Living in a small house, with very few windows, I know how important it is to find ways to brighten up the interior of a home. I have 8 ideas to make a house look brighter that I thought I’d share with you. Most of these I’ve used myself and a couple are ones I picked up from helping my parents redecorate their own home. I hope you’ll find some of them useful!
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Of course putting in a few more windows or even a skylight will allow more light to come into the house, but this isn’t always possible. Not everyone can afford this type of remodeling, even though many would love to. Sometimes simply replacing old windows can brighten up a room. I’ve seen older windows become cloudy, due to a leaky seal and this causes the entire window to allow less light in through it.
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Taking off those thick, dark drapes and replacing them with some sheer curtains can do wonders for a room’s brightness. The sheerness of the curtains not only allows more light to come in through each window, but it also lightens up the room more when these are a pale color themselves. I took down some dark green curtain panels and replaced them with a gauze material that was light blue. I was amazed at how bright the room became.
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Rooms that are dark and dreary can use a fresh coat of light colored paint for a quick makeover. Pastels, cream, and white will reflect a lot more light than darker colors will. Even if there aren’t any windows in the room, the overhead light will bounce off of the lighter color on the walls and brighten up the room a lot. Paint is also much cheaper than wallpaper and quicker to apply. I find that the color yellow not only brightens up a room, but it is also such a cheery color.
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By hanging a mirror on the wall across from a window, the light will be allowed to bounce off of the mirror and spread around the room more. A large mirror will allow more light to be reflected, while many smaller mirrors will provide light and can be arranged in a fun pattern. There are also mirrored candle holders that take the light from a single candle and spread it around the room in multiple directions. This technique can also be used with a large mirror and a lamp, in windowless rooms.
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Some rooms don’t have windows at all. These spaces require lamps and overhead lighting to create a brighter atmosphere. Track lighting consists of multiple little lights that are placed along a wire track. These are perfect for dark corners and areas where it’s not possible to place a standing lamp. The addition of even just one more lamp can greatly increase the overall brightness of a room.
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I noticed how much brighter my living room was when the walls were painted a light shade of yellow, so I thought I’d try adding a lighter colored rug to the floor and see if it made any difference. I bought a cream colored area rug to hide most of the dark brown shag. I couldn’t believe the difference this single change made to the brightness of the room.
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On nice days, I try to have the front and back doors wide open. Not only does this allow more light to come in, but the cats enjoy lying in the doorway and looking outside. It provides light for me and entertainment for them. Since I live out in the country, I can also open the curtains all the way and not worry about neighbors peering inside. Not having any curtains at all eliminates the blockage of sunlight, which makes the room nice and bright.
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You’d probably be surprised at how often light is blocked by the couch or an easy chair. Making sure to keep furniture from being placed in front of a window will ensure that as much light as possible can pass through. Even tall plants placed in front of a window keep light from coming in as strong as it would if there wasn’t a plant at all.
I hope these 8 ideas to make a house look brighter work well for you. Trying a few ideas out on your own home will allow you to see just how much difference can be made. Have you already tried any of the above ideas and had success? Are there other ways you’ve found to brighten up your home? Please feel free to share any ideas you have.
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