How to inject more light into your home
After a year where working from home became the norm for many of us, the changing of the seasons may have been something we witnessed through our windows rather than while standing shivering at a bus stop in the winter drizzle, but that doesn’t mean we’ve been immune to its effects.
As the dark nights drew in, we had to start turning on our lights in our home offices earlier and earlier to avoid appearing as shadows on Zoom calls. But our access to light is much more important than just making sure our work colleagues can see our faces in a meeting.
Spending more and more time in our homes has made it all the more important to make sure they are well-lit, so here is why light and lighting are so key to our wellbeing and some suggestions for how to achieve that.
At Laurus we work hard to make sure our homes bring in as much natural light as possible and, in this blog, we’ll talk about ways to further maximise that through your interior design.
One of the joys of the autumn and winter, especially Christmas, is that it gives us extra reasons to fill our homes with bright, warm and welcoming lights. This creates a cosy and relaxed atmosphere and helps to create the right mood for whatever you’re using the space for.
That’s why we need to make sure we have the right lighting in the right places.
How to make the most of light in your home
Well-placed stylish mirrors are great for reflecting light that has come in from the window around the room and items with a metallic sheen like brass or silver fixtures and fittings can achieve the same effect.
Having bright or pastel colours around your home also helps to maximise the natural light, as does opting for lighter curtains rather than thick, dark ones.
How you set up rooms is key, especially when it comes to home offices, as you want to allow plenty of natural light to come in without the sunlight affecting your ability to see your screen.
When it comes to lighting your home after the sun goes down, there’s plenty you can do to make the most of what you’ve got.
For one thing, selecting the right kind of light is important for saving on your bills and doing your bit for the planet, as energy-saving bulbs or LED lights can dramatically reduce your energy consumption in the darker months.
It’s important to remember function when it comes to lighting, ensuring that places like the kitchen, home office and bathroom have bright lights, which may be in the form of directional lamps aiming light where it needs to go.
Alternatively, there’s accent lighting which is all about creating the mood of a room and adding to the aesthetic appeal you’ve created through the rest of your décor. And it’s not just interior design where this is crucial, don’t forget the exterior.
Having appealing lighting in your garden can mean you’re able to stay out there on those autumn evenings where the night is drawing in but it’s still warm enough to sit outside. Again, it can also add exactly the kind of relaxed and welcoming ambience that is perfect for entertaining, through the use of fairy lights, solar lanterns and even candles.
