Light as a Material: Sculpt and Define Your Home Spaces
Interior designer Poonam Khanna, founder of Unionworks, is one of Homes & Gardens’ new Editors-At-Large for By Design, sharing her thoughts on decor through her lens of soft light, vintage pieces, and a sepia-tinged palette. See the rest of her articles here.
I recently spent a weekend in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the first thing that struck me upon leaving the airport was the intensity of the light. Clouds were perfectly edged, almost like paper-cut cartoon formations, and the clarity of the sunlight felt surreal. What felt even more real was how it made me feel – I was enveloped in a luminous space that seemed to embody lightness itself.
When we design spaces, most of our tools are tangible and tactile. From the architectural envelope to furnishings and fixtures, everything is something we can touch and feel. Yet there is one element that always shapes our compositions in profound ways – lighting, in all its ever-changing forms. The rhythms of day and night create a choreography of illumination, from the soft glow of sunrise to the brilliance of midday, settling finally into the gentle hush of dusk, a cycle we are intrinsically connected to.
Our relationship with natural light is almost metaphysical – we use our senses to perceive, understand, and respond to it. Over time, we have also developed technologies to create artificial light, allowing us to manipulate, modulate, and ‘sculpt’ illumination to set a mood, define shapes, or highlight specific objects and moments.
Thoughtful window placement can transform the way light interacts with your home. Windows can frame a view, capture the sun’s traveling rays in just the right spot – perhaps where you enjoy your morning coffee – or bathe your favorite relaxation corner in the pink and orange hues of sunset. Because daylight changes in intensity and color throughout the day, furniture placement can maximize its benefits. A desk might face north for consistent, diffused light, while a bed can be positioned to greet the morning sun. A dining area could face southwest to bask in the warmth of sunsets, creating a living experience in harmony with natural rhythms.
(Image credit: Eric Petschek/Design by Unionworks)
Light is a tangible material in our work. A Noguchi paper floor lamp can infuse warmth into a cozy corner by a window with a view, while Louis Poulsen lanterns guide you safely along a garden path. Vintage Murano sconces offer ambient light like jewelry adorning your entryway walls, and a Lindsey Adelman porcelain disk pendant can cast a gentle glow over a dining table, turning a functional moment into a visual delight.
In character, light can be bold and commanding, like a diva demanding attention, or subtle and delicate, grazing surfaces to create a serene, calming atmosphere. It can serve as a practical partner, a whimsical flourish, or an ephemeral, fleeting experience – all shaping how we inhabit and feel a space.
(Image credit: Poonam Khanna)
The highlight of my trip to Santa Fe was a wedding held on a ranch. After mingling on a small plateau, we were guided up a gentle hill to an opening in the ground. Turning our backs to the early evening sun, we descended into a dark, carved-stone tunnel that opened into a cavern softly illuminated by candlelight from a smaller chamber – the wedding altar. Further inside, I looked up to see natural openings framing the evening sky. The experience was mysterious, magical, and unforgettable – a sequence orchestrated entirely by light.
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