Let There Be Light!
Check out this photo of a gray living room set from our showroom floor. Looks great, right?
Here’s one more- look at how pretty it is!
Looks great, right? Now check out this SAME set from a different angle!
In a different light, at a different angle, they look like TOTALLY different colors! We get phone calls like this all the time- our customers are concerned that the color isn’t the same as what they saw in the showroom, or that they got pieces in two different colors. Spoiler alert: it’s probably your lighting!
How Can You Be So Sure?
We can totally understand why our customers might be upset if they’ve waited several weeks for a custom order and then see this. However, there’s an easy way to check to see if they’re the same color: check the tag!
The tag is usually on the frame of the sofa under the cushion- on top of the black fabric (called the cambric). Sometimes, the tag is under the piece, so you’ll have to turn the piece over. Once you find the tag, it might be tricky to decipher the information, but if you can take photos of these tags, it might help your store figure out if something is truly wrong.
Okay, the pieces are correct. It’s my lighting. How do I fix that?
- Start With The Main Source of Light: this is going to be the star of your light show. Whether it’s overhead, recessed, or another source, this will provide a lot of light in a diffused fashion. This has the most effect but is also the most difficult to change quickly. So then…
- Don’t Stop There: The next “layer” of lighting comes from lamps that are around eye-level. The most popular version of this lighting comes from a floor lamp, but there are other ways to add light at this level, including wall sconces, artwork lighting, and directional accents.
- Accent Lighting: this is the one you’re probably missing. Table lamps and reading lamps can go a long, long way to making your room look better and have more even, consistent lighting. A great rule of thumb: make sure there’s light in each corner of the room!
- Check Your Temperature: not with a thermometer, of course. These days, lightbulbs come in different colors, or temperatures- from warm white, to soft white, to cool white, and everything in between. For most homes, warm white is best (see below)- it’s the warmest and most inviting. Cool white is going to be too bright and harsh and will make your space look like an operating room. Speaking of which…
- Brighter Is Not Better: this is a very common mistake! When trying to fix lighting, people assume that they just need to make their room as bright as possible. This is not the case! Your room probably needs more lights- not brighter ones. Lights that are too bright can look harsh and make your colors look dull and washed-out.
