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Sometimes a room requires a full overhaul, and sometimes it just needs a judicious tweak. If colour drenching your living room fills you with anxiety, start small with some statement lighting.
“It can feel daunting to commit to a bold paint colour or wallpaper, so [lampshades] are a lower-stakes way of adding character,” says homeware designer Alice Palmer, whose draping linen Pantry lampshades run the colours of the rainbow. She recommends warmer shades for living rooms with less natural light, and patterns for children’s bedrooms and bathrooms.
Palefire founder Rowena Morgan-Cox is tempted to “make every light a statement light”, but for more cautious decorators she recommends playing with scale. “Choose a modest light in a striking colour for a fun pop,” says the designer, pointing to her Bell ceiling lights, which are made from eco-friendly paper for a tactile finish. “Or go supersize in a more neutral tone for elegant drama, like our new Echo pendant.” Larger lampshades help give a softer, wider distribution; they can also help emphasize high ceilings (or counteract a lack of height). Another way to approach scale is to consider the shape of your shade – see Broste Copenhagen’s geometric Diana styles, which look best hung over dining room tables.
At the bolder end of the spectrum are multi-toned patterned options, many of them featuring hand-painted designs. Designer Rosi de Ruig creates her shades from a variety of different paper, while Tess Newall, Silo Studio and Molly Mahon offer lighting alongside wallpapers, trims and fabrics. When balancing different patterns, pair larger-scale schemes with smaller ones and stick to a similar colour scheme. As Alice Palmer says: “If you have a textile or piece of furniture that you want to work with, find a colour that you want to draw from it and go from there.”
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