When it comes to your home, there are few things more depressing than having to live in gloomy, poorly lit rooms. Dullness can affect mood and make you and your family feel down, so it’s maybe time to look at what you can do to brighten up everything and create a new and attractive vibe for your interiors. You’ll get a real boost when you style your room around light sources, so think positively and take some action to change things!
Let in natural light
There’s little to beat the pleasure of having sunshine fill your rooms, but you need to organise them so that you get as much light in as possible.
Start with your windows. Dark and heavy curtains just add to the gloom