REFLECTIONS
All three designers recommend mirrors. "It makes a space feel bigger," Flynn says, "and if the space has a view and you put a mirror on the wall opposite the window with that beautiful view, you've doubled the light, doubled the view."
The idea of mirrors can make clients nervous. "People can think it sounds a little 70s or dated, but not if it's an antiqued mirror and if it's just a small part of your room," Burnham says.
If you would prefer a mirror that is not antique, Burnham suggests having a large one expertly framed. It can be hung on a wall or, if it's tall, propped up against a wall and anchored at the top.
Smaller mirrors can be used anywhere. Line the backs of bookshelves with mirrors or arrange several on one wall.
"If you stick [small mirrors] on your wall, left to right in a diamond pattern, it's so beautiful and really affordable," Flynn says. "You can go across an entire wall."
Also consider furniture with glass, chrome or mirrored accents.
COOL COLOURS
Many people try to maximise light by painting a room a pale colour. But the choice of shade is important. Yellow-based shades, even if pale, can warm up a space.
"I see newly built homes where the developer has chosen a yellow throughout and it's such a mistake," Burnham says. "Somehow it closes it in or warms it up too much. You want cool tones [like] blue-greys and taupes that are shades of off-white with a little blue in them. It can really chill things out."
Metallic colours also work well. Gorder likes to use paint with a reflective finish on ceilings, especially in dining rooms. She prefers shades of brass or pewter. It is a trick many hotels use, she says, to softly amplify light.
MINIMISING DARK PIECES
"Instead of big, dark wood pieces of furniture," Burnham says, "try something lighter and airier, like a glass-topped piece with a metal base."
That allows you to see the floor, drawing attention to a light-coloured rug or pale wood flooring.
When decorating a wood-panelled living room in a Tudor house, Burnham "kept all of the antique pieces and old sofas, but we re-covered everything in different fabrics that were all white to off-white. It completely changed the room. It was friendlier, modern and lighter."
Gorder recommends doing the biggest pieces in a room, such as sofas, in light colours, then bringing in brighter or deeper shades for smaller pieces of furniture.
USING ILLUSION
Some design choices do not increase the actual light in a room, but they make the space feel sunnier.
Cotton and linen fabrics in soft colours evoke summer breezes and sunny days at the beach, while "heavier fabrics, like velvets or brocades or even chenilles, sort of weigh a room down", Burnham says.
Gorder agrees: using sheer and cottony fabrics in pale shades, such as "light smoky purples that are barely there," she says, "lightens and brings a sense of joy, and with that emotion comes a sense of lightness".
Another trick Gorder uses: "Flank your windows with window treatments that go way beyond the top of the window, all the way up to the ceiling."
That makes the window look larger, making it seem as though the room has more access to sunlight.
WINDOWS AND SKYLIGHTS
Some window treatments, such as Roman shades, block sunlight even when they're open. Burnham suggests using "really tailored, simple draperies on rings on an iron rod, and maybe have a wand to push them back".
Draperies hung that way are easy to open fully, so "you can clear the windows during the day, and still be private at night".
Even sheer curtains hung behind draperies can limit sunlight. So try hanging a single drapery rather than a double set.
Also consider adding a skylight or two. "Don't think it's not appropriate just because you don't have a super-modern house," Burnham says.
"I worked on a 1920s house in LA, and put in a skylight in keeping with the period and the other windows in the house. It doesn't cost anything to have an expert come and give you an estimate."
If all else fails, Flynn says, you can embrace a lack of light. Choose a dark paint for the walls and dark furnishings and accessorise with lamps, ceiling fixtures and "tons of metallic pieces that will bounce all of the artificial light around the room".
