INTERIORS Adding light to a dark winter

Extra lighting, color and new drapes can brighten up a drab house.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
Every January, designer Christine Sutphen hears from clients who really feel the darkness of winter after the holiday's bright lights and glitter.
"They'll take their holiday stuff down and it looks boring and dull," says Sutphen, a member of the American Society of Interior Designers and a senior designer with the Design Studio of Gabberts.
The winter solstice has passed, which means the days will begin getting longer. But January and February are still drenched in darkness and cold. That doesn't mean we have to live in darkness, though. We asked lighting experts to give us their tips on brightening up our homes in the winter. Here are their ideas. Or, should we say, let there be light.
U"Almost any light source in the winter is good," says Steve Goldmacher, spokesman for Philips Lighting Co. of New Jersey. "Almost anything helps."
Thinking about what kind of light bulbs to buy makes people yawn. Instead, consider how you use the space, says Goldmacher. Do you need a good reading lamp next to your living room armchair? Do you need a stronger light for your sewing table? Match the light bulb with the task.
U"Light is very important. It's what sets our whole bodies' rhythm," says Sheri Lundstrom of Light Therapy Products (www.lighttherapyproducts.com). To start, she recommends a light therapy light box for the desktop or other areas of the home and a dawn simulator device for the bedside.
In the kitchen
Create an artificial sky in your kitchen using indirect light sources, says Philips. Installing fluorescent bulbs above your kitchen cabinets spreads light throughout your kitchen. Also, buy under-cabinet lighting to brighten up the space, says Kari Cartier of Cartier Lighting in Plymouth, Minn.
UBuy new draperies. Light escapes into the night through an uncovered window, says Philips. By installing bright drapes, you trap the light in the room, making it "warmer." But make sure not to hang the valance too low, and don't let the side panels cover up the glass when they're open, says Sutphen.
ULight the house plants. Sutphen likes to light up large floor plants, such as fica trees, with little light fixtures decorated in black, white or brass. Such lighting offers texture and drama, she says.
UPlace battery-powered picture tubes over your artwork -- even posters: "It gives your art an instant face-lift," says Sutphen.
Add color
UInvest in a colorful throw pillow or throws. Or, paint. The hot colors of the moment: Green or apple pear, or shades of rose. You can also dress up your dining room table or other surfaces -- now so bare that the holidays are over -- with table runners or scarves adorned with beads and jewels.
UUse your fireplace. If you don't feel like mussing with the wood-burning mess, fill it instead with seven to nine large candles.
UHang mirrors. "Mirrors are one of the oldest tricks in the book for bouncing light around," says Sutphen. They give shape and interest to a room, and look particularly nice above sofas or fireplaces. But watch what you're reflecting (you might want to clear off that cluttered bookshelf first).
UInvest in lamps. Today's lamps offer couture details, says Sutphen, whether that is a finial that looks like a piece of fine jewelry or the way the pleats fold on the shade. An attractive lamp in an entryway can give the room a boost.
UThink chandeliers. Overhead lights might not be as aesthetically pleasing as lamps, but they are necessary. Consider replacing the fluorescent number in your bedroom or another room with a small chandelier in crystal, wrought iron or one with little lampshades. A Tiffany-style lamp over your kitchen table or colorful pendant lights over your kitchen island can make a real difference, too, says Cartier.
Plants
UUse flowers and plants, real or silk. "The perception of something live in the winter is nice," says Sutphen. Today's plant stands are more attractive, she says, and will enhance the look. Or, find neutral, nonholiday wreaths -- such as an artificial eucalyptus -- and hang a series of them in your windows with fish line for a unique green look.
UReplace incandescent light bulbs with halogen bulbs, says Philips. The sparkling white light feels more like that precious commodity, daylight.
USet your bedside lamp on an automatic timer to turn on five minutes before your alarm, says Philips. The effect will mimic sunlight (that's why you may have an easier time waking in the summer than in the winter).
UIn the spring, consider installing outdoor landscape lighting for next winter, says Cartier. You can place lights in trees as well as on pathways and other areas of the yard for dramatic effects. That way, instead of looking out of your windows in the winter and seeing only your own reflection, you will see a back yard dramatically revealing the shadows and the snow of winter, like the brightest moonlit night. You can also arrange for a timer, so this light show will come on when you wake up and again when you come home at the end of a long workday.