A Touch of Sparkle and A Clear Outline

This morning happened to be one of those true gifts of fall-- a barely perceptible breeze with a hint of snow around its edges heightened the crystal clarity of a brilliant blue sky. The combined effects of this intoxicating air and light make you feel slightly tingly and thoroughly energized, even though the first cup of morning coffee is still awaiting you at home.

I relished in this gift of nature as I walked with my two Westies, Winnie and Lola. Crunching through leaves in the park bordering the beach, I felt mesmerized by the reflection of sunlight on the still waters of Long Island Sound. This got me reflecting, as it were, on the importance of natural light in making our homes warm, comfortable and uplifting, and its overall importance to our well being. Especially now, when Daylight Savings Time is robbing Peter to pay Paul whatever available light nature gives us, it is important that we capture for ourselves this daily gift, allowing it to reflect, glitter and sparkle throughout our homes.

To fully appreciate the natural sunlight, start with your windows. Make sure the glass is kept clean and smudge-free. My preferred cleaning method is to spray on a cleaning solution of two tablespoons of ammonia or white vinegar to a quart of room temperature water. I then wipe clean and dry with crumbled newspapers. (Something about the ink works miracles on glass streaks). This method makes a mess of your hands, so wear rubber gloves and be sure not to touch your white woodwork with ink-stained hands. Of course, a commercial spray window cleaner and lint-free paper towels work equally well. But I’ve found that when I do something basic such as clean windows, I tend to revert to the methods of my youth.

When your windows are clean enough to make you proud, pull back the drapes, roll up the shades and keep window treatments sheer and translucent. One of my children’s daily chores used to be that after they made their beds, they had to raise the window shades. When I walked by their rooms I wanted to see the mullioned patterns of the window spilling across their bedspreads. It made me happy but also served to divert my attention from all the toys on the floor.

We no longer live in an age when we are afraid of fade, when the horsehair upholstery of our salon’s best needs to last a lifetime. If the “shabby chic” value of faded upholstery or curtains is not for you, you have options—to reupholster, rotate carpets, line curtains, add a clear film to your windows that filters ultraviolet (UV) light, or to use sun resistant fabrics.

Now that light is spilling in through all available windows, heighten the shine and turn on the sparkle with the placement and luster of your home furnishings. Make sure that glossy wood furniture, moldings and built-ins glisten. Periodically after cleaning, apply a commercial paste wax, preferably one formulated from beeswax and carnauba wax. Polish with a soft cloth or cheesecloth and plenty of elbow grease, or a lamb’s-wool pad attached to a power buffer. Do keep priceless heirloom pieces out of direct sunlight, or if placed in front of a window, be sure and apply UV protection to the glass.

Place mirrors around your home to reflect and maximize sunlight. A hallway mirror not only offers a quick checkpoint for appearance, but also serves to bounce light into an often-dark interior space. You can borrow light from another room with the strategic placement of a mirror. Just make sure that besides light, what you reflect in the mirror is pleasing.

Glass and acrylic objects-- lamps, tables, table top items such as compotes, pitchers and bowls, even acrylic chairs and benches, can offer the essence of light, a needed sparkle, by their appearance in a room. When Lucite, a thermoplastic acrylic resin prized for its strength and transparency was invented in the 1930s, it was quickly appropriated by interior designers and architects for the creation of all kinds of items for home use. And today, a whole new crop of glass and acrylic “just barely there” household items is available for us to indulge our quest for lightness and etherealness.

Add a touch of rock crystal, as a hanging tear or globe in a chandelier, around a mirror or a frame, dangling from a lampshade, or as a solid design object placed on a table or shelf. Besides adding dazzle, rock crystal is said to stimulate mental clarity. The sparkle of light would be enough but I’ll also take whatever help I can get.

Because natural light has so much power-- to generate heat, stimulate energy, add clarity and definition, enhance texture, elevate our moods and generally elevate any living environment, making it more cozy, warm and pleasant, do your part to make light feel invited into your home. Attract, use, play and capture it for as long in the day as you can.