Houses come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some have plenty of natural lighting and fresh air, but others may receive less sunlight than you would expect. Aside from its obvious visual appeal, the quantity of light or darkness in a space can significantly impact our emotions, mental health, and overall well-being. As a result, many homeowners are interested in learning how to brighten up their homes.
The good news is that there are several ways to brighten up your home and add color to your décor, regardless of whether you have large skylights or small windows. You don’t have to install an entirely new lighting system or knock down a wall or two. There are several simple solutions that can make a major difference.
How to Brighten Up Your Home: 9 Easy Tips
You can enjoy a bright and open space in your home even if you live in a rental or do not have the financial means to undertake a large-scale restoration project to improve the illumination of your home. Here are some suggestions on how to how to brighten up your home and bring more light into your space.
1. Strategically Place Mirror
Place mirrors or mirror art pieces in strategic locations near doors, where there is already a lot of natural light coming in from outside. Because of the mirror’s reflective surface, the light will reflect into your living space and create an illumination effect.
Reflective surfaces, such as mirrors, are particularly beneficial for illuminating long, dark corridors or a stairwell. When possible, place a large mirror or an intricate feature arrangement of various shapes and sizes near a window or near a light source to get the most out of the space they occupy.
2. Use Plants to Add Color
It’s astonishing how much of a difference a little greenery can make in the overall brightness of your area. Head to the greenhouse and bring home a collection of large, eye-catching plants that you can utilize throughout your home, such as birds of paradise, dracaenas, and fiddle leaf figs, among others.
You can even purchase live variety online, which will be delivered directly to your house without any hassle. On the other hand, if you don’t have a green thumb, plenty of imitation choices are available that will still light up the space.
It goes without saying that having plants in the major parts of your home will brighten things up, but don’t forget about those sometimes overlooked dark and drab rooms as well. Bathrooms, particularly ones without windows, can be difficult to transform in terms of their entire atmosphere.
There is, however, a workaround: Plants that require little light, such as spider plants and snake plants, are ideal for use in dimly lit areas.
3. Position Your Lighting Fixtures Correctly
It is possible to create a significant difference using lighting. Strategically placing your light fixtures in areas that require the most illumination can improve your rooms and spaces’ overall look and feel and help boost natural light.
It has been shown that the higher a lamp is set, the more light it may cast into the surrounding region. Therefore, in order to brighten up a room, it is recommended that you use recessed lighting. Furthermore, you are not required to confine the light to your roofs. Installing recessed lighting in your cabinets can soften the overall effect even further. Finally, don’t forget to make the most of LED strip lights. However, make sure you know how to install LED strip lights like a pro.
4. Use Furniture with Hairpin Legs
When thinking about ways to brighten up your home, keep in mind that your furniture significantly impacts the overall look. Heavy, dark-colored squat furniture does nothing to alleviate the situation. To hold the weight of your furniture while not adding obvious weight to the space, hairpin legs can be used to replace hefty desk, side table, and kitchen table legs with slender hairpin legs.
When it comes to making the most of a space, simplicity and balance are critical considerations to bear in mind. You should avoid dark woods and a strong color palette when trying to get a brighter look. If you’re working with preexisting furniture, you can disguise darker surfaces with bright, minimalist ornaments that draw the eye.
5. Make a Wise Choice While Purchasing Curtains
Window coverings have the potential to restrict the majority of the light you want to let into your home. Alternatively, light-colored and lightweight drapes hanging over your windows can make your windows appear more open and large than they actually are.
Consider changing out your heavy or dark-colored drapes on a seasonal basis to make your home more comfortable. This relatively simple renovation will help your home feel refreshed and ready for the impending summer months by bringing in more natural light.
In order to help deflect any sunlight toward the ceiling, use blinds designed to open at an upward slant. The light will scatter throughout the entire room. As a result, they are a preferable option over heavy curtains or dark shades in most situations.
6. Accessorize that Couch
You don’t have to make any major changes to your home in order to give it a brighter appearance and feel. Visit your local home goods store and load up on a fresh variety of throw pillows and blankets for your furniture, whether it’s your couch or bed. Leave the dark colors in the past and opt for lighter-colored neutrals with bursts of metallic colors to make your home sparkle.
7. Consider the Color of Your Walls
Though painting your walls and furnishings with a light color is simple, the mix of a pale color with a darker color is often far more effective. Choosing a striking wallpaper pattern is an excellent alternative because a bold feature on the walls can quickly bring a great deal of personality to a room. However, make sure that it matches the area’s gentler colors.
Many people believe that a silky surface will brighten up a room, but in reality, it can have the opposite effect, generating a sharp, glaring appearance. It is best to opt for a matte finish that produces a softer, more muted impression than a glossy finish. The color of the sky can also be used to decorate your ceiling as an alternative. In doing so, an optical illusion is created, making any room appear larger and more spacious.
8. Choose the Best Location for Your Furniture
It is a good idea to place furniture in close proximity to your primary light sources. It is possible to improve the flow of natural light across a space by arranging specific furniture perpendicular to a window. An overhead floor lamp oriented towards the ceiling and positioned at the back of the room can also do wonders in a dull environment.
When used in a dim environment, a floor light pointed towards the ceiling and positioned towards the back of the room can make a difference for you.
Furthermore, open shelves, rather than heavy cabinets, can give the impression of a room being lighter and airier. Furniture should not be placed parallel to your windows because this can cause natural light to be blocked from entering your room.
Organize and De-clutter the Space
De-cluttering a space can quickly make it appear larger and more spacious. Tall, crowded bookcases can be a conversation starter, but they can also be oppressive to the eye and may cause light sources to be obscured or blocked. There must be a clear distinction between storage and presentation when organizing any room in your home; when these distinctions are muddled, clutter builds.
Try to avoid overcrowding a bookcase, shelf, or any other surfaces in your living room. Leaving vacant spaces and adding little decorative elements to your home might help to brighten the atmosphere.
9. Decorate with Metallic Accessories & Ornaments
In addition to reflecting sunlight, metallic décor pieces in silver and gold can make your home appear more affluent without the need for major modifications to achieve this effect. The usage of metallic plant pots, as well as metallic mirrors and ornamental accessories, can be included in your home decor.
Glimmering surfaces have the ability to increase the quantity of natural light that enters your home while also contributing to an attractive and modern design concept.
The Bottom Line
It is not always necessary to undertake major renovation work in order to brighten your home. If you follow these suggestions for how to brighten up your home, you can experiment and discover which color theme, décor aesthetic, and style are the most appropriate for your home.
