls! Opening up small rooms into larger ones allows more light to move around as does changing small windows for larger ones or switching solid doors for glazed ones. However knocking rooms together isn’t always the most practical so consider internal windows to ‘borrow’ light from an adjoining bright room.

 

The fabulous home of Emily Murray from Pink House features a clever glass panelled wall to borrow the light from her sunny living room into the dark hallway of her Victorian town house.

Image at top: Walls in Pink Slip by Little Greene.

  • Interior Design
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Matthew Williamson house tour, Podcast show notes S9 ep4 House selling tips and interview with ethical designer Chloe Bullock, Podcast show notes S9 ep3

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Just jumping on here to high five all the parents Just jumping on here to high five all the parents who saw their kids off to school this morning after two long months of home schooling. While some are bouncing out the door my Arthur was full of anxiety this morning after so long at home, going back to school feels overwhelming. However I know that once he is reunited with his friends he’ll be back in the swing by the end of the week helped along by his amazing teachers who have just been incredible throughout this whole ordeal. 🙌  And I’m slightly giddy at the thought of reclaiming my office and being able to actually focus on work. Gosh it’s been hard hasn’t it but things are looking up! Have a gorgeously productive Monday folks! 

📷 @aluncallenderphoto 

#backtoschool #homeoffice #workingfromhome
It was an absolute JOY to pop up on @interiordesig It was an absolute JOY to pop up on @interiordesignmasters_tv last night and I feel super lucky to have been part of the show and to meet the talented line up of designers that @michelleogundehin had lined up! Michelle is a rare gem in the design world. She’s 100% authentically committed to championing the power  of design to exalt our experience. Which has nothing to do with ego and everything to do with creating extraordinary and thought out spaces that make us FEEL GOOD. Nothing does this better than a pink polka dot beach hut in my view! 
It’s this little bit of magic that’s hard to translate on mediums like Instagram and TV. You have to take our word for it! 
And while I’m  here, so much love for my Mac, the DM’s have been insane! I bought it last year from my fave little boutique @sirene.boutique and the label is @muntheofficial . Glad it brightened up your screens! 🥰 

#interiordesign #interiordesignmasters #interiordesignmasters_tv
Interiors Design masters is on the telly tonight! Interiors Design masters is on the telly tonight! BBC 2. And I’m sidling up with the fabulous @michelleogundehin and hilarious @chattyman on a joint mission to bring you the best in interior design talent. The competition hots up at this half way point as the designers are given beach huts in tonight’s challenge. The perfect brief that demands full throttle on the creativity while throwing every practical problem at them too. A tiny multifunctional space, sea, sand, sunshine and rain storms. And two judges who want to feel transported to sunnier climes. What could possibly go wrong! If I wasn’t blown away by the high winds I was whipped away by the incredible talent of @moneypennyinteriors @interiorcurve @charlottebeevor @lynseyforddesign @micaelasharpdesign . Enjoy! It’s a real beauty of a show, see you tonight at 8! @interiordesignmasters_tv 

#interiordesignmasters #
DAY 20 of #easywininteriors and I’m bringing the DAY 20 of #easywininteriors and I’m bringing the outside in! 20 days ago I was feeling heavy with lock down fatigue and endless grey skies, rain and endless mud. But as we reach the end of February the sun is coming out  and we’ve just been treated to the most beautiful blue skies and birdsong this weekend! It feels amazing that spring is around the corner, a time of rebirth, new life, hope and optimism. While this challenging period has highlighted to us the importance of home and our interiors have never mattered more, our outside spaces have also become fundamental to our wellbeing. I feel it’s really important to incorporate the great outdoors indoors. You can do this with a collection of houseplants and fresh flowers but also in the way your decorate. It’s no coincidence that we are drawn to floral and botanical motifs in our wallpapers, fabrics and artworks. They make us feel connected to nature and that makes us feel good. Nothing feels better than natural materials and indeed it’s been scientifically proven that when we touch real wood, it actively lowers our blood pressure. So if you don’t already, celebrate all of nature’s gifts and incorporate them in your schemes somehow.
So here we are, my 20 day count down to bring you to the doorstep of March has come to an end. I’ve loved seeing your #easywininteriors and getting a glimpse on how important our homes are to us and how they have the power to give us a little boost no matter how small. The wonderful  @kinteriorsuk has taken on the hashtag and will be posting daily for the next 10 days in March and so if you want to keep the easy win inspo  flowing, give her a follow, she has lots of ideas lined up for us all to get involved with. Thanks so much for following ime on this journey and hurrah for Spring! 

