Illuminating ideas to add a vital spark

Gabrielle Fagan says playing with light in the home can make all the difference.

You can instantly improve the feel of a room by maximising the light,' says Chrissie Rucker, founder of The White Company. "If you can't let in more natural sunlight, you could choose a stunning chandelier with glass droplets that will catch the light and sparkle."

Simply adding table lamps, to create soft pools of light around a room, large mirrors, or choosing reflective furniture made in mirrored or white glass, can also work magic.

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Hanging voiles or sheer curtains is a great way of making a room feel light and airy, and if light itself is an issue, put a blackout or plain blind behind the sheer.

The Natural Curtain Company make ready-to-hang lightweight linens, sheers and voiles, from around 159, with hundreds of styles and fabrics to choose from. They also make made-to-measure blinds. Nowadays, blinds come in a wide variety of designs to suit taste and light level requirements. An economic choice is using adhesive window film to block out a poor view without reducing light.

Blind specialists Hillarys' Shimmer Ice Verticals collection, which start at around 56, can be tilted at an angle to combine light and privacy.

House Couturier's curtains, from around 195 a square metre, can be made in a customer's fabric choice or using one of a range of cottons, silk dupions or raw silks in more than 50 colour choices.

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Even a simple lighting scheme can have a dramatic effect, and well-lit rooms will always look attractive.

"We respond to light in an emotional way," says Lucy Martin, author of new book, The Lighting Bible (Apple Press, 12.99).

"Some forms of lighting make you feel comfortable and cosy – for instance, lamp light in a living room – or active and vibrant, as in a brightly-lit kitchen."

A Jewelled Globe Lamp Base and cream shade, 20, from Sainsbury's Tu home range, adds both sparkle and light. Dwell's Wine Glass Chandelier, 199, is a wine glass store as well as a striking light source, as each of the 31 glasses hung on its wire frame can be removed.

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Double the power of light with Dwell's mirror, 145, which incorporates slots for tea lights, and add further sparkle with mirrored accessories from Sainsbury's Mantle clock, 10. Dark wood furniture can dominate a room and make it feel smaller, as well as darker. Glass or transparent polycarbonate furniture can almost seem to float in a space, and is now so popular there are many ranges which are available and affordable from high street stores.

A clever way to bounce light around a kitchen is re-painting units with International High Gloss kitchen cupboard paint, which has a lacquer effect, 24.99 for one litre. It's suitable for wood, melamine and MDF surfaces, and stocked at Homebase. The White Company's white glass Carlton furniture collection is ultra sleek and stylish, with a Four Drawer Chest, 950.

Create a fresh, bright, coastal atmosphere in a bedroom with Marks & Spencer's white painted Hastings furniture. Bedstead, from 249.

Follow the theme with a sleek white coffee table, 499, from Bhs, and Ikea's Tobias see-through dining chair in polycarbonate plastic and chrome, a snip at 59. Heavy curtains are effective for conserving warmth and helping to minimise draughts, but if they're dark coloured and overlap a window frame, even when drawn back, they'll reduce light in a room.

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"Shutters are a chic yet simple solution to so many different window screening issues, not least of which is the need to have privacy without losing light," says Nick Garratt, director of The New England Shutter Company.

B&Q: 0845 850 0175/www.diy.com

Bhs: 0845 196 0000/www.bhs.co.uk

Clearspan: 0161 342 8206/www.clearspan.co.uk

John Cullen Lighting: 020 7351 4719/www.johncullenlighting.co.uk

Dwell: 0845 675 9090/www.dwell.co.uk

Forbo: 0800 731 2369/www.forbo-flooring.co.uk/residential

Homebase: 0845 600 2420/www.homebase.co.uk

Hillarys: 0800 916 6516/www.hillarys.co.uk

House Couturier: 0207 371 9255/www.housecouturier.eu

Ikea: www.ikea.com

Marks & Spencer: 0845 302 1234/www.marksandspencer.com

New England Shutter Company: 020 8675 1099/www.tnesc.co.uk

Sainsbury's: 0800 636 262/www.sainsburys.co.uk

The White Company: 0870 900 9555/www.thewhitecompany.co.uk.

YP MAG 25/9/10