I’ll always remember the yr my husband and I lived in a house with minimal pure gentle. We had been in a brief residing state of affairs and the house was located amidst timber that blocked the solar. The principle residing areas had been virtually at all times forged in shadows, and we at all times 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 properly 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 gentle was the primary precedence.
I thank my fortunate stars on daily basis that I now dwell in a house drenched in daylight. Our houses ought to make us completely happy, and sunshine is understood for enhancing serotonin and lifting moods. There’s no higher feeling than strolling right into a room with daylight streaming by means of the home windows, casting tender shadows and illuminating cozy corners. There’s a motive our beloved pets discover the small patches of sunshine to curve up below!
Whether or not you reside in a sun-soaked dwelling or are in search of methods to brighten up a dim area, bringing in gentle can rework your area. From sheer curtains to tender palettes and an abundance of vegetation, right here’s methods to model 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 gentle enters a room. Consider curtains as the ultimate layer that ties every little thing collectively, like equipment for an outfit. In brief: light-filled interiors want curtains.
If you wish to let sunshine into your area as an alternative of defending 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 laborious surfaces like wooden flooring and furnishings. The appropriate curtains can rework a room from stark and sterile to heat and welcoming straight away.
Embrace a Delicate, Impartial Shade Palette
Gentle-filled interiors shine even brighter with colours that mirror and improve pure gentle. Whereas darker colours take in the sunshine as an alternative of reflecting it, heat neutrals will make an area really feel open and welcoming—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 must be solely off the desk—muted pastels like blush, sage, or gentle blue will work properly whereas maintaining the palette tender.
Enhance with Crops
One in all my prized possessions is a fiddle leaf fig I’ve had since 2019. She brings a lot magnificence to my sunny dwelling workplace. Fiddle leaf figs are notoriously temperamental, so I’m particularly pleased with how a lot she’s grown over time. They love the solar, and make an ideal addition to a well-lit room.
Gentle-filled interiors virtually beg for vegetation. Crops breathe life into an area, add a pop of shade, and even enhance air high quality. A room doesn’t really feel full with no little little bit of greenery, particularly one with nice gentle. Simply make sure that the vegetation you add to your room will love direct daylight and never be overwhelmed by it. You can even be strategic on the place you place them, in case your vegetation want extra oblique gentle.
Assertion vegetation like fiddle leaf figs and olive timber look stunning in front room corners, and so they each love numerous gentle. Pothos and snake vegetation are heartier and are nice for plant freshmen. Planters are additionally a chance so as to add shade and texture to your area—so choose ones that you just discover stunning and praise your area (and the plant!).
Select Gentle, Pure Supplies
I dream of getting a sunroom sooner or later. I might fill it with gentle wooden furnishings, a heat white cozy chair, and a woven espresso desk—very similar to Camille’s beautiful sitting space in her bed room. Pure supplies and tender textures are excellent for light-filled interiors.
Texture is every little thing, 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 gentle and recent feeling area—lighter wooden and woven accents are greatest.
Preserve Decor Intentional and Minimal
Getting into a room crammed with decor and tchotchkes can really feel overstuffed and cluttered. There’s no have to pack a sunlit room with decor—let nature do the speaking. A room with pure gentle will mechanically make a room really feel open and ethereal. Stick to some prime quality items of decor that deliver you pleasure and hold litter to a minimal. A classy espresso desk e book, a candle, framed images of family members or a vase of flowers are excellent. Your vegetation additionally rely as decor!
Use Mirrors Strategically
Styling mantles is usually a enjoyable design problem, and my favourite method to model them is with a big mirror. Mirrors on a mantle not solely make a lovely point of interest, however they’ll additionally double the quantity of sunshine in a room by reflecting daylight. This may make your area 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 area 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 area feeling vivid and balanced.
A sun-drenched dwelling isn’t nearly aesthetics—it’s about creating an area that feels gentle and recent. By incorporating sheer textures, tender palettes, greenery, and pure supplies, you possibly can rework your light-filled interiors into vivid and welcoming retreats. So go forward and let the sunshine in!