In the words of George Michael 
“I think I’m done with the sofa
I think I’m done with the hall
I think I’m done with the kitchen table baby
Let’s go outside!”🌷🌈😍 

#thegreatoutdoors #thegreatindoors #outsidein #happyinside #colourlover #banthebeige
DAY 19 of #easywininteriors and we are almost acro DAY 19 of #easywininteriors and we are almost across the finish line! Today my easy win to brighten up your home is artwork. I’m obsessed. I can remember the first piece of ‘art’ (as in not a framed poster) was back in 2000 at Battersea affordable arts fair and I bought a limited edition litho print of a blossom tree  and it felt so grown up! I still have it now, up in my hallway and it’s been in five different homes since I bought it. Collecting art, (as well as posters in frames) really makes a house a home for me and I love how certain pieces really make me remember particular times in my life . This is my latest piece, a portrait of my dog Lucy. I’ve discovered so many amazing artists here on Instagram but when I fell upon @georgiafiennesstudio I knew I had to have a piece of her work in my home. It’s just heavenly! I’ve never commissioned a piece before so it feels even more grown up but it’s just perfect because I love chintz and I love my dog and she bought both together. I’ve just got to wait to take it to the framers and then I can hang it in pride of place. I might have a switch about too and give the walls a new look while I’m at it. 🤩 

#easywininteriors #minibullie #minibullterrier #ihavethisthingwithchintz #ihavethisthingwithflowers #colourlover #banthebeige #artathome #portrait #countryinteriors
DAY 18 of #easywininteriors and I’m getting the DAY 18 of #easywininteriors and I’m getting the paintbrush out! Giving old and unappreciated brown furniture of coat of colour is not just easy but quick too and you get ooodles of satisfaction giving something a new lease of life. Since the sun is starting to poke it’s head out it’s the perfect opportunity to fling open the windows, roll out the dust sheet, and calm your senses with the therapeutic strokes of a paint brush. I transformed these battered old Ercol chairs that I found at a car boot sale with an undercoat of Zinsser and a top coat of eggshell so they really can withstand the knocks. ( here’s a tip, use a sash  brush for spindly furniture) I love how the pink legs pick up on the pink in the wallpaper. I’ve got a couple of pots of chalk paint waiting in the wings. This just might be the weekend to tackle the bedside tables at last! Have a wonderful weekend  and I hope the sun shines on you wherever you are! 

CREDITS Reclaimed terracotta tiles @ca_pietra_  Borastapeter Rubarber wallpaper @wallpaperdirect Clock @newgateclocks Doors painted in Rose Ash Light @sanderson1860 Everything else is vintage 

#easywininteriors #kitchen #countrykitchen #upcycle #upcycledfurniture #countryliving #countrylivingmodernrustic #countrykitchen #greenkitchen #greenandpink #interiorinspo #interiordesign
DAY 17 of #easywininteriors is all about making do DAY 17 of #easywininteriors is all about making do with what you’ve got and making it work. For most of us, decorating our home and choosing all the things we want to go with it is a long if not a life time journey and there are plenty of compromises along the way. One of the ways I make do with things I’m less happy about is with distraction. You can use colour to draw the eye and highlight the bits you do like and similarly blend away the areas that need to fade into the back ground. For me joinery, radiators and my unattractive windows all get painted in the same colour so they fall to the background and then the cushions and artwork can come to the fore and catch your eye. I painted these lovely old solid wood doors bright yellow on a whim with some left over paint. It was a quick and easy way to inject a burst of  colour joy. So don’t discount doors and architraves as a fun way to play with colour, but only if you have nice ones. 
On the PODCAST today @mad_about_the_house and I discuss more ways you can make do. I interview leading interior designer and queen of colour and pattern @nicolahardingandco who has amazing insights on how to go about planning your schemes, conjure mouthwatering colour palettes and work with what you’ve got. And our style surgery is from Callum who finds himself stuck with a shiny blue green sofa which he doesn’t love and doesn’t know what to put with. Obviously cover it with cushions and distract the eye with A bright yellow door Callum! 

If you have a question for our style surgery do please send it in as we are lining them up for the next series and we’d love to hear from you! Drop us an email to thegreatindoorspod@gmail.com.You can here all our ramblings and insights on today’s show The Great Indoors and thankyou to @katetaylorldn for producing the show. 

#thegreatindoors #bluesofa #yellowdoor #banthebeige #interiorspodcast #podcast #interiordesign #interiorinspo
DAY 16 of #easywininteriors and I’m extolling th DAY 16 of #easywininteriors and I’m extolling the benefits of an occasional chair. I’ve always loved occasional chairs primarily for their decorative function. I’m a patterned fabric addict and so an occasional chair I’d another opportunity to add more pattern, more colour and another cushion to boot! But during these extended periods of lock down and staying at home I’ve appreciated the quiet little corners they offer. I’m lucky enough to find a space for one here on my landing but they can also find a home in a bedroom, a home office, under the stairs or indeed #lifegoals in the bathroom. So rather than playing second fiddle to THE SOFA put your occasional chair in pride of place and grab yourself 5 minutes solitude! Most of mine are junk shop funds bought back to live with my hoarded stash of remnant fabrics. So it’s time to raid grannies attic and  create a seat that makes you smile . 🥰  use the hashtags #easywininteriors to share your favourite corners of escape.

#easywininteriors #vintagearmchair #armchair #occassionalchair #colourlover #banthebiege
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