Tasfia Ahmed

ANN/ THE DAILY STAR – Rooms with a lot of natural lighting usually tend to be the ideal candidate for all-white walls and ceiling.

Natural light supplements a room’s ambience with comfort and warmth, making it crucial for any room with all-white decor.

When white interior decoration is executed right, it possesses a distinct combination of chic
and grandeur. On the other hand, uninformed design choices can easily lead to a room appearing sterile and dreary. Here are some tips to keep in mind while planning out the colourless room of your dreams, without compromising its liveliness.

ADD DEPTH WITH COMPLEMENTARY WHITES

We often forget that there are more shades of white than off-white. Each colour on the spectrum has a white version of it. To add more depth to a room, you can use a palette of distinct but harmonising hues of white together. A couch with the faintest shade of blue can be paired with pillows which exhibit barely noticeable hints of grey.

Using the lightest shades of different colours will help you forge a white palette which holds depth and gradation.

LAYER TEXTURES

The incorporation of a wide range of striking textures can help substitute the lack of colour.
Be it with the inclusion of a velvet upholstered bed, ivory wood panelled walls or an alabaster sisal rug, textures can forge the appearance of colour without the inclusion of any real non-whites.

CONTRAST WITH ACCENTS

It is inevitable to end up with a dull all-white room without the use of contrasting accents.

Add sparse splashes of colour with accents in shades which complement the white. It may be through the addition of a summery rattan basket, a coastal coloured throw or a jewel toned chevron rug. Accents can also be in the form of metal. Brass appliances and fixtures go well with warmer toned white rooms, while chrome accentuates cooler ones. If you prefer an earthy feel, replace metal accents with wood. Make sure to use accents sparingly so attention is not diverted from the white.

MAKE IT MORE ORGANIC

Indoor house plants like bold green calatheas and striking red fittonias not only add natural accents to white rooms, but they also add liveliness in the most literal form. If indoor gardening is not your thing, artificial plants can still add a metaphorical breath of fresh air to a room which feels barren.

Tasfia Ahmed

ANN/ THE DAILY STAR – Lighting often becomes an afterthought when we embark on room makeover projects. It has the tendency to be glossed over even though it holds the capacity to be both harmonising and transformative.

Here are lighting trends to get behind to elevate or revamp any room.

STRIKING METAL

Rose gold has given way to brass in the world of interior design, and this is especially noticeable with lighting.

Brass has made its presence felt in the lighting world, with brass sconce and lamp shades rising in popularity.

Lamp shades and pendants crafted almost entirely of brass make great additions to rooms aspiring to incorporate more of an art-deco or industrial feel to it. Marble or wood bodied lamps with copper embellishments are a subtle alternative to full brass pieces.

ORGANICALLY NATURAL

Natural materials such as bamboo, wicker and rattan have become a desired option for both lighting and furnishing.

Dramatically sized rattan fixtures can add a beachy element to living rooms, making them appear more coastal and bohemian.

Less theatrical variations of this include rattan string lights or wicker floor lamps, which can make bedrooms feel more grounded and homely.

COLOUR BURSTS

With people spending more time indoors due to the ongoing pandemic, colourful bold lighting which has become more commonplace. When you stay in for too long, muted and uniform colour schemes can start to feel suffocating. Lighting fixtures and wall sconces with brightly painted finishes are a good way to add a burst of colour. Additionally, you can place smaller lamps adorned with patterned fabric shades throughout your room.

Be it a blue seashell pattern or muted florals, patterned fabric shades are a unique way to sprinkle in colour.

THE EMPIRE’S COME BACK

Sometimes a room just requires lighting which takes the backseat, and empire lamp shades are the perfect example of this. Empire shades go with almost every decor style, which helps it hold onto its staple label. If you want your lighting to appear grand-millennial, try pleated cream empire shades. For a glam twist to the classic lamp shade, go all black.

ECLECTIC FEEL

With a decline in the need of interior decor to be meticulously orchestrated and uniform, nostalgia inducing lighting is slowly picking up traction. Although lava lamps were once constrained to a teen’s wish list, they are more adored by older age groups at present. If your room feels like it could use a boost of personality, lava lamps are your go-to.

If you want a mature variation of lighting which still adds the novelty element, you can try blown glass pendants or fixtures in colourful shades. While they are better suited for living rooms and dining rooms, they make for safer options.