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Want to make your home look more spacious and cohesive? First get the lighting in place. Proper lighting sets the mood and makes your living space attractive. Ready? Let's GO!
- Start by thinking 'long term'. You don't want to be spending again very soon do you? Determine your colour palette. See that you select colours that won't look outdated in a short time or that you will tire of quickly. This is what is meant by 'long term'. The colours you choose must stand the test of time - so you are safe with neutrals or earth tones. Remember these will be your base tones because they will blend easily with many bright or muted shades. We are talking here of colours like white, beige, tan, rust, gold and even brown. These have lasted through the ages and will definitely never get out of vogue.
- Adding a beautiful rug or putting in accessories that have plenty of texture will give your room a warm and welcoming look. The colours of these accessories can be bright as your neutral wall colours can show them up beautifully.
- As we have already mentioned, good lighting can make all the difference. Any lighting guide or your interior designer will tell you that lighting should be arranged in such a way as to form a triangle - so remember this when you are deciding on where to place your lamps. Lamps are a far better way of lighting up a room as compared to overhead lighting which can turn out to be harsh. Confine spot lighting to showing off your art collections. Use lampshades that are either yellow or light tan as they cast a warm glow that will add to the mood and give the room a sophisticated look.
- Have you arranged your sofas against the wall? Just pull them out especially if you have done them up recently. Show off their neat backs - pulling them out will create a designer look. They can be parallel to each other or in a 'V' formation with a coffee table linking them up. Add a rug to define the conversation area.
- Are you a collector of sorts? Put your collections together to form a theme. This way they will get better noticed and will look definitely more interesting and in focus if kept together rather than distributed throughout the house.
- Make a bold statement - it will give more life to the room. For example, in the midst of contemporary furniture, one antique will add an element of surprise. Even a statue can make that difference when placed in the right place.
- Place a special chair or table at an angle to create a difference. Think of furniture all arranged in a linear pattern and then suddenly this one chair or even entertainment centre placed at an angle. Yes! Think 'angles' to make a difference to the room.
- Keep two tall slender lamps on either side of your dining table casting a soft creamy glow. Will certainly add warmth and welcome to the dining room.
- All art should be hung at eye level to have an impact. It is common to see people hanging beautiful paintings far above eye level - they do not complement the room in any way and cannot elicit the appreciation they deserve. Experiment on the floor with various arrangements if you have groupings of art - this will make you zero in on what looks best before you actually put them up on the wall.
- Is your apartment or house really small? Go in for monotones that make the rooms seem to flow into each other. Gives it an appearance of spaciousness. Use monotones with colour accents - your walls could be all white while your accessories like cushions can have really bright colours. Other wall tones could be the earth tones as already mentioned.
So go ahead and give your home a decorator look which you can easily achieve by just following these tips and hints. Add your own original ideas and make sure that your distinct personality is reflected in your home for this is what will make your house unique and definitely 'yours'.
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