All guides
26 guides
Lighting
Explainer Should a lamp shade sit at eye level? Slide it and see A table lamp beside the sofa can feel soft and warm, or like a small spotlight in your face. The difference is often its height. The rule… 5 min Colour & Walls
Explainer Matt, eggshell or satin? Slide the light across a wall and see Two walls in the same colour can look completely different, depending on the finish. A matt wall hides flaws and feels soft; a gloss wall… 4 min Textiles
Tool How full should curtains be? Slide the fullness and see Curtains look cosy or flat depending on one number: fullness, the width of the fabric divided by the width of the pole it hangs from. Slide… 5 min 3 picks Lighting
Explainer Where should a floor lamp go? Drag it around the chair and see A floor lamp can be lovely and still annoy you if it sits in the wrong place. For a reading chair, the sweet spot is beside and a little… 5 min 3 picks Plants & Balcony
Tool How much string light does a balcony need? Drape it and see A string of lights always needs more length than the gap it spans, because it sags. Plan it before you buy: set your balcony width, the… 4 min Dining & Kitchen
Explainer How low should a pendant hang over the dining table? Drag it and see The light over your dining table works best when its shade hangs roughly 60 to 90 cm above the tabletop, measured to the bottom of the… 4 min Lighting
Explainer Why does warm light feel cosier? Slide the kelvin and see The number on a bulb box, like 2700 K, is its colour temperature, and lower means warmer. Slide it from candle-flame orange to daylight… 4 min 3 picks Small Spaces
Explainer Do mirrors really make a small room bigger? Slide one and see A mirror does not add floor space, it adds a picture of it, and it can carry daylight into a dim corner. Where you put it decides which of… 4 min Bedroom
Explainer What makes a good bedside lamp for winding down? Move one and see A bedside lamp is really a dimmer switch for your evening. In a study of 116 volunteers, ordinary room light before bed delayed melatonin… 5 min 3 picks Lighting
Explainer How many lumens do you need to read by? Move a lamp and see Lamp boxes list lumens, but what matters when you read is lux: how much light reaches the page. The same bulb can feel bright or dim… 4 min 3 picks Plants & Balcony
Explainer Which houseplants suit your window? Slide a plant across the room Most houseplant problems are really light problems, and light fades fast: a plant a metre from the window can get about a fifth of what it… 5 min Bedroom
Tool How to size blackout curtains so no light sneaks in: a planner Blackout curtains only work if they reach past the window. A thick curtain that stops at the frame still lets a glowing outline of light in… 5 min 3 picks
Explainer Should a lamp shade sit at eye level? Slide it and see A table lamp beside the sofa can feel soft and warm, or like a small spotlight in your face. The difference is often its height. The rule… 5 min Colour & Walls
Explainer Matt, eggshell or satin? Slide the light across a wall and see Two walls in the same colour can look completely different, depending on the finish. A matt wall hides flaws and feels soft; a gloss wall… 4 min Textiles
Tool How full should curtains be? Slide the fullness and see Curtains look cosy or flat depending on one number: fullness, the width of the fabric divided by the width of the pole it hangs from. Slide… 5 min 3 picks Lighting
Explainer Where should a floor lamp go? Drag it around the chair and see A floor lamp can be lovely and still annoy you if it sits in the wrong place. For a reading chair, the sweet spot is beside and a little… 5 min 3 picks Plants & Balcony
Tool How much string light does a balcony need? Drape it and see A string of lights always needs more length than the gap it spans, because it sags. Plan it before you buy: set your balcony width, the… 4 min Dining & Kitchen
Explainer How low should a pendant hang over the dining table? Drag it and see The light over your dining table works best when its shade hangs roughly 60 to 90 cm above the tabletop, measured to the bottom of the… 4 min Lighting
Explainer Why does warm light feel cosier? Slide the kelvin and see The number on a bulb box, like 2700 K, is its colour temperature, and lower means warmer. Slide it from candle-flame orange to daylight… 4 min 3 picks Small Spaces
Explainer Do mirrors really make a small room bigger? Slide one and see A mirror does not add floor space, it adds a picture of it, and it can carry daylight into a dim corner. Where you put it decides which of… 4 min Bedroom
Explainer What makes a good bedside lamp for winding down? Move one and see A bedside lamp is really a dimmer switch for your evening. In a study of 116 volunteers, ordinary room light before bed delayed melatonin… 5 min 3 picks Lighting
Explainer How many lumens do you need to read by? Move a lamp and see Lamp boxes list lumens, but what matters when you read is lux: how much light reaches the page. The same bulb can feel bright or dim… 4 min 3 picks Plants & Balcony
Explainer Which houseplants suit your window? Slide a plant across the room Most houseplant problems are really light problems, and light fades fast: a plant a metre from the window can get about a fifth of what it… 5 min Bedroom
Tool How to size blackout curtains so no light sneaks in: a planner Blackout curtains only work if they reach past the window. A thick curtain that stops at the frame still lets a glowing outline of light in… 5 min 3 picks