**The Power of Natural Light**

As I look at my own rooms and spaces, I'm constantly reminded of how natural light can truly dominate a space. In one shot, it's like the natural light is saying "this is it, this is where we're going." It sets the tone for everything else in the room. If you don't have enough natural light, it can be challenging to bring warmth and coziness to a space.

**Designing with Natural Light**

For me, natural light is probably the number one thing that drives my design decisions. I want to see how everything else plays off of what natural light source I have. Sometimes, there's not enough light, and you need to get creative to make that space amazing. That's why I always start by thinking about the natural light in a room and how it can be enhanced with other lighting elements.

**Layering Light**

When designing a room, I like to think of layers of light. There's the overhead light, which sets the overall tone for the space. Then there are secondary lights like lamps and sconces that add depth and interest to the room. Finally, there are decorative elements like artwork and plants that bring personality to the space.

**The Role of Overhead Lighting**

Overhead lighting can be a game-changer in a room. It's like the star of the show, drawing attention to itself. That's why I love using overhead lighting to create a dramatic effect. Whether it's a chandelier or a pendant light, overhead lighting can add glamour and sophistication to a space.

**Finding Balance**

Of course, too much overhead lighting can be overwhelming. That's why finding balance is key. You want to create a harmonious mix of light and shadow that enhances the beauty of the space. For me, it's all about creating a sense of drama and contrast. By balancing different levels of light, you can create a visually interesting space that draws the eye.

**Artwork as the Power Player**

Sometimes, artwork becomes the star of the show, and natural light takes a backseat. In those cases, I believe it's essential to choose an artwork that makes a bold statement. The artwork should be the focal point in the room, drawing attention and creating a sense of drama.

**Plants: Bringing Life to a Space**

Plants are another great way to bring personality and life to a space. They add a touch of warmth and coziness, and can help balance out harsh overhead lighting. For me, plants are like the supporting actors in a room – they play a crucial role in creating a harmonious atmosphere.

**Designing with Personality**

Ultimately, designing a space is all about expressing your personality. The lighting elements you choose should reflect who you are and what you want to achieve in that space. Whether it's bold and dramatic or soft and subtle, the right lighting can make a room feel like home.

