... Collectors  •  Advice for...

Light up your Life with Art and Design

As the spring days start to elongate into a summer haze, we are all looking for more ways to invite the sunshine into our spaces. 

What better way to brighten up your interior than through art and design? The best interior designers have long known that art and design have deep transformative powers, even managing to make drab rooms appear dripping in light. 

We’ve collected some of their tips to enhance the natural light in your space or help you fake it till you make it!

Select a Surface

One of the best ways to bring more light into a dark room is to experiment with artworks that have glossy surfaces. Plastics, resins, glass, varnished ceramic and highly lacquered artworks all have that sought-after luster and will help reflect light around your room. 

However, in rooms naturally abundant in light, it may seem counterintuitive, but glossy surfaces may cause too much glare! Opt instead for matt finishes on your artworks which will reflect light equally in every direction.

Défini infini #9 - Catherine Ludeau - Glossy
Défini infini #9
Catherine Ludeau

Elevate Lighting

Fresh, cool and crisp or oozing golden warmth, the lighting you choose to incorporate has as much impact on your space as natural light. In spaces with little decoration, functional features become the art pieces themselves through clever design. Lighting can therefore offer a creative opportunity to enhance the atmosphere of a room. For brightness seekers, opt for Neal Aronowitz’s overhead iridescent glass and steel based Boro Boro Chandelier. Or for those wanting a more intimate setting on summer evenings, fill your space with indirect light sources such as table lamps and wall sconces.

Reflect and Refract

Invite the natural light to stay in your home for as long as possible by playing with different methods of reflecting light. Why not try hanging your paler artworks directly opposite large windows for maximal (and a sophisticated) effect? 

Light can also be manipulated by using mirrored surfaces, double the amount of sunlight in your room. Try hanging one large mirror across from the window or placing a few smaller mirrors and reflective artworks in shadowy corners to capture and reflect the sunlight all around the room! 

And don’t forget about sculptures, whose play of light and shadow can bring volume and movement to your interior!

Bold or Brooding?

Choosing a color-palette for your artwork entirely depends on the natural features of your space. In rooms brimming with sunshine, don’t be afraid to showcase your large, dark artworks (as walls covered in paintings often absorb sunlight, rather than reflecting it, making darker rooms even dimmer).

On the other hand, darker rooms can be brightened by adopting bold hues. If in doubt, choose a summer color-palette to mimic the effect of sunlight streaming into your room. We love cheerful colors such as sunny yellows, but also pastel tones to imitate the gradation of the sky and vivid patterns.

Don’t Miss out on Metallics

Lastly, incorporating gold or silver accessories into your space is an easy way to transform it from dark and dreary to sparkling. The simple addition of a metallic sculpture, or a piece of artwork using gold leaf, has the double effect of reflecting light and making a design scheme seem more luxurious.

Discover our Light up collection to find artworks that will enlighten your room !