Gloomy days are with us once again and although the temptation might be to curl up into a ball and not emerge again until spring, family, work and life in general unfortunately all have other ideas.

So plod on we must, dragging ourselves out of bed before the sun's had a chance to rise, and only returning home, afrer a hard day's toil by the time it's already set.

Artificial lighting is, of course, a must at this time of year, but despite this many homes suffer insufficient, ineffective or downright unpleasant set ups, making them too dark or shadowy to comfortably cook in the kitchen, too grainy to read in the study, or too harsh to chill out in the lounge.

Headaches, sore eyes, frustration and accidents are all often effects of not being able to see what you're doing properly.

By contrast, good lighting will make your home feel spacious, relaxed, clean and welcoming and will offer the flexibility to take you right through from day to evening, easily catering for the different purposes of rooms.

With the flick of a switch you should be able to transform any space from practical and functional to cosy and romantic if need be.

The aspect of a room plays a huge role in the quality and type of natural light it's subject too.

For example, north-facing rooms often feel cold and harsh as they don't get much attention from the sun, while those that are east-facing are bright first thing in the morning, but get long shadows and no sun later in the day.

South-facing rooms are everyone's favourite as they get warm light all day, which makes them ideal kitchens and main living areas. Anything west-facing gets sunlight at the hottest part of the day, which can cause an annoying glare, while in the late afternoon long shadows and softer light become prominent.

To make the most of the natural light available in your home, you need to think about which rooms are used for what and have a shuffle round if a change would help you don't have to stick to the estate agent's details.

Daylight changes throughout the year, so take this into account when designing your lighting plan.

The grey northern light we Brits get rarely creates sun so strong it needs screening out, but bright summer light can still be uncomfortable to sit in. Conversely, harsh winter sunlight can make everything appear flat.

If you don't have time to tackle a lighting re-design of your house, there are several quick fixes' you can use to brighten things up without too much hassle:

  • Start by checking if any trees outside windows could do with a trim as even taking off a few inches can make a huge difference.
  • Hang mirrors around the house, particularly opposite windows, so they reflect light into the room. Also take down any net curtains that aren't essential for privacy.
  • Consider ditching dark, heavy curtains in favour of more modern window dressings made from light, filmy material.

Voile and muslin are very modern looking and great at diffusing light, although they don't offer so much warmth and insulation.

  • Replacing solid doors with part-glazed ones will help light flood into the house and through it, as will light-reflective surfaces and pale carpets and furnishings.