**Creating a Community of Feedback**

I love getting feedback from friends and family when designing my rooms. It's always fun to share my ideas and get their input. I hope this series will be something that you'll enjoy and find helpful in your own design journey. Do you have any questions or areas where you'd like more guidance? Let me know, and don't forget to hit subscribe for more articles!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhi welcome to the house Valentina today I want to start a new series and this is after years of styling photos styling rooms I've worked as a stylist with books and magazines online publications and I took a really long time years years of studying photos and studying interiors and trying to really understand what makes a space feel like it just has that amazing wow factor so I thought you know who I let's start a little series I was writing on house of valentina and the blog and I was writing an article about the power players in a space and I was putting photos in and chatting and I thought you know what I should just put this in video because I know that a lot of you watch these on the go and sometimes it's easier just to have a video rather than written content so today I want to start the series let's talk about have a conversation about what makes a room really awesome and we can work together to help you guys put your rooms together as I put my own together and let's have a conversation because I think what I've discovered over the years is that what we really want is to have somebody to talk to you about it I think that's what makes putting a room together and creating something having someone to talk to about it it's what makes it so much fun and I don't know about you but maybe it's a husband a boyfriend whoever it is that you share your space with a lot of times they're less enthusiastic about talking about 8,000 different types of chairs and all the different fabrics they might go with it it's like a little dollhouse and we're putting together this space and it means so much to us and their lack of enthusiasm can sometimes just get to us so I wanted to start a series that we could just chat let's have a conversation I hope that this will just get us to chatting in the comments below and we'll get us all thinking about how we make our rooms awesome and it really is not necessarily meant to be style driven I do love Scandinavian rooms and I tend to use those a lot as examples however I think all of these principles are things that apply no matter what your style is so you can be the ultra traditionalist you can be a minimalist and maximalist and every single thing in between but in the end these are not rules but ideas they're in an ethos that guides everything that I do and it just comes from years of studying it and trying to figure out what it is that really draws you in to a photo into a room and all those kinds of things so today I want to talk about the three power players the three power players are light plants and art now you can buy the most expensive amazing sofa in the entire world but if you haven't accessorized it with good lighting some plants and really great artwork it's gonna be kind of blah it's gonna fall short because in the end those three things are what pull everything together sorry getting cozy with my plan those say things are wanting to make your room go from me do whoa baby so I've got some shots this is something that I was putting up on the blog today so I'm just keeping it real if you want to see the blog post it's over on house Tina as well but yeah if you want to look there you can see the pictures as well but I was putting these pictures up and I was just talking about how natural light in one shot will just truly dominate that that shot and it really will dictate the way you feel the moment you walk into the space and so a lot of times I would say almost every time yeah every time I'm certainly with natural light because I want to see how everything else is gonna play off of what natural light source I have and sometimes you don't have any light and sometimes you have to come up with something really creative to make that space amazing so for me natural light it's probably the number one it is the number one thing that drives my rooms then I'm gonna start thinking about if there's a lot of light then how does that play out with the overhead lighting then we're starting to look at the secondary lighting the lamps one of those pictures that I was talking about was this really great overhead paper light so it's paper II it's a little bit see-through there's a lot of natural light in the room and then there's this smooth metal lamp off to the side and then there's a little bit of plan and there's a little bit of art and those things are really the power players at that moment and then the other things become supporting actors in that case now what I also think it's interesting is I've got another one where the artwork it's just has major wow factor and the natural light is kind of a supporting actor that that art is just BAM it's there it's the power player and a lot of times what people think is like one great piece of artwork end up but you really need to think through how yes the secondary the natural light has become a second a player but the lamps and the flowers and a little bit of plant in that room are making a huge statement so maybe you've got something that's a little bit smooth and curvy the overhead light and that one was a little bit smaller and it was just it was subtle it wasn't screaming you because the artwork was really the focus in that space this one again major wow factor it actually has a pretty bold light with it as well and they're kind of writing that line of like too much of a good thing I think they've nailed it so I think it's amazing and I think when you look at your artwork and you just think it's just not powerful enough you know you need a really great power player and so going with something that's full color and boldness and light and then giving it maybe that chandelier wow you're writing a line of too much and you can see how those two photos cuz they kind of balance you know it gives you the moment where you're like wow that's almost too much and then wow could they have taken it a little bit further and I think both are perfect I think both are amazing I think both are power players it's just a different way of seeing how you get to judge and you get to play with these things because they're they're gonna be the thing that dominates your home that they're gonna dominate your spaces and this is a great way of trying to figure out how how to play them to really suit your personality I'm going far enough I think that's what most people struggle with is not building the room around these building blocks that are what are going to give you the that moment when you walk in you're just like just rude it's awesome the light is bringing in mood and it's bringing an atmosphere so it's maybe it's moody and dark and you've got that really great cast of light and then in the next one it's gonna be that the light is the lower player and the artwork is just whoa there it is and and then the plants the plants they bring like so plants plants bring life light brings and mood and art brings personality so your light of course shows your personality all those things bringing your personality they all are driven by who you are but they're really important so I hope this is giving you a little teaser maybe it's gotten your creative juices flowing as you think about your own spaces I would love to hear your feedback tell me what you think do you want more of this series what are your questions one of the things that you're struggling with as you put your rooms together because I I love having a community of friends and family to check with as well because I think this will makes it fun don't you when you get to call your mom and hey look I found this chair and maybe it's your best friend occasionally if the husband or boyfriend I