We asked our readers what they deem more important when it comes to the tone and feel of a room: light, airy and spacious; or warm, colourful and cosy. It's no surprise to us – especially as we enter the warmer months – that 62% said they would prefer light, bright and open spaces.
With that in mind, we've gathered our design advice, styling tricks and product knowledge to help you feel equipped to lay out your dream room, be it the bedroom or living room.
From clever placing of furnishings to choosing the right wallpaper, here's how to create a room you can breathe in.
1. Get the palette right
The first rule of creating an open, airy space is to choose a colour palette that reflects your intent. Bright and neutral tones will open up a space, allow light to bounce around and create a feeling of calm and serenity – go for creams, whites and pale greens and greys. Darker colours will draw a room in, making it feel snug, and absorb natural light instead of enhancing it.
2. Choose a small print to make a room look bigger
Country Living Bird Song Day Wallpaper Homebase
A repeated print that is small and intricate, in a light colour palette, can make a room feel bigger as well as add character. The 'Bird Song' wallpaper design from the Country Living Collection at Homebase features a repeated, hand-illustrated line-up of garden birds, including a kingfisher and a goldfinch. For a classic design, the 'Country Rose' pattern celebrates delicate flowers.
3. Use mirrors to your advantage
Hanging large mirrors in a room of any size helps to reflect light, create depth and add to the illusion of a bigger, more open space. In the bedroom, a tall mirror will draw the eye upwards and create height, as well as being a practical solution for a full-body view. In the living room, a large, wide mirror can lengthen the room. Position it opposite or at a right-angle to the window to bounce even more light.
4. Don't go all the way up
Painting or putting wallpaper on an entire wall, from top to bottom, frames the size of the ceiling and, therefore, the floor space. Highlighting these edges can make a room look smaller.
If you want to go for a bold colour or wallpaper print but think your room isn't big enough to take it, try splitting your wall in half horizontally. Go for the darker colour or pattern on the bottom half and paint the top in a complementary light colour. This blurs the edges of the room and creates the illusion of space. The 'Victoria' and 'Wildflower Garden' wallpaper designs from the Country Living Collection at Homebase are deep and sultry and can add a sense of cosiness without enclosing the room if used only on the bottom half.
5. Bring the outdoors in with nature-inspired patterns
Country Living Wisteria Cottage Morning Wallpaper Homebase
A light and airy room can be one that blends seamlessly into your outdoor space. Imagine the windows flung open, letting in not only light but the sounds and smells of the outside, too. Continue the theme of nature and enhance your connection to it through prints and accessories that bring the outdoors in. The wallpaper in the Country Living Collection at Homebase is all inspired by nature, from hand-drawn wisteria to wildflowers and thistles. The range gives back to nature, too, with three trees planted for every tree used in production, and the wallpapers designed and made in the UK using water-based ink and FSC-certified paper.
6. Let vertical panelling add height
Wall panelling is bang on trend right now and, when installed vertically, can be used to make a room feel bigger, especially if the ceiling is low. Go for painted neutral panelling or a natural wood effect on a statement wall.
7. Position wall accessories higher
When mapping out where to hang art or fix shelves, try placing them a few centimetres higher than you normally would. This is a quick trick to make the walls feel longer and less enclosed.
8. Go for plain curtains to frame small windows
In a cosy room, patterned curtains can draw the eye to the window frame, which is likely also small. Instead, choose plain curtains in a light colour palette and, if your insulation needs allow, opt for a lightweight fabric that can move with the breeze from the open window to look more free-flowing and natural.
9. Opt for glass to let the space breathe
Choosing a glass coffee table over a wooden one can be a great way to keep light flowing through a space and avoid creating areas of shadow. A glass surface does require a little more cleaning, but it's a clever way to let different materials do some of the hard work for you when creating a light and airy space.
The Country Living Collection is available in-store and online at homebase.co.uk
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