Going for shine
Like magpies we are all attracted to shiny things, so if you come along to one of my Design Classes youâll find me banging on about the importance of adding a shiny note. Could be as simple and little as adding a shiny vase to a shelf or as elaborate as installing a long shiny console. Its a complicated biz interior design , there are certain elements that comprise the tangibles of a visually beautiful room (texture, space, colour, pattern, light - yadda yadda yadda). So you kind of have to know about them in order in order to push them further.
Back to adding shiny things - glossy, shiny finishes enhance a room's features imparting a reflective quality that bounces the light around beautifully. Particularly important I would say if you have a small room with little natural light. If you have a large room with lots of natural light like I do in my lower ground floor you need to tackle that slightly differently. In the early years of adding an addition to this house and having a glass wall over two floors I thought it was the best thing ever, since converting to the dark side it challenged me no end. It felt way to sterile, architectural and not cosy and snug so it took alot of work with texture (rough, slubby texture ) and oodles of it and a whole different planting scheme in the garden to balance the excess of natural light! But that as they say is a different story - today we are talking shine!
If your walls are blemish free how about painting them out glossy - fab idea if you've been considering going dark - because the extra light that bounces off them will temper some of the darkness! I can't bang on enough about the importance of texture because it totally affects not just the way your room feels but also the way your room looks. So if you are adding glossy things remember to counterbalance that with rougher surfaces. Smooth glossy surfaces are fab but read as cold and formal so you will need to add rougher surfaces in order for magic to happen. Told you its a bit complicated. Just remember when adding shine to put it next to something with a rougher surface, not only will you perceive it better it will have far greater impact in the room, making the space feel cooler than it really is. Easy at this time of year when we are about to start decorating our homes for the holidays. Large glass baubals nestled on a mantle next to sprigs of rosemary and pine cones, or shiny little t-light holders filled to the brim with herbs from the garden.
Couple of glossy images below, I'm off to the hit gym not easy on a dark, cold Monday morn!