Mirrors. One of the most effective and efficient ways of manipulating light is to use mirrors. This is because they are very efficient at reflecting light, hence you can see yourself very well in them. The best way to use them is place mirrors on walls in just the right place to send incoming light from windows, back out the door to other areas. By locating a mirror just outside the door, the light can then be picked up and moved on down the hall or into other rooms or areas of the house.This technique can be used all over the house wherever you are lacking a bit of light or wherever you want a certain area to have an enhanced glow. It’s particularly useful when you have lots of bedroom furniture cluttering up a room, and not much light to start with.

Glass. You can call upon glass to break up the light and send it off in various directions, thus giving all parts of a room some exposure. Using wine glasses on shelves and even glass vases on bedside tables which refract light and send it out at all angles giving an all over glow. Make sure you don’t overdo the glassware however because you can sometimes end up ‘trapping the light’ within all the glass.

Combine. You can use a combination of both tricks explained above to squeeze every last drop out of the available light you have. Use mirrors to direct light through glass objects and then smaller mirrors to pick up the refracted light and move it on. You’ll be amazed at just how much extra light you can have without even using electricity.

One Colour Rule. Not many people can mix and match colours that well, so if its often best to keep to one.You don’t need to have all your items exactly the same colour tone, but it’s best to try and stick to a close range. For example, you might have some red pillows, with a red-pink clock on the wall and a ruby coloured candle stick set. If you stick to using the same colour, there will be a nice flow throughout the room and you wont have any unsightly clashing.

Qaulity Matters. If you scrimp and save on your accessories, the end result will be a finish that looks cheap.You don’t have to go out and break the bank, just make sure the important pieces, such as the things people touch and feel are decent quality. Tableware for example is a key item to get right, as they are not only often closely inspected, but people actually use the items in everyday life.

Use Functional Items.As already touched upon, the functional or feature items in your home are the hardest to get right. However, they also have the biggest impact on the design and feel of a room.Select items that match your persona and style. If your not into sports, then please don’t have rowing oars mounted on your walls, or display medals that you got in a charity shop. However if you are a big whisky or wine drinker, having the right glassware on show looks good. You might have a glencairn whisky glass on show or some decanters, it really doesnt matter as long as it represents you well.