It’s a common challenge for every homeowner to brighten up a dark space when they are designing a room. Although some may think that a huge renovation such as knocking down walls or adding windows are required to brighten up their room, these are not only the options. As a matter of fact, there are foolproof tricks that the experts use to add light through design details.
Whether it’s painting the ceiling, or layering the accessories, you may want to try this combined beginner and advanced tips for getting more light in the room and maximize what you already have to let the light come through.
Place Bold and Colourful Art/Furniture
Dark rooms can get really cosy, so you might want to add a nice vibrant artwork that will boost the mood and appearance of the space. You may opt for paintings that pop the colours yellow or turquoise. You can also have nice yellow or light green velvet dining chairs if you have a dark kitchen area.
Paint the Ceiling in Bright White Colour
Having a white ceiling can make your room feel taller. And if you aim to brighten a dark room, go for something that brightest, clearest, and whitest of whites you can find. Avoid ivory, cream, or off-white colours. Your best choice to go for is a true white.
Emphasize Light Using Mirrors
Mirrors are the easiest and perfect device for brightening a dark room. As long as it’s possible, try to put mirrors directly to opposite windows to reflect as much natural light as possible. But if this is not possible, you may place mirrors anywhere since they will still do their work bring in natural light. You can place above couches, over mantles, on bookcases, or hung above side tables, mirrors are like small windows that open up spaces wherever they are.
Welcome Maximalism in Your Home
If an all-neutral room is not what you prefer, that’s okay! Don’t worry about it. You can opt for a bold accent wall and a palette of brave hues to give energy to a room and make it appear brighter.
Light Your Walls
Washing the walls of your home with various lights can help maintain the edges bright, so although you have plenty of pot lights or ceiling lights, think about adding sconces with shades that aim light upward and downward. For instance, if a particular room lacks windows for the light to come in, it can still feel and look bright if you add a pair of sconces for a warm glow.
Meanwhile, if you wish to add lights such as pot lights to your ceiling, think about adding them a few closer to the walls to cast light down onto the walls. This will put emphasize to beautiful details like traditional cabinetry or brick. Also, table lamps look great on furniture and can spread light across a wall, particularly in outstanding drum shades with openings at the top and bottom.
Neutralise With Black
This may sound unreasonable, but introducing several hits of charcoal or stark black adds touches of contrast that create the light areas encircling them pop even more. Opt for thin, linear elements like bold black chairs, long floor lamps, or patterned fabrics. What’s even better is to add hints of blue and black to a room to produce a beachy vibe that recollects luxurious beach getaways with a lot of summer sun.
Renovate Lightbulbs
Aside from adding actual blue, you may want to consider updating your lightbulbs to a brighter output and a cooler “daylight” colour tone. The best way to brighten a room is to create a lovely warm, private atmosphere by using warmer, yellow lights. However, if you want a brighter and refreshing appearance, opt for a true white bulb.
Place the Right Rugs
Although dark hardwood or laminate floors are a nice and known staple for modern homes, they can consume a lot of light from some spaces, particularly corridors without windows. Runner rugs in lighter tone are your best option that will break up this type of flooring that can provide you with the most amazing blend of richness and airiness. A classic patterned rug in off-white lightness would be better to not show much speck of dirt.
Paint Woodwork
A lot of people have a distaste for painting woodwork, but if you really want to lighten that dark room, this is an easy and sure way to do it. Do you have an old wood wainscotting, oak staircase, or awkward ceiling beams? Why not give them a coat of white paint? Doing this will immediately freshen, lighten, and modernize a room. After you paint that woodwork, you must be aware that it would hard to restore it, so you must be sure about it.
Lastly, the key here is to have the right balance between light and shadow to make your home feel like “home.” You don’t want your house to be an extremely bright big box store with even lighting in jarring fluorescents. Make sure you know how to properly add lights to dark corners and not going overboard.