Lighting is an important aspect of home design that often goes overlooked. It can make or break your environment, and create an atmosphere full of serenity and visual interest, or lead to feelings of stress and anxiety. Understanding how lighting works, and following some simple rules will not only enhance your decor, but will make every room feel more comfortable.

UNDERSTAND THE THREE TYPES OF LIGHTING

To maximize a room’s usefulness while adding beauty and drama, use all three:

-Ambient Lighting: Main source of light that illuminates the entire room, usually provided by a ceiling fixture.

-Task Lighting: Used for specific jobs like cooking, reading, or applying makeup.

-Accent Lighting: Brings drama and depth to a room, illuminates specific features like art, books, and architectural features.

 

LOCALIZE LIGHT SOURCES

-Avoid lighting an entire room with a single source, especially one overhead light, which leads to eye strain.

-Multiple points of diffused light that layer well with each other create the most visual interest.

-Use a variety of lamp heights to provide layered pools of light.

 

ALWAYS USE DIMMERS

-A single light source in the center of the room casts the same shadows throughout the day and night, creating tension. It’s more natural to have variations in light throughout the day.

-Reduce energy consumption and increase bulb life.

SCALE AND PROPORTION

Coordinate the size of table lamps with table height and furniture scale.

-A tall console table with a long piece of art above looks most appropriate with a tall, slender lamp.

-Low end-tables look great with shorter, more squat lamp designs.

Did you find this post illuminating? Begin personalizing your own space with our incredible selection of designer lighting.

If you love mixing prints or textures, layer neutral pillows to get an eclectic look while keeping a muted color palette.

 

To see more throw pillows, click here.

For over 150 years, Moser has been mastering works of art in their stunning lead-free crystal. In an array of dazzling colors, Moser‘s collections for bar and table strike a perfect chord in the chillingly beautiful hue of Alexandrite.

 

For more colorful crystal by Moser, click here.

This dining room from the Winter 2013 issue of California Home + Design looks like a work of art.  It features vintage Gio Ponti chairs, wall art made from 1970’s fabric design, and even a Tony Duquette Sunburst chandelier that was literally assembled one spear at a time:

But am I the only one who thinks “Better not touch anything here”?  A good room should not just be a museum, but a place where people feel comfortable.  The right rug could do exactly that for this dining room: Enhance the decor of the room, while letting you kick off your shoes and savor the wine, dessert, and company.

For example, Dash & Albert’s Icelandia Grey Hand Knotted Wool Rug is made from a soft tufted wool and has subtle gradations of grey to channel the modern and sophisticated look of the room:

This Safavieh rug by David Easton has a geometric pattern and colors that play with the pattern and tones of the art on the wall:

Finally, a Safavieh Oushak rug, like this one, could balance the room’s modernism with warmth and history:

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Did you see the article in The Wall Street Journal about torchon kitchen towels?

Made with crisp linen and finished with traditional red stripes, these towels are inspired by those used in 19th-Century French households.  Today, they make for a perfect compliment to any busy kitchen and they’re great as oversized placemats. Soft, absorbent, and lint-free, these towels are as useful as they are charming.

A warm thanks to Dale Hrabi from the WSJ for featuring our Histoire de Torchon kitchen towels.  Available in an assorted set of six and bundled with a linen ribbon, we know you’ll reach for them every single day.

For more kitchen towels, click here.

 

Coral is the perfect year-round pop of color. Add it to warm, earthy tones for year-end, or blues and whites for a nautical spring and summer look.

 

 

To see more throw pillows, click here.

Flower Magazine always knows exactly how to make your table perfect for any occasion. Naturally, we were thrilled when they asked us about Christofle‘s Marly Gold Vodka Glasses for their holiday floral spread.

Along with the featured Le Jacquard Francais‘ A La Francais Table Linens, these are some of our favorite florals to make your table as bright and beautiful as a bouquet of fresh flowers:

 

Thanks, again, Flower Magazine! For other great tabletop items, click here.

Part 2 of Seth and Jenna’s Guest Room.

Jenna: Good morning, Mrs. —

Sharon: Please call me Sharon, dear.

Jenna: OK.  Good morning, Sharon.  How did you sleep last night?

Sharon: Oh it was wonderful!  Bob was out in about a minute.  He just wrapped himself up in that big comforter.  He did manage to tell me that those sheets were heaven after 5 hours on a plane before he went out.

Jenna: That’s great.  I’m so glad you liked them.  Seth got those sheets — he liked how they’re made from bamboo and are good for the environment.

Sharon: Bamboo?  Is that right?  Bob will get a kick out of that one.

Jenna: And how about yourself?

Sharon: I wrapped up in that orange striped throw and read on my iPad for a while.  It was so cozy.  Is it cashmere?

Jenna: No, actually it’s alpaca, you know — those mountain animals from Peru?  But it really feels like cashmere and keeps warm.

Sharon: Yep, it sure did.  And I’m glad you got that rug.  Hardwood is so nice to look at, but I’m glad to have a rug under my feet at night.  Also so I don’t wake Bob up if I get up.

Jenna: That’s funny.  Seth is like that too.  One minute he’s out like a log, and the next he’s wide awake.

Sharon: I can’t believe this place.  Didn’t you just move in?  When did you have time to do all this?

Jenna: Well, it’s been a few months.  And Seth helped a lot too–

Sharon: Seth?  This is my Seth we’re talking about here?

Seth: Hey mom.  What are you two saying about me?

Here’s a look at Seth and Jenna’s guest room:

 

Jenna: We both liked this neutral bedding.

Seth: And I thought the bamboo fabric was pretty cool.  It’s actually very soft, and bamboo is a very environmentally responsible raw material.

Jenna: This is a great throw: The alpaca wool feels a lot like cashmere, and the color wakes up the room, like “You gotta live a little!”

Seth: Here’s the rug we both liked.  Jenna’s right — you need a rug over hardwood, or any old thing will wake you up at night.

Seth: You got to get a down comforter for those cold nights.

Jenna: Are you really from Wisconsin, Seth?

Seth: Yeah, but I hate cold.   Maybe I’ll move to LA one of these days.

 

Jenna: OK, I splurged on this candle.  But it does make the whole room smell good!

Seth: Yeah, I was pretty skeptical at first, but now I’m really getting to like it too.

Follow Seth and Jenna’s adventures here and on Pinterest.

We are thrilled to announce an amazing sale of selected Yves Delorme items. You can save up to 40% off many of our Yves Delorme bedding, down and bath linens. But don’t wait! This sale is for only going on for two weeks, so take advantage of these great deals now.

 

For all of our Yves Delorme collections, click here.

There’s just something about coral patterns. The bold lines, the movement, the mystery. Organic and graphic at the same time. In any color: red, orange, blue, or black: coral makes a statement. We’re obsessed!

Set a table with coral dinnerware for an automatic conversation-starter.

 

Add a touch of deep-sea mystery to your home or office.

What’s your favorite coral item? We’d love to know! Browse our incredible selection of underwater treasures here.