Seattle's Child

Your guide to a kid-friendly city

Reclaim Your Home: Hey, Lighten Up!

Local interior designer and mom Sara Eizen shares inspiring ideas for brightening up your home with these lighting tips.

 

Once daylight savings hits, it sure feels like the dark ages here in the Northwest. Whether you find the season of shorter days cozy or crazy-making, the fact is that we are all more reliant on artificial indoor lighting.

Here are some lighting tips to help you keep your home (and your mood) on the bright side.

Spread out lighting sources.

Even if you have ample overhead lighting, bring in some table and/or floor lamps for versatility and visual interest. Whether you need only a single table lamp for cozy reading in a corner or to light up the whole room for a lively night with guests, your room will be both functional and aesthetically interesting.

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Photo credit: Houzz

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However you mix and match lighting sources, your goal is to light the four corners of the room. This creates nice, intimate ambience and gives you the option of turning off overhead lights altogether.Photo credit: Houzz

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Photo credit: Houzz

 

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Photo credit: Houzz

 

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Photo credit: Houzz

Mix and match.

In my book, there are absolutely no rules when it comes to the style of your lamps. The more creative, and the more truly reflective of your personal style, the better.

Absolutely you should enjoy the porcelain lamp you inherited from your great grandmother in the same room as that funky chandelier you got on sale!

 

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Photo credit: Houzz

 

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Photo credit: Houzz

Bring balance in pairs.

For a different but equally satisfying aesthetic, add well-positioned pairs of matching lamps to your living room. For the most dynamic effect, place matching lamps in close proximity to one another or least within symmetrical shouting distance.

 

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Photo credit: Houzz

 

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Photo credit: Houzz

 

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Photo credit: Pinterest

Need light at a height your lamp refuses to reach? Place it on top of a stack of artsy or interesting books. You get function and a great look all at once.

 

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Photo credit: Houzz

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Photo credit: Tumblr

Add some DIY drama.

Tired, old lamps and cool (if a little crusty) thrift shop finds can be brought back to life with a little time and attention. It can be as easy as a coat or two of new paint or, if you have a little more mojo and some vision, a crafty new shade.

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Photo credit: Apartment Therapy

 

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Photo credit: Pinterest

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Photo credit: Homemade Ginger

If you've taken anything from these tips, I hope it's the encouragement to lighten up your home in some new and inspiring ways this winter. Before you know it, spring will arrive and we'll be headed outdoors again, so indulge your inside space while you can!


 

Sara Eizen is a Seattle-based interior designer and home organizer with a passion for helping busy families reclaim style and space in their homes on any budget. In a bi-weekly column for Seattle's Child, Sara shares creative, fun, affordable tips and tricks for clearing clutter, sprucing up rooms with minimal effort, creating systems that simplify family life, and much more.

 

 

About the Author

Sara Eizen