With these easy home lighting tweaks you can keep that festive feeling of cosy warmth all the way through to spring…
What’s the worst thing about Christmas decorations? ‘Tinsel!’ some might cry… Or vacuuming up endless pine needles, perhaps. Or how about…taking them down in January? If you’re one of those people who feels a sense of despair when the tree comes down on the Twelfth Night and everything looks shockingly stark and cold and bare in comparison, then these tips are for you.
That’s because there are some simple tweaks and change-ups you can make to your decor in December to give you that lovely festive feeling – but which you can keep in place all the way through to spring, making that cosy warmth last even after you’ve boxed up the Christmas decs for another year in the attic.
The secret, as ever, lies in lighting. Here are six ideas that you can put in place now along with your seasonal decorations, and then leave in-situ through the rest of the winter and help banish those January blues!
1) Switch up your lampshades for soft fabrics and warm colours
One of the most effortless yet effective tricks for transforming the look and feel of a room is to change up the lampshades. It’s such a simple way to make the most of the seasons, so in the winter you can introduce some rich warm colours like reds, deep greens or golds, and use luxuriously soft textures such as silk or velvet.
We love this toasty combo from @alicegrace_england featuring our Club table lamp in brass and green glass paired with a 30cm extreme empire shade in ruby silk. Christmassy enough for December, but will still look fabulous in February…
2) Instant wall lights!
One of the most exciting Pooky inventions in the great rechargeable lighting revolution has been the cordless wall light. Now that you can install a beautiful designer wall light anywhere you like as easily as hanging a picture (with no need for wires or electricians) a whole world of lighting options is wide open.
Wall lights are just the job for turning all sorts of spaces into cosy corners. Put a few up while you’re in the Christmas decorating mood and they’ll happily glow there all year round. Here’s a lovely use of our rechargeable Elbow wall fitting in antique brass by @mrsjessdaines. She’s paired it with our 16cm Red House Borage block printed shade by Morris & Co
3) Dot little rechargeable table lamps all over the house
The aforementioned rechargeable revolution was of course led by our cordless table lights. Freed from the tyranny of sockets and wires you can put these little beauties absolutely anywhere. Mantelpieces, shelves, nooks and crannies…
Turn the main lights off and get that warm festive twinkly glow all over the house – and no need to pack them away in January, either. They’ll change your life! @lucyalicehome shows the way…
4) Use lamps as dinner table centrepieces
Christmas is the time when people go to town on tablescapes – and this is another area where rechargeable table lights really come into their own.
A few gently glowing lamps amidst the Christmas lunch dishes will look gorgeous… and why not carry on using them throughout the seasons? Perfect for sumptuous feasts or cosy, modest little suppers for two after the guests have long gone. Here’s our Phileas on a corner table by @softleysinteriors
Check out Pooky’s ever-growing range of rechargeable table lamps here.
5) Candles everywhere and anywhere
It’s the time of year when everyone starts really appreciating candlelight… But of course candles are for life, not just for Christmas. Mount them on wall holders and fancy candlesticks, or twinkle away with tealights: wonderfully consoling when the weather outside is grim and summer seems a lifetime away. Kate of @myoldpub even puts them in her downstairs loo…
6) Light up winter greenery
There’s something deeply, profoundly comforting about the combination of lights and greenery, which is presumably why we all put fairy lights in our Christmas trees. During the festive season you can get away with glorious room-filling foliage as demonstrated above by @littleedwardian, who packs in enough green stuff to balance the mighty Artemis chandelier.
But you can also create more subtle arrangements. This calm and cosy set-up by @homeonthehey features the Sphynx rechargeable table lamp paired with a natural linen shade – and will warm the cockles until May at the very least…
Browse Pooky's blog for more interior design inspiration, and look through our huge range of lights, shades candles and more here.
