PATINA PRINCIPLES - LIVING WITH LIGHT

As spring continues to unfold, I’m struck by the difference sunlight makes in this season. Intellectually, I know the sun has a powerful effect on our well-being, but it isn’t until the clouds finally disperse—after a lengthy period of not seeing its bright glow—that I truly feel its impact. My mood lifts and my attitude shifts as it drenches my spirit and the world around me in warmth and golden hues.

Image by Lisa Romerein

Because of its ability to brighten our days, Steve and I consider light a design partner. It isn’t just a practical element—it brings soul to a room, determining how a space shifts throughout the day and the seasons, leading it to play a major role in how we position a room, select paint, and decide on design elements.

Image by Lisa Romerein

POSITIONING A ROOM

When Steve designs a home, he looks to a compass to determine how to situate each space.

An east-facing room is bathed in the soft, golden glow of morning light—ideal for a breakfast nook or a bedroom for someone who likes to rise with the sun.

Image by Lisa Romerein

West-facing spaces catch the brightness and heat of late afternoon. Because of this intensity, we often reserve this direction for rooms used primarily in the evening, like a family room or dining room.

Image by Lisa Romerein

North light is cooler and more consistent throughout the day. That evenness makes it perfect for libraries, creative studios, and bedrooms, where a soft and steady glow supports calm and concentration.

Image by Lisa Romerein

When we want the light to be the star of the show, we opt for a south-facing orientation. Think living areas, kitchens, and home offices. These rooms are naturally energized by the abundance of light.

Image by Lisa Romerein

Keeping the differing qualities of the cardinal directions in mind allows us to create a home that feels as though it works the world, not against it. 

PICKING A PAINT

Whenever I’m selecting paint, I’m always struck by two things: one, how many shades of white there are, and two, how lighting changes the way a color appears from one room to another.

There have been many times when I’ve chosen what I thought was the perfect paint, only to dislike it the moment I saw a sample on the wall. That’s why I always recommend painting a sample and observing it throughout the day to see how it shifts.

Image by Lisa Romerein

As a rule of thumb, think of light as adding an extra tint to whatever hue you choose. In a sun-drenched room, a color will lean more toward yellow, inviting warmth and richness. In a darker space, the same shade can appear cooler and bluer. 

Image by Lisa Romerein

With this knowledge in hand, you can select a warm white, like our favorite Winborne White from Farrow and Ball, to bring the characteristics of morning light to a room lacking its glow, or a cool white, like our favorite, Wevet White from Farrow and Ball, to bring in a grey hue.

Winborne White in our clients' home. Image by Lisa Romerein

If you have a dark room that you wish to illuminate, All-White from Farrow and Ball is a true-white with no other color, which we often utilize in utility spaces, like laundry rooms and bathrooms. 

All-White in our clients' bathroom. Image by Lisa Romerein

DECIDING DESIGN ELEMENTS

As I said, natural light brings soul to a space. For that reason, we let it guide our design decisions—just as the personality of a person informs their individual style.

Image by Lisa Romerein

We begin by understanding how the sun moves through the room, observing its direction and how the light shifts throughout the day. Then, we arrange the furniture to welcome it: angling sofas toward a view, pulling reading chairs close to a window, or placing a mirror in a darker area to bounce light around the room.

Image by Lisa Romerein

We embrace natural luminosity and choose materials that reflect and enhance it. For curtains, we prefer linen or light-filtering shades that soften the sun without shutting it out. For furniture, we lean into the patina of aged woods, soft plaster, and pale linens that seem to glow in golden rays.

Image by Lisa Romerein

When we let light guide our design decisions, the resulting spaces feel as though they’re in conversation with the natural world—immersed in the rhythms that guide us all.

If you want to learn more about our other Patina Principles, you can read all about them in our first book, Patina Style, and see them in action in our latest works, in Patina Homes & Gardens. I hope they provide you with helpful tips to design a life you love. 

xx,

Brooke