Have you been considering giving your home a decorative facelift? Perhaps the rooms don’t feel as vibrant and fresh as they once did, and you want to jolt them back to life with some new decorations. Which direction should you go in? Why not use your home’s orientation as your guide?
The direction a room faces determines how much sunlight it receives throughout the day. While each direction comes with unique benefits and hurdles for design choices, understanding how the play of sunlight affects a room’s overall vibe helps you create a decorating plan you’ll love. Use these tips to harness the power of natural light while redecorating your home.
Lamps, Chandeliers, and Wall Sconces
If you have a home office or work from home, you may prefer to work with as much natural light streaming into the room as possible. Workspaces facing west may not get much light in the afternoon, which means you may need to use lamps to bring in some ambient light.
While lamps are great for adding artificial light, it’s good to think about the intensity of light they cast and the direction they cast it in. For instance, lamps with silk lampshades can soften the light underneath them to make the lighting seem more natural. If you work in a room with a chandelier or wall sconces, you can use chandelier shades to direct the light down where you need it during the afternoon.
Aside from the lamp’s shade, also consider how the lamp’s lightbulb affects lighting intensity. If you need a little extra light during the day, you may want a bulb that casts a soft, warm light. For standard lighting, a bulb that casts a brighter light could serve you better.
Curtains and Blinds
Homes and rooms facing east receive most of the morning sun’s glow. If you’re not an early riser and your bedroom faces this direction, you may prefer to hit snooze on sunrise. Use blackout curtains or blinds to keep the sun’s rays at bay while you rest.
On the other hand, you may prefer to wake up with the sun, but your bedroom faces west. If so, invest in thin curtains that let you enjoy your privacy and bring in the morning sun. You may also want to orient your bed toward the curtained window, so you can bask in sunlight first thing in the morning.
Mirrors
You may have rooms in your home that don’t get much light, but you’d rather not add more light fixtures. Installing a mirror or two where they catch and reflect sunlight can help brighten spaces without adding unwanted decorative elements. Try to angle the mirror so it doesn’t cast a blinding glare where you sit or on a screen.
Wallpaper and Paint Colors
If you’re having trouble deciding what color of paint or wallpaper to use in a room, think about when the space gets the most natural sunlight. For instance, west-facing rooms painted or wallpapered with warm colors may look one way in the morning and completely different at night. Choose neutral colors that don’t have strong blue or yellow undertones for a proper balance of light.
For south-facing rooms, you can use darker or bolder colors on the walls. These rooms get sufficient light throughout the day, so they can handle more intense colors. Rather than making the rooms feel like a cave, natural light brightens darker shades.
Work with your home’s orientation and the amount of sunlight rooms receive throughout the day to not only breathe new life into rooms, but also see it in a new light.
