I’ll always remember the yr my husband and I lived in a house with minimal pure mild. We have been in a brief residing scenario and the house was located amidst timber that blocked the solar. The principle residing areas have been virtually all the time solid in shadows, and we all the time needed to be cautious of ice as we left the home within the winter. No solar on the entrance door meant the ice took longer to soften—so we gingerly walked round frozen patches of concrete effectively into March. Because the yr progressed, I questioned why my temper was down greater than typical. The darkness had taken its toll on my psychological well being. As we finally searched for brand spanking new flats, pure mild was the primary precedence.
I thank my fortunate stars on daily basis that I now stay in a house drenched in daylight. Our properties ought to make us glad, and sunshine is thought for enhancing serotonin and lifting moods. There’s no higher feeling than strolling right into a room with daylight streaming by way of the home windows, casting mushy shadows and illuminating cozy corners. There’s a motive our beloved pets discover the small patches of sunshine to twist up below!
Whether or not you reside in a sun-soaked residence or are on the lookout for methods to brighten up a dim house, bringing in mild can rework your house. From sheer curtains to mushy palettes and an abundance of vegetation, right here’s easy methods to fashion light-filled interiors.
picture above from our interview with Jessie De Lowe, by Michelle Nash
Set up Sheer Curtains
A room with out curtains can really feel unfinished, like one thing is lacking. A window with curtains makes an area look extra polished, intentional, and cohesive. And naturally, curtains dictate how pure mild enters a room. Consider curtains as the ultimate layer that ties all the things collectively, like equipment for an outfit. In brief: light-filled interiors want curtains.
If you wish to let sunshine into your house as an alternative of protecting it, sheer curtains filter the sunshine softly. Gentle linen or gauzy cotton panels will create an ethereal, ethereal really feel and the feel will assist soften arduous surfaces like wooden flooring and furnishings. The best curtains can rework a room from stark and sterile to heat and alluring right away.
Embrace a Smooth, Impartial Shade Palette
Gentle-filled interiors shine even brighter with colours that replicate and improve pure mild. Whereas darker colours soak up the sunshine as an alternative of reflecting it, heat neutrals will make an area really feel open and alluring—even because the solar strikes all through the day. Sunlit rooms will naturally really feel calm, however colours like cream, taupe, and beige will simply improve these feel-good emotions.
Shade additionally doesn’t should be fully off the desk—muted pastels like blush, sage, or mild blue will work effectively whereas conserving the palette mushy.
Beautify with Vegetation
Certainly one of my prized possessions is a fiddle leaf fig I’ve had since 2019. She brings a lot magnificence to my sunny residence workplace. Fiddle leaf figs are notoriously temperamental, so I’m particularly happy with how a lot she’s grown through the years. They love the solar, and make an ideal addition to a well-lit room.
Gentle-filled interiors virtually beg for vegetation. Vegetation breathe life into an area, add a pop of colour, and even enhance air high quality. A room doesn’t really feel full and not using a little little bit of greenery, particularly one with nice mild. Simply make certain that the vegetation you add to your room will love direct daylight and never be overwhelmed by it. It’s also possible to be strategic on the place you place them, in case your vegetation choose extra oblique mild.
Assertion vegetation like fiddle leaf figs and olive timber look stunning in front room corners, and so they each love numerous mild. Pothos and snake vegetation are heartier and are nice for plant newbies. Planters are additionally a chance so as to add colour and texture to your house—so decide ones that you simply discover stunning and praise your house (and the plant!).
Select Gentle, Pure Supplies
I dream of getting a sunroom someday. I’d fill it with mild wooden furnishings, a heat white cozy chair, and a woven espresso desk—very similar to Camille’s attractive sitting space in her bed room. Pure supplies and mushy textures are excellent for light-filled interiors.
Texture is all the things, particularly in a room filled with neutrals, so go for natural supplies like linen or cotton and pair them with woven accents like wicker, rattan, or jute. These supplies lean into the calm, serene atmosphere a well-lit room naturally brings. Cumbersome furnishings will really feel heavy in an in any other case mild and recent feeling house—lighter wooden and woven accents are finest.
Maintain Decor Intentional and Minimal
Coming into a room stuffed with decor and tchotchkes can really feel overstuffed and cluttered. There’s no must pack a sunlit room with decor—let nature do the speaking. A room with pure mild will routinely make a room really feel open and ethereal. Stick to some prime quality items of decor that deliver you pleasure and maintain litter to a minimal. A trendy espresso desk e book, a candle, framed images of family members or a vase of flowers are excellent. Your vegetation additionally depend as decor!
Use Mirrors Strategically
Styling mantles is usually a enjoyable design problem, and my favourite strategy to fashion them is with a big mirror. Mirrors on a mantle not solely make a gorgeous point of interest, however they’ll additionally double the quantity of sunshine in a room by reflecting daylight. This may make your house really feel even bigger than it’s, in addition to brighter. A win-win! Place a mirror reverse or adjoining to a window for optimum brightness.
In case your house doesn’t have a mantle, or a spot for a big mirror—any reflective floor will assist bounce the sunshine. Go for mirrored trays, or an acrylic espresso desk to maintain the house feeling brilliant and balanced.
A sun-drenched residence isn’t nearly aesthetics—it’s about creating an area that feels mild and recent. By incorporating sheer textures, mushy palettes, greenery, and pure supplies, you may rework your light-filled interiors into brilliant and welcoming retreats. So go forward and let the sunshine in!
