Trend Focus: Light Academia

By Ana Zuravliova

Trend Specialist at Blinds Direct

Tue 9 Aug 2022

Last updated Mon 15 May 2023

Last month we explored Dark Academia, a deep, mysterious, and contemplative way of decorating the home, however this trend has a sibling. Like Yin and Yang, Light Academia retains the heritage feel of Dark Academia but presents it in a more fun and open way. While Light Academia creates an inverse feeling to its dark counterpart, it’s not the opposite of it, rather a brighter version! 

What is academia interior design?

The inspiration behind both Light and Dark Academia lies in books and the essence of age-old British academic institutions including Oxford and Cambridge, with a touch of Ivy League preppy. 

In the realms of clothing, where these trends originally appeared, Light Academic saw a substitution of hoodies with chunky knits, jeans for thick checked flannels and iPads for well-thumbed hardbound books. While inspired by the past however, academic design isn’t twee or kitsch, everything has a feeling of long-lasting quality – this is one of the reasons it’s becoming so popular in interior design. 

The difference between Light and Dark Academia falls between colour and feel. Light Academia is open and airy, Dark Academia is snug and cosy. It’s as though they have been inspired by the same old educational institution, but during the spring and winter semesters respectively.

What is a Light Academia aesthetic?

Light Academia is the essence of academic inspired interior design, presented in a way that’s open and fresh. Built upon a foundation of preppy insouciance, you can expect to find gently flowing fabrics, pale woods, and a touch of pattern in today’s trend.

The Light academia style

Where Dark Academia design makes great use of dark wooden tones, its brighter alter ego uses pale shades of oak and birch to make a space feel welcoming and calm.

Using these shades, and the beautiful grain they show, as parts of chairs, bookcases and wooden Venetian blinds will instantly make a space feel collected and elegant. This is how to make a space perfect for enjoying your copy of Pride and Prejudice!

Characteristics of Light Academia

From a presentation perspective, a touch of shabby chic and curated carelessness will help you achieve today’s aesthetic.

If you have throws on your sofa, don’t worry that they aren’t perfectly perpendicular. Books stacked on your coffee table or side cabinet, don’t worry about it – it all adds to the overall feel of Light Academia interior design.  

The best colours and patterns for light academia interior design

Soft colours and natural textures

A core principle behind Light Academia is self-care and positivity, and colour choice is very important to this end. Soft colours and natural textures combine effortlessly with one another to make an environment in which can enrich your mind, and care for yourself in equal measure. Add powder shades of primary colours to your decor to add depth to it and feel comfortable playing with pattern and form.

Light Academia wallpaper and room decor

For example, consider intricate wallpapers, quality fabrics, and even accents of gold for your Light Academia space. You can also look at Roman blinds and curtains to introduce texture and pattern, and colour to your room. Small scale floral motifs set on a Roman blind inside a window’s recess with natural, textured curtains outside the recess is a perfect example of this trend. For adding soft home accessories, you can either find lamp shades and cushions that match your curtains or blinds, or instead find a striped fabric in a powder shade of blue or green. 

For the walls – or larger window coverings – you can’t go wrong with pale colours including cream, brown, beige, and white. These will contrast in an extremely delicate way with the pale woods and multicoloured book spines on the shelves.

Light Academia Room Decor Ideas

Light academia is an extremely versatile interior design theme that can be used in multiple rooms throughout the home. From living spaces to relaxation areas, these are our top light academia room decor ideas!

Light academia hallways

While much of this blog has addressed specific rooms within the home, you can also use the benefits of light academia in your hallways, and those spaces between rooms. With many homes having little alcoves or open space, there is often the opportunity to add bookcases, chairs or ornament covered tables to add a chic finish to your home. By keeping to the colours, patterns and other components in this blog in your hallways, you can tie your whole home together and live in style wherever you are!

Light academia living rooms

A light academia inspired living room will follow many of the same steps as the bedroom described above, but it’s best to pivot slightly in favour of warmer whites and creams. While you can still enjoy textures and patterns in your fabrics, you can also add natural woods to introduce further colours to the space. Wooden furniture, blinds and shutters are fantastic options within light academia living rooms, especially when combined with geometric patterns and checks featuring whites and greys. Antique ornaments can then complete the space. 

Light academia bedrooms

Light academia bedrooms are the perfect option for anyone looking to better enjoy sleep and relaxation. At the core of light academia is the idea of bright, open spaces and plenty of soft, bright neutral colours. To create your own light academia bedroom, stick to a small, manageable colour palette with plenty of white and light cream shades. By using these block colours on the walls, and in blinds or curtains, you can then add some detail with slim check bedding and cushions. For this, we recommend using greys and even soft, ochre yellows.

Planning your Light Academic interior is important, but don’t spend too much time thinking of exact details. Like its Dark Academic sibling, Light Academic is best when it evolves over the years, never truly becoming complete or staying static. To find the right fabric for your space, you can order up to eight free samples from the website and study them until you find just the right one.

Shop some of our products perfect for Light Academia interiors: