Decorating With Light And Shadow

Architecture of Villa F - light and shadow on Mocha UK

Have you ever noticed that so many architectural homes have predominantly white interiors? 

When a home has interesting features, it doesn’t need much decoration. Sometimes the best thing is to keep it simple.  Let the architecture do the talking. And the interplay of light and shadow becomes the decorating.

Too much colour or pattern might detract from the shapes and obscure the details. Whereas the contrast between the light and dark shadows creates depth. And it can also be very atmospheric.

Decorating with light and shadow - Twisted House by Alphaville Architects

A home doesn’t even need to have intricate architectural elements or period features to make it interesting. Just the way the light floods across a hallway or casts a shadow in the corner of a room can result in a fascinating effect.

Architecture decorating with light and shadow

Light shadow architecture

Take a walk around your own home and have a look at it with fresh eyes. Does it have any unusual aspects or interesting corners?

Observe the light and the way it touches the interiors at different times throughout the day. Does it create captivating shadows or pools of light in areas of your home? If so, think about making a feature of it.

Architectural stairs

The architect Le Corbusier said: “A house is only habitable when it is full of light and air.”

When decorating our homes we usually think about the colour and pattern aspects. These are important factors and have their place. But perhaps we should give greater consideration to light – and shadow – in our homes?

Sometimes, keeping it simple is the most dramatic decorating effect of all.

What do you think? 

[Image credits: 1 – Villa F – Hornung and Jacobi Architecture | 2 – Alphaville Photography: Kei Sugino via designboom | 3 – Makoto Yamaguchi Design Photography: Daici Ano | 4 – ÁBATON Arquitects via Freshome | 5 – Co.Studio ]

Comments

  1. “When a home has interesting features, it doesn’t need much decoration. Sometimes the best thing is to keep it simple. Let the architecture do the talking. And the interplay of light and shadow becomes the decorating.” –Couldn’t agree more here. The epitome of reasons on why varying design on plain white looks classy and elegant to the eyes.