Forget chasing fads, autumn is about mood and colour, and making your home feel snug and glowy. With clever lampshades and lighting choices you can find your perfect vibe for the season – and start a few trends of your own…
Every year the interiors world will tell you what’s “in” for autumn. This season’s must-have shade of russet, the exact tone of moss green, the official texture of September…. At Pooky we say: lovely ideas, but why not set your own rules? Autumn isn’t a passing fad – it’s a mood… Golden light through the window, books and blankets, friends round the table when it’s dark outside at six o’clock.
And the quickest, easiest and best way to create that mood is, of course, lighting.
Pools of glow
Autumn is made for pools of soft, warm light rather than harsh overhead glare. A little table lamp here, a wall light there, and suddenly your living room feels like a cocoon.
For maximising the cosiness, rechargeable cordless lamps and wall lights are your secret weapon. Move them about as the evenings draw in: perch one on a bookshelf, pop one by the sofa, or take one to the dining table for a candlelit glow (without the candle drips).
Colour shifts for the season
You don’t have to repaint the walls every September to make your home feel autumnal. A simple lampshade swap does the trick.
Think golds, moss greens, deep blues – or whatever colours say “autumn” to you. A silk shade in jade feels luxurious and warm; pleated cotton in earthy orange adds instant warmth; rattan brings in that rustic harvest feel.
Pick a colour, pop it on your floor or table lamp – or dangle from your ceiling pendant – and watch the whole room change personality.
Treat yourself to some texture
Autumn is the season of texture: crunchy leaves, woolly jumpers, perhaps a steaming bowl of velvety soup. Your lighting can echo that… Try a rattan shade for an earthy, tactile note. How about a large table lamp base in a warm, rich wood?
Or go for glass or metallic finishes – they scatter little shimmers across the room like firelight. Mix them together and you’ll have that lovely layered, lived-in look that makes a home feel warm and happy.
Revel in nostalgia
Many of us love autumn for the same reason we love, say, the Smiths, or Debussy, or any slightly sad music. It’s the season for delicious, nostalgic melancholy – that back-to-school feeling, the scent of woodsmoke, the sense of seasons turning. Why not revel in it?
What triggers that bittersweet feeling is unique to everyone. You might choose a lampshade that reminds you of autumns past: perhaps an old-fashioned floral print like the one your grandmother had by her armchair, or a fringed number that makes you think of curling up with a favourite book. Lighting is wonderfully evocative, and sometimes the cosiest choice isn’t “on trend” at all – it’s just the one that sparks a memory.
Make your own trend
So, what’s the official Pooky line on autumn lighting trends? Simple: the only trend worth following is the one you make yourself. Mix your colours, play with textures, move your cordless lights about like chess pieces, and see what works for your home.
If your friends walk in and say, “Ooh, I never would have thought of that” – well, congratulations, you’ve just started your own trend!
Autumnal inspiration – lamps and shades from the Pooky collection
‘Autumn’, in the abstract, is something you create, not a trend to follow. So forget the rulebook and think in moods: warmth, cosiness, texture, glow. Then have fun with shades and lamps until your home feels exactly how you want it.
Browse Pooky’s lamps and shades here.
See also:
Seasonal interiors inspiration: Six ways to bring autumn into your home
