Mirrors are a great way to help keep your home feeling light and bright. (Photo courtesy Brick Alley Co.)
At this point during Southern summers, the air is thick with both exhaustion and anticipation. The minutes on the clock don't pass quite as slowly once the ease of the season has settled into our bones, and long, hot days compel us to dream of the cooler fall weather that lies just ahead. In his novel “Light in August,” William Faulkner describes these late-summer moments as having a soft and luminous quality.
As we spend more time at home than ever before during the pandemic, it’s essential to evaluate and elevate our spaces. We asked two local interior design experts and business owners to share their recommendations for inviting more luminosity into our homes during the final weeks of this sultry season.
Canal lanterns, Gild and Ash, $85 to $115
“With everyone staying at home more than ever, people are using their outdoor areas as extensions to their home,” says Holly Walsh of Gild and Ash, at 5730 Patterson Ave.
To make these in-between spaces comfortable and inviting, Walsh suggests investing in lanterns, lighting and a small fireplace. The structured, yet airy frames of Paramount Lanterns ($80 to $120) are made of iron, with a gold finish and a modern silhouette. For a more naturalistic theme, Canal Lanterns ($85 to $115) are handmade from bamboo, plywood and glass.
“No matter the size of the space, adding plants and outdoor lighting to your space warms it up,” Walsh says.
Another bright addition is a glow that wards off bugs. Gild and Ash carries a chic collection of citronella candles, incense, balms and spray options by Skeem Designs ($28 to $32). With scents like sea salt and eucalyptus, these additions will brighten your senses and your space.
Jessica Crosby, owner of online vintage boutique Brick Alley Co., suggests a bit of life to nudge your home decor into a more uplifting, polished state. “A tip that has helped me keep my home tidy is keeping flowers in the house,” she says. “You hate to see a beautiful arrangement on a messy table.”
Crosby likes to pick up her arrangements from Birdhouse Farmers Market, held on Tuesday afternoons from May through November at 1507 Grayland Ave.
Six-inch disco ball planter, Brick Alley Co., $36
She carries a collection of vases, planters and containers that would make the perfect home for arrangements like this. Crosby also weaves in her own creations, including 6-inch disco ball planters ($36).
She shares an array of accessible vintage finds on Instagram and was set to open a storefront at 1328 W. Main St. in the Fan this month, with a website in the works.
Turning smaller mirrors into gallery walls and adding metallics like vintage brass candlesticks can also enhance lighting, Crosby says. “Mirrors are a great way to help keep the home feeling light.”
Like Walsh, Crosby also suggests bringing candles into the picture. Peppermint and eucalyptus scents offer an additional cooling effect, and Brick Alley carries Sun Theory candles ($8).
