Let there be light!

One of the most important elements of a warm and inviting interior is the light. You may have the most beautiful furnishing and accessories but with too much cold light it will all look clean and cheap. Various soft light points will make a room warm and cosy. You can create different corners and your room will look bigger and more enchanting. Almost everybody has some recollection of visiting a house with white tubular lighting that hurt the eyes and make you feel like you are drinking your wine in a research centre brrrr........

My bedroom has eight different light points, it creates intruiging warm corners of light in the room. Beside my bed I attached desk lamps on the wall. They were less expensive then bedside lamps and exactly the colour I was looking for. Above my bed hangs a chandelier with shimmering lights. It always makes me feel like a princess;) I just love the soft magical glow of salt lights! They are not expensive and really add something mysterious to a room. Also an intriguing scene is a light behind a bouquet of branches. You can use the cheapest standard lamps you can find! It is all about the reflection through the branches and on the wall. The picture above shows you a corner of my bedroom with a little salt light.Henna lamps never bore me. The combination of their soft colourful light and beautiful patterns is very appealing to me. I have collected four of them from very small till quite large and I am still enjoying them every day. And here is my favourite decorating light, the Christmas light! Not expensive and very easy to apply for a large range of arrangements. (When the lights are too bright you can use a dimmer).

Here are some applications; It is very easy to create a light composition. You can attach little lights to branches or big banana leaves. Put Christmas lights in a beautiful vase or bowl. Make little Chinese lanterns out of them in Cape gooseberries. Or place them in all kind of lanterns and baskets. The possibilities are huge, just start experimenting and you will see. (Always keep in mind that the heat coming from the lights needs a way out) And there it is again my beloved banana leaf composition hihi, I still can't get enough of it ; )
An all time favourite together with the date palm branch below. Books always give a room something cosy. I don't have enough space for real bookshelves but these low cabinets work perfectly and with a light behind them they become even more appealing.

So far this 'enlighten' entry, I hope you enjoyed yourself watching and reading it ;)
Finally a collage with the lighting ideas;