Ways to Add More Light Into Dark Areas of Your Home

Natural light in your home is beneficial in many ways, from brightening up your rooms and making them seem larger and more comfortable, to affecting your mood and raising your productivity. If your home is decorated with darker colors and the rooms, seem a bit gloomy, getting enough natural light in them is vital for improving the quality of your living.

If you’re looking to make a change and brighten up your dark rooms, here are some creative ways to make the most out of natural light. If you are going to be selling your home, these lighting tips could be vital to your success. Very few home buyers like a dark home!

Real Estate agents talk all the time about what not to do when selling your house. One of the many things always discussed is taking ample time to prepare your home for the market. Making your home look as good or better than the competition is vital.

Lighting Tricks to Make Your Home Brighter Assess your needs

Your first step is making a quick assessment of your home to establish where the natural light comes from and determine where your issues lie. You will see if the problem is a dark living room or all rooms need help and if it’s the choice of your hardwood floors, heavy furniture and small windows that absorb too much light.

Once you establish what the problem is, you can start applying the following design tricks to take advantaging of the natural light coming into your rooms. It is part of making a house feel more like a home.

Use mirror effect

Shiny surfaces are your best friends when it comes to reflecting light around the room. Your designing strategy should include objects like glass or crystal chandeliers, mirrors, silver photo frames, gold doorknobs, brass lighting, shiny candlesticks, glass tabletops, and see-through acrylic furniture as they will successfully bounce the light around the room.

For your entry and hallways, use a lighter wall paint, put up a large mirror, and install large windows to bring in as much light as possible. Mirrors are perfect decorations, and there are so many styles that you’re bound to find the one that will fit seamlessly with your style. If you add a pair of wall scones at its sides, the light will be magnified, be it day or night.

Decorating tricks for dark rooms

Mirrors are excellent design tools for any room that appears dull, not just entries, and hallways. For instance, in a living room, if you place a large, horizontal mirror over your couch the same way many homeowners do over the fireplace, it will bounce light throughout the room, and if you add a few more on other walls and position them opposite one another, the light will be increased dramatically. You’ll create an illusion of endless depth and make the room appear larger and brighter.

Rethink your window treatments

Heavy and thick curtains and window treatment tend to absorb a lot of natural light, so removing them is the first step to lighting up a dark room. Instead, use light-colored and light-weighted fabric for your curtains to allow natural light to penetrate, and you might choose to hang them differently. For instance, you can take a piece of sheer fabric and drape it over the curtain rod instead of hanging it vertically. It will create a layered look and add more interest.

If you insist on your privacy, your answer is roller blinds that protect your privacy and control the amount of light you want to let in. Depending on your taste, you can get the block out, sunscreen or light filter rollers without compromising on your comfort or style.

Install glass doors

Glass doors are an excellent solution for introducing more light into your home, but your choice will ultimately depend on your budget and security preferences. You can opt for tinted or frosted glass for privacy and for interior doors in hallways, stairwells, and entry into rooms, you can go with clear, translucent glass panels. These doors will keep the light flowing through and give the rooms the necessary injection of brightness.

Change the color palette

Lighter wall paint colors can significantly improve the light conditions in a room, and they usually include neutral colors such as light grey, white, beige, and crème. However, be more thoughtful with your choice as these colors also absorb light, so you need to choose a light nuance that reflects light instead of absorbing it.

To avoid having your rooms appear bright but cold, add warmth with vibrant neutral shades such as warm rust and earthy colors, espresso brown and matt gold. Add splashes of contrasting color in your ceiling and trims and in combination with those neutrals; you’ll get a perfect balance of light and vivacity.

If the wall colors aren’t enough to brighten up your room, refinish your floors in a lighter shade and add light-colored area rugs.

Brighten up a dark kitchen

Dark kitchen cabinets and darker wooden floors add a lot of class and sophistication to a kitchen, but if you feel it closes the space, you can brighten things up with lighter countertops with a shiny finish, a light-reflecting backsplash, a white sink, and metallic light fixtures. These elements will make a perfect contrast to dark cabinetry and add more balance to the room.

Even with large kitchen windows that give plenty of natural light during the day, the kitchen is also used in the late evenings, so proper illumination is critical. Consider adding quality task lighting over the prep areas and silver, glass, brass or copper pendant lights over the breakfast bar and kitchen island. These will reflect light and brighten the dark spots.

Here are some exceptional tips for making a kitchen brighter.

Transform a dark bedroom

There’s something exceptional and dramatic about dark bedrooms that allows you to relax and sleep peacefully. All the dark walls, floors, and furnishings create a womb-like feeling that can be very comforting at the end of a busy day. To introduce more light in such a bedroom, you only need a few light-colored throw pillows and bedding in white, off-white, or buttery color. These details will balance out the large dark areas and add to the relaxing atmosphere.

Use various accessories to introduce pops of color such as cushions and rugs and stick to lighter window treatments and sheer curtains that will allow plenty of light to come in and reflect from shiny surfaces of your mirrors, lamps and brass doorknobs. Don’t forget that soft lighting placed strategically can help a great deal in setting the mood. If you don’t like large light fixtures, consider installing concealed lighting that can be built in your shelves or under cabinets and side lamps that can help you adjust the amount of light.

A well-lit space will always appear more inviting, comfortable, and pleasant than a dark, gloomy room. With the right amount of natural light in your home, you’ll feel happier, healthier, and more vibrant. Using the tips listed here, you can easily create your own light-filled oasis and enjoy its benefits.

Final thoughts

There are lots of different ways to skin a cat when it comes to adding light to your home. When you are selling your house, take your real estate agents advice when it comes to getting your home ready for the market. Doing so includes making your home feel bright and cheerful.

Additional Home Improvement Resources Worth a Look

Use these additional home improvement resources to make smart decisions to when doing work around your property, especially before you sell.

Lillian Connors About the author: The above article on smart solutions for introducing light into dark rooms was written by Lillian Connors.

If one thing is real about Lillian Connors, her mind is utterly curious. That’s why she can’t resist the urge to embark on a myriad of home improvement/DIY projects and spread the word about them.
She’s also genuinely into green practices, cherishing the notion that sustainable housing and gardening will not only make us far less dependent on others regarding the dwellings we inhabit and what we eat, but also contribute to our planet being a better place to live on.