The Home Living Styling Guide

Most rooms lean on one ceiling light. Rooms that feel good use three layers: ambient light for the whole space, task light where you read, cook or work, and accent light that adds the glow.

Aim for at least three light sources in a living room, at different heights: one high, one around eye level and one low.

Light has a colour temperature, measured in Kelvin (K). The lower the number, the warmer and more relaxed the light feels.

• 2700K, warm white: living rooms and bedrooms
• 3000K, soft white: kitchens, bathrooms and hallways
• 4000K, cool white: home offices and task lighting

Mixing temperatures in one room makes it feel restless, so try to keep each room to one tone.

Light bouncing off a wall makes a room feel bigger and softer than light pointing straight down. Wall lights, up-and-down lights and lamps placed close to a wall all do this.

Wall lights usually look best at around 150 to 170 cm from the floor, a little above eye level. Renting, or no wiring where you need it? Rechargeable wall lights go up without an electrician.

• Above a dining table: hang pendants about 75 to 85 cm above the tabletop, so you can still see each other across the table.
• Bedside: sitting up in bed, the bottom of the shade should be around chin height, so the light lands on your book and not in your eyes.
• Artwork: hang it with its centre at about 145 to 150 cm from the floor.

It's the most British interior tip there is, and it works. After dark, swap the ceiling light for lamps: lower, warmer light simply feels calmer in the evening.

Dimmable and touch lamps make this effortless, and flameless candles give you the flicker without the worry.

A room can have all the right furniture and still feel flat. The fix is texture. Combine at least three: something knitted, something fluffy and something smooth, like cotton or linen.

• Fold a throw in thirds and drape it over the arm of the sofa.
• Choose a rug big enough for at least the front legs of your sofa to stand on it.
• Layer a faux sheepskin on a chair or beside the bed.

Odd numbers look natural; pairs look staged. Group objects in threes with different heights: something tall, something medium and something low. A lamp, a vase and a small stack of books on a sideboard is the classic.

Leave some breathing room around each group, so the eye has somewhere to rest.