Light, Shade and Lessons to Bring Home

Lisbon. A downtown apartment on Rua de Sao Juliao. A pair of heavy dark green doors opened straight off the street into a hot and shadowy communal hallway with wooden stairs winding upwards in short flights, so worn in places that you wonder how many feet they’ve carried over the years. On the first floor, tucked behind yet another set of double doors are our beds for three nights.

Hallway in Lisbon Apartment

Inside, a vestibule with a long table and an enormous lamp; its bulb better suited to lighting the inside of a fridge. Still, it made its mark. The dimmed lighting theme continued throughout yet there was something wonderful about it. After the glare of Lisbon’s streets, stepping into that cool, dark space was quite the tonic. I caught myself wondering whether my own hallway might benefit from a light that brings you gently down from your day, rather than flooding the space.

The sitting room sat at the centre of the apartment with no windows of its own. Instead, it borrowed light from other rooms through glass panels above the doors. And if the light is too bright, there’s a roller blind to pull down. Job done. I’m going to use this idea on a small shower room project at home where I can easily install a glazed panel above the doorway which will make the most of some good light from an adjacent window.

Street-side, the bedrooms were bright and airy. White walls, high ceilings, and tiles baked into the plaster. Double glazing barely held back the sound of cars clunking over a loose pothole outside, but their rhythm became part of the stay. And come on, if you choose to holiday in the middle of a city like Lisbon, you can’t expect peace and quiet. It’s priced in.

At the back the kitchen, standard issue IKEA, was no less practical for being so. The shower room, though, was the most eccentric space: narrow double doors leading to a washing machine, then steps up to the toilet and shower. More tiles and a frosted window let in just enough light to make it feel less like a cupboard.

And then there was the ante-room, technically a passage to one of the bedrooms, but cleverly set up with a single bed. A cotton curtain divided it from the main room, softening the boundary. That idea, could work anywhere: light fabric as a gentle way to separate space without shutting it down.

Not every idea can be translated — thank goodness, really.  I can’t magic up high ceilings at home (and for the record, I wouldn’t necessarily want to). But staying elsewhere always leaves me looking differently at what I can do: a curtain instead of a door, a lamp chosen for presence rather than light, a window above a doorway. Small details, easy to borrow, that might quietly shift the way a home feels.

Farrow & Ball have a paint shade called Borrowed Light, and it feels like just the right phrase for this apartment too. Spaces drawing brightness from elsewhere, in ways that linger long after you’ve left.

One final note about those whitewashed walls? They didn’t make the apartment feel bigger or brighter. They bounced a little light around, but the rooms remained essentially dim. A reminder that brightness has as much to do with design and paint will only do so much.

Until next time, happy decorating!

Ashley x

I’m an interior painter & decorator and colour consultant. I help home and business owners take the guesswork out of decorating and create spaces that feel just right. This is More Than Four Walls where I share the deeper side of decorating – colour choices, creative process, and the quiet power of home.  Join me on Instagram or to book a personal appointment click here.