Dark corners, dim hallways, shady staircases, and low-lit hallways are the makings for a haunted house, not the place we’d like to call ‘home sweet home.’ (Well, most of us.) Lighting, whether natural or artificial, is what gives our homes that warm and fuzzy feeling even on the dreariest of days. Colors, decor, and design tricks are additional techniques to make your home beam. While not all homes were built with this concept in mind, you have many options to brighten up your space and give it those open, airy vibes.
Let the light in
Depending on your budget and goals, adding more windows to your home is an obvious choice to brighten things up. However, this gets costly—fast. If you’re not at the point of adding windows or aren’t in the process of building your home, move on from windows and try adding a new front or back door. Those with gridded or full windows will provide ample light, or you can use fogged glass to allow light in while still maintaining your privacy.
If you’re looking for a less costly and more simple way to brighten up your home, try adding a unique chandelier piece, sconce lights, a large overhang lamp, or lights under your kitchen cabinets. Adding small touches of artificial light is a quick, effective, and wallet-friendly way to brighten up any room in your house.
Embrace color
It’s long been perceived that colors, especially dark ones, can make rooms feel smaller, tighter, and more claustrophobia-inducing. This is not always so. If you’d like to make your space feel larger and more lustrous, add some color as a focal point or sprinkle it throughout the room of your choice. Colorful rugs and artwork can make a space feel brighter by surrounding you in palettes that contribute to drawing the eyes up.
If you feel like being a bit bold, you can paint your ceiling sky blue, which can create the feeling of openness as though you’re outdoors. Warm, sun-like colors can also create a brighter, more lucent look for any room, either through paint, deor, a large area rug, or furniture.
Hang mirrors
Mirrors are fun and functional accent pieces, but they can also brighten up your space instantly. Adding them in rooms with large windows allows for sunlight to bounce from their reflective surfaces, creating the illusion of more light. If you really want to go bold, get a large yellow, orange, or gold mirror to bring warmth and openness with your added light.
Lighter floors
A quick way to make any space feel dim is having dark flooring. To open things up and make your room feel light and bright, use warmer wood floor panels to create the feeling of openness. You can also strip and stain your current wood floors a fresh hue to bring out the lighter tones in them.
Be smart about curtains
Privacy is an important part of maintaining a home, however, big, thick, dark curtains can close up your space and make it feel lifeless and dull. When choosing curtains, opt for lighter colors, simple patterns, and textures that feel playful, elegant, and thin. For example, blackout curtains tend to be thick and can bring your space inward. If you do want a dark color, try going with sheer grey or charcoal to give you the look you want without the negative effects.
Open up
Open concept rooms, like kitchens and living rooms, are a great way to make an entire level of your home feel big and bright. Of course, if you choose to paint all the walls black, this may not have the same effect, however, redoing your kitchen to break down constricting walls and arches can allow more light to flow throughout your space.
You can also create the feeling of openness without any demo work by painting or replacing kitchen cabinets with lighter tones, such as white, cream, light grey, and sage.
If you’re feeling as though your home could stand to brighten up, there are many tricks and techniques you can try to make things a little more luminous. And, if some projects are too big, give us a call. We’re happy to help transform any space in your home.