don't know but half the time they're not interests I think that's why it's fun so I hope that this series will be something that you will enjoy and leave me some feedback and hit subscribe if you want to see more and I'll seehi welcome to the house Valentina today I want to start a new series and this is after years of styling photos styling rooms I've worked as a stylist with books and magazines online publications and I took a really long time years years of studying photos and studying interiors and trying to really understand what makes a space feel like it just has that amazing wow factor so I thought you know who I let's start a little series I was writing on house of valentina and the blog and I was writing an article about the power players in a space and I was putting photos in and chatting and I thought you know what I should just put this in video because I know that a lot of you watch these on the go and sometimes it's easier just to have a video rather than written content so today I want to start the series let's talk about have a conversation about what makes a room really awesome and we can work together to help you guys put your rooms together as I put my own together and let's have a conversation because I think what I've discovered over the years is that what we really want is to have somebody to talk to you about it I think that's what makes putting a room together and creating something having someone to talk to about it it's what makes it so much fun and I don't know about you but maybe it's a husband a boyfriend whoever it is that you share your space with a lot of times they're less enthusiastic about talking about 8,000 different types of chairs and all the different fabrics they might go with it it's like a little dollhouse and we're putting together this space and it means so much to us and their lack of enthusiasm can sometimes just get to us so I wanted to start a series that we could just chat let's have a conversation I hope that this will just get us to chatting in the comments below and we'll get us all thinking about how we make our rooms awesome and it really is not necessarily meant to be style driven I do love Scandinavian rooms and I tend to use those a lot as examples however I think all of these principles are things that apply no matter what your style is so you can be the ultra traditionalist you can be a minimalist and maximalist and every single thing in between but in the end these are not rules but ideas they're in an ethos that guides everything that I do and it just comes from years of studying it and trying to figure out what it is that really draws you in to a photo into a room and all those kinds of things so today I want to talk about the three power players the three power players are light plants and art now you can buy the most expensive amazing sofa in the entire world but if you haven't accessorized it with good lighting some plants and really great artwork it's gonna be kind of blah it's gonna fall short because in the end those three things are what pull everything together sorry getting cozy with my plan those say things are wanting to make your room go from me do whoa baby so I've got some shots this is something that I was putting up on the blog today so I'm just keeping it real if you want to see the blog post it's over on house Tina as well but yeah if you want to look there you can see the pictures as well but I was putting these pictures up and I was just talking about how natural light in one shot will just truly dominate that that shot and it really will dictate the way you feel the moment you walk into the space and so a lot of times I would say almost every time yeah every time I'm certainly with natural light because I want to see how everything else is gonna play off of what natural light source I have and sometimes you don't have any light and sometimes you have to come up with something really creative to make that space amazing so for me natural light it's probably the number one it is the number one thing that drives my rooms then I'm gonna start thinking about if there's a lot of light then how does that play out with the overhead lighting then we're starting to look at the secondary lighting the lamps one of those pictures that I was talking about was this really great overhead paper light so it's paper II it's a little bit see-through there's a lot of natural light in the room and then there's this smooth metal lamp off to the side and then there's a little bit of plan and there's a little bit of art and those things are really the power players at that moment and then the other things become supporting actors in that case now what I also think it's interesting is I've got another one where the artwork it's just has major wow factor and the natural light is kind of a supporting actor that that art is just BAM it's there it's the power player and a lot of times what people think is like one great piece of artwork end up but you really need to think through how yes the secondary the natural light has become a second a player but the lamps and the flowers and a little bit of plant in that room are making a huge statement so maybe you've got something that's a little bit smooth and curvy the overhead light and that one was a little bit smaller and it was just it was subtle it wasn't screaming you because the artwork was really the focus in that space this one again major wow factor it actually has a pretty bold light with it as well and they're kind of writing that line of like too much of a good thing I think they've nailed it so I think it's amazing and I think when you look at your artwork and you just think it's just not powerful enough you know you need a really great power player and so going with something that's full color and boldness and light and then giving it maybe that chandelier wow you're writing a line of too much and you can see how those two photos cuz they kind of balance you know it gives you the moment where you're like wow that's almost too much and then wow could they have taken it a little bit further and I think both are perfect I think both are amazing I think both are power players it's just a different way of seeing how you get to judge and you get to play with these things because they're they're gonna be the thing that dominates your home that they're gonna dominate your spaces and this is a great way of trying to figure out how how to play them to really suit your personality I'm going far enough I think that's what most people struggle with is not building the room around these building blocks that are what are going to give you the that moment when you walk in you're just like just rude it's awesome the light is bringing in mood and it's bringing an atmosphere so it's maybe it's moody and dark and you've got that really great cast of light and then in the next one it's gonna be that the light is the lower player and the artwork is just whoa there it is and and then the plants the plants they bring like so plants plants bring life light brings and mood and art brings personality so your light of course shows your personality all those things bringing your personality they all are driven by who you are but they're really important so I hope this is giving you a little teaser maybe it's gotten your creative juices flowing as you think about your own spaces I would love to hear your feedback tell me what you think do you want more of this series what are your questions one of the things that you're struggling with as you put your rooms together because I I love having a community of friends and family to check with as well because I think this will makes it fun don't you when you get to call your mom and hey look I found this chair and maybe it's your best friend occasionally if the husband or boyfriend I don't know but half the time they're not interests I think that's why it's fun so I hope that this series will be something that you will enjoy and leave me some feedback and hit subscribe if you want to see more and I'll see\n"