Lighten up! Time to brighten the house with new ideas

Posted January 24, 2015 11:01 pm

The Washington Post

"Fold" pillows from John Robshaw are made using textiles embroidered with metallic thread. They can add a little glitter to brighten up your winter decor.

Drippy, dreary winter got you down? Time to brighten with ideas both practical and fanciful. Here are some ideas:

1. A little glitter never hurt! "Fold" pillows from John Robshaw Textiles, embroidered with metallic thread, are $125 to $175 (pillow inserts separate) from johnrobshaw.com.

2. Daylight plus privacy? Top-down/bottom-up shades, from companies like Hunter Douglas and Next Day Blinds, deliver: And designer Tricia Huntley says having your windows professionally cleaned makes a miraculous difference.

3. Brighten that dark corner with a long, narrow mirror, such as the Ming mirror, $620 at area Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams stores and mgbwhome.com.

4. Tiling the interior surround of a window with mirror - or these mirror-finish porcelain tiles from Ann Sacks (annsacks.com) - allows more light to reflect into the room.

5. Glittery Nest Birchwood Pine and Holiday candles double their glow when set atop a mirror; $34 each at area Neiman Marcus stores and neimanmarcus.com.

6. The fireplace: not so good for heating but great for atmosphere. Potpourri fire-starters from the 400-year-old pharmacy Santa Maria Novella (5454 Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase, Md.; (240) 743-4949, santamarianovellausa.com) make for quick combustion when set under logs, four for $55.

7. Restoration Hardware's Starlit Trees lit up the holidays, but Washington designer Joseph Ireland says he leaves his 3-footer in place "for months." Hard to argue! The trees are $32.99 to $249.99 at restorationhardware.com.

A long mirror, such as the Ming mirror from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, can brighten dark corners.

Mirror-finish porcelain tiles from Ann Sacks allow more light to reflect into a room.

Glittery Nest Birchwood Pine and Holiday candles can double their glow when set on a mirror; Potpourri fire-starters, right, make for quick combustion when set under logs.

Restoration Hardware's Starlit Trees lit up the holidays and can continue to brighten the darker days of winter.

Article Comments

Article Categories
Business Lifestyle Real Estate

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.