When it comes to decorating with individuality and imagination, it’s hard beat the incredibly gracious and wonderfully versatile New York designer Jamie Drake, who has decorated the homes of notable clients such as Madonna and New York mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Jamie’s ideas on speed decorating were recently profiled in the New York Times, and riffing on this theme, I recently asked him for one of his favorite ways to quickly brighten up a room. He told me that the quality of a room’s light is one of the most important factors in creating warmth and charm.
“If your lampshades are yellowed and dreary, replace them with fresh white paper shades,” he said. “Choose opaque lacquered ones if you desire an intimate and dramatic quality, or translucent ones if you want a brighter effect. And put dimmers on everything, whether they be wall switches that control overhead lamps, or line switches on extension cords for lamps. Finally, make sure to have a few candles scattered about for nighttime romance.”
Having written a book on lighting design several years ago and learning about the ways lighting designers influence the mood—and function—of a room by using light, fixtures, diffusers and dimmers in the same way an artist uses brushes and paint, I know how much light influences one’s sense of well-being, both indoors and out. I’ll write more on ways to shape the spirit of a room with light in future posts.
Meanwhile, look for more of Jamie’s ideas on creating uplifting spaces in a piece I wrote for Womansday.com called “6 Home-Decorating Ideas to Boost Your Bliss.” You can also find other ideas on working with light to brighten up your spaces in my book Money-Wise Makeovers.
