Let the sun shine in and brighten your living space

Sunshine streaming into a bathroom is enhanced by shiny surfaces like porcelain and hardwood.

Spring is here and that can only mean one thing...two more months of winter. No, what it really signifies is the return of the sun, and just in time. Being a native southern Californian, I find I am never happier than when the sun is in full force and though it's easy to derive pleasure from the sun on your face while strolling outdoors, it's even more satisfying to enjoy the warmth of sunshine indoors - any time of year. Here are some ways to enhance that delicious sun-shiny feeling around the house.

More Sunshine Inside

• Clean the windows. Self-evident though this may be, no amount of sun can penetrate windows that are full of winter's sludge. Fortunately, today's window manufactures produce windows that rotate inwards to facilitate easy cleaning. If your windows can't accommodate wash-from-within methods, make window cleaning a weekend project or hire a professional company to visit regularly.
• Keep landscape tidy. Overgrown shrubs and trees can destroy any chance for the sun to penetrate interiors. Keep landscaping well-groomed in front of windows.
• Choose appropriate window treatments. Full draperies, when pulled aside with a tie back or hanging in straight panels at sides of window, needn't interfere with sunlight filtering through. Sheer fabric, not only provides a modest amount of privacy, but warm pale colors can even help to enliven the gray light that accompanies drizzly days. Look for today's most memorable sheers to have accent stitching for added depth.
• Include reflective materials. Glistening chrome or nickel, highly polished brass or silver, and crystal or glass all have reflective qualities that accent sun starved rooms. Tiles with a shiny surface are a great choice for a kitchen backsplash or bathroom shower surround where ample sunlight is desired.
• Incorporate mirrors. Of course, mirrors are a designers' not so secret weapon in the fight to expand space, but they are equally effective in bringing fine weather indoors. Placing a mirror adjacent to a window further amplifies the effect.
• Paint windowsills and surrounds. Light reflecting colors such as ivory, cream, and white can bounce sunlight into rooms.
• Choose light enhancing colors for walls. Interior design legend Eleanor McMillen Brown said, "Every room needs a touch of yellow", good advice if you love the idea of sunshine indoors. However, any pale, warm color will give you the desired results. Tusk Ivory and Deep Off White from Color Your World are two of my favourite sun multipliers.
• Raise the sheen level in paint. Semi gloss and satin finishes are terrific for reflecting light while matte paints have an opposite, dampening effect.
• Use fewer patterns. As a general rule, pattern absorbs light more than solid fabrics will.

Let me offer you one other essential piece of advice: in decorating (as in life) acceptance is the key to satisfaction. For years I struggled with my garden, wishing it was bathed in full sun rather than near-full shade. After hundreds of dollars and countless hours spent on ungrateful and failing hydrangeas, peonies, and bougainvillea I discovered the ease and joy of hostas, and lilies. A small windowless room may never be "sunny" but it can be dramatic, cozy, moody, or grand.