Light from Above

Using Vertical Design to Brighten Your Home This Winter

Winter naturally draws us inward. With shorter days and longer evenings, the lighting and vertical flow in our homes play a bigger role in how we feel. Ceiling height, often overlooked, has a powerful impact on a room’s brightness, mood and sense of openness.

By working with the height you have, rather than against it, you can create rooms that feel lighter, taller and more visually uplifting all season long.

Use Ceiling Height to Guide Your Design Choices

Every home’s architecture tells a story, and ceiling height is one of its most expressive features. Whether your space has soaring vaulted ceilings or comfortable lower heights, your design choices should reflect and complement that structure.

High ceilings can support taller furniture, oversized artwork, and dramatic fixtures that fill the vertical space with intention. In lower-ceilinged rooms, keeping furniture slightly lower to the ground helps prevent the space from feeling compressed.

• Try this: Choose a taller bookcase, elongated drapery panels, or sizeable artwork in spaces with generous ceiling height. For rooms with lower ceilings, opt for sleek sofas, low-slung credenzas, and horizontally oriented artwork to maintain balance.

Pro Tip: Use vertical lines, like full-height drapery or slim floor lamps, to subtly heighten rooms without overwhelming them.

See how we thoughtfully balance height and proportion in past projects like main floor renovation and second level upgrades. 

Hang Fixtures at the Right Height

Lighting plays a major role in how we experience winter at home. Proper fixture height ensures your space is bright, functional and visually harmonious.

As a general rule, hanging pendants or chandeliers too high or too low disrupts balance. Consistent placement keeps sightlines clean and creates an inviting glow.

• Try this: Over tables and countertops, aim to hang lighting 30 to 36 inches above the surface. In open areas, fixtures typically look best at about seven feet from the floor. High enough to clear movement while still anchoring the room.

Visit some of our recently transformed spaces to see how lighting and design work together, check out workspace makeover: shared space to dream office.

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Living with Balance All Season Long

When your home feels balanced, life follows suit. Design that blends proportion, texture, and rhythm doesn’t just look good. It supports how you live and feel every day.

Light from above is the quiet art of lifting both your space and your spirits.



Let Height Shape the Room’s Mood

Rooms feel brighter when the design draws your eye upward. This simple shift creates the illusion of height and light, even in spaces that naturally feel darker in the winter months.

Whether through lighting, wall treatments, or architectural details, emphasizing verticality helps open the space visually and brings in a sense of airiness.

• Try this: Incorporate vertical elements like tall plants, slim shelving, or paneled feature walls that naturally guide the eye upward. Even the right paint sheen can subtly reflect light higher into the room.

Pro Tip: Uplighting, through sconces or floor lamps, casts light upward, brightening ceilings and giving rooms a gentle glow during the darker winter evenings.

For inspiration on how we help clients live their “model lifestyle,” you might also explore the model lifestyle program.