Autumn is by far my favourite season – the vibrant reds and golds as the leaves change colour, the glow that the sun casts across harvested fields and the opportunity to snuggle down with a good book in front of fire, devouring crumpets with melted butter. An excuse to sing “We Plough the Fields & Scatter” in full at the top of my voice…….If I could put Autumn in a candle, I would sniff it every day. I would eat and drink too if I could! That’s how seriously keen I am about this season.

So, when early September draws closer, I prepare our home to embrace this time of year. And I thought I would share how I transform our home from the sweltering Summer (very questionable given I am writing this in August and it is pouring hard with rain outside) to the crisp, cosy Autumnal evenings.

Part of this preparation is the more regular use of our table lamps. It sounds odd but because the light evenings go on for so long, Mr PB and I rarely switch them on in the Summer evenings. But Autumn is their time to shine!

Whilst I love to have feature pendant lights in rooms, I much prefer looking at them when they are off, than on! Sometimes the light is just too harsh for those nights in. So our house is littered with table lamps of all shapes and sizes to provide that soft, welcoming glow around the home. This is the opposite to Mr PB who prefers to turn on all the lights as those he is waiting for a plane to divert from Heathrow!

In our lounge, we have paired the muted tones of yellow and grey with this gorgeous linen effect shade and muted bronze base. I particularly love the London scene etched around the lamp. It reminds me of those toys as a child watching the carousel spin round when the light reflected off it. The style adds a modern edge to our very traditional country living room. By placing each lamp in opposing corners, you also have the benefit of allowing the light to fill the room without leaving someone in darkness.

Our living space is open plan with our dining space and therefore, I wanted a statement lamp to compliment our large oak table that sits over our well! (Yes, we have a well indoors, but more on that in a later blog post I’m sure!) I found this beautiful floor lamp from Homebase in one of their 15% promotional weekends. A little awkward to put together but once it is up, it stands in the corner room with presence. The dark shade balances well against the white walls but is not imposing, complimenting the wine rack and dresser that it stands next to.

Our garden room is light and airy – partly given the number of glazed windows but also the creams and light blues I chose as the décor (this is where the blue ottoman that stares in my photos lives – another TK Maxx bargain!) To match the clean lines and slightly more modern feel of the room, I purchased this Moroccan inspired table lamp, from Wilkinsons. Not expensive at all – around £10 I believe – and whilst it is certainly not a light you could use for reading, the patterns it creates on the walls is just divine.

In contrast, you will have seen the table lamps we use in the study – large chrome bases with large, imposing steel blue coloured lamps. Again, with 2 lamps sitting in opposite corners, you produce a subtle glow across the room lighting up the blue and grey walls. These were purchased from TK Maxx and were around £40 each! A proper bargain in my opinion.

Finally, the lamps we use in our master bedroom are ones we have had for many years, however, they have served us well. A purchase from Wilkinsons again, the deep cardinal purple balances against the glass base, reflecting light. A lot smaller than our other lamps, they sit neatly on our bedside tables and provide enough reading light whilst remaining stylish.

I hope this has given you some inspiration of how table lamps can really change the feel of a room. I would always suggest that you purchase 2 or 3 different styles of lamp and bring them home to see what shape, colours and textures work. You can always return those you don’t use…….or, like me, find a home for them all!

Until next time….

x PB x