Dark rooms aren’t the greatest living conditions. We feel much better in the sun. It is why Brits look forward to beach holidays abroad. On a brighter note, though, dark areas in rooms are spectacular for your artwork as they are protected from direct sunlight.
Still though, rooms are best enjoyed when there is as much natural light as possible. That’s where some interior design tricks of the trade come to your rescue.
Maximising Reflective Light
Reflective light just means that natural light is reflected around the room. Matte paints do that better than gloss. Estate agents favour painted walls because it reflects light better, and it’s a blank canvas for potential buyers to imagine what they would have when they move in.
Another way to increase reflective light is to include metallics, such as metal floor lamps, metallic mirrors and gold or silver ornaments. Of course, that’s only going to be beneficial if the light isn’t blocked from the source. Bookcases, display units and other tall pieces of furniture are best located at a 90-degree angle from windows to avoid blocking sunlight.
To maximise the amount of natural light coming into the room, venetian blinds can be used to direct light upwards. Having the ceiling painted with a matte white, or off-white can help natural light reflect around the room. More so if there’s a crystal chandelier or similar light fixture in the centre of the room that can be used to bounce natural light around, or direct it toward a mirror.
The only thing to be careful with reflective light is that it isn’t directly reflected towards your art as it can be just as damaging as direct sunlight.
Use Indirect Lighting for Even Light Distribution
There are two types of lighting systems; direct and indirect. Direct lights are those that direct the light directly downward with very little light reflected from the ceiling. The result is usually that most of the light is focused directly beneath the light fixture resulting in dark corners in rooms.
The other type is indirect lighting that aims the light upwards towards the ceiling so that the light is reflected around the room, creating fewer dark spots and a more even light distribution. Ceiling lights suspended from the ceiling that point the light upwards gives the same reflective light distribution with fewer shadow spots and is better at replicating natural light than direct lighting.
Another form of indirect lighting is floor lamps. Any light that can be directed at the ceiling provided the ceiling’s finished in a matte paint, will reflect light better. When you are limited on natural light, the next best thing is reflective artificial lighting.
Bright Art in Wood or Metal Frames Make the Room Feel Lighter
To maximise the extra lighting, whether natural or artificial, bright art works wonders. Think colours that make you think of the summer. Warm yellows, oranges, hues of red and green landscape prints.
The two types of frames that do well with bright prints are wood and metal frames. Metal frames are better at reflecting light and wood frames are great for adding a touch of warmth to a room.
No matter the type of frame you choose, if you are maximising reflective light in a room, it’s still important to use UV protective glazing. Reflective light won’t have as much glare, but it can still have harmful UV energy that can deteriorate print quality.