Lighting is a crucial part of interior design and something there should be plenty of in our homes. A popular theme in interior design is the use of fairy lights or string lights. However, fairy lights do not just need to be strung out along a surface or wrapped around a mirror.

Try to be a little creative – put some in a jar and pop them around your room, giving it a Peter Pan theme. Why not clip some photos to your lights or even spell something out on the wall using them? There are so many things you can try, so you can’t really go wrong!

Recycle everyday items from the home to create beautiful light creations

Getting artistic with lighting can be fun as well as cost effective. I had the opportunity to see a lights exhibition recently and it was a truly beautiful experience. Something that really took me by surprise was the beautiful loofah lamp shades that were hanging from the ceiling. The creativity I saw in them sparked an idea – why can’t we just use everyday items from the home and recycle them to create beautiful light creations?

Take a newspaper for example, or musical sheets. All you need to do is print your collage onto tracing paper, wrap your paper on the outside of the lampshade and tape into place. The possibilities are endless, but being able to create something so personal to you is what is exciting about ‘DIY-ing’ your home.

Throwback to the 70s and create your own lava lamp

It has been rumoured lately that the 70s style is coming back into fashion in the interior design world. Don’t panic! The 70s may be returning, but hopefully we can all forget about the offensively patterned wallpapers that took over the world and focus on other parts of the decade, which were actually pretty great. Take lava lamps for example – they were fun, weren’t they? Making one is also not as difficult as you may think – have a go yourself...

• Fill a clear bottle most of the way with vegetable oil
• Fill the rest of the bottle with water, leaving an inch at the top for the ‘eruption’
• Add a few drops of food colouring – any colour you like, but maybe choose one that fits with the theme of the room in which you’ll be using the lamp
• Add a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda into the flask and watch your lava lamp erupt!
• Hey-presto! We’re back in the 70s.

You’d need to continue adding bicarbonate of soda for your homemade lava lamp to keep reacting, but it’s a fun experiment to try.

Use light to add a special touch to your home

Lighting is a brilliant way to add a special touch to your home, so being able to make it personal will make you love your home even more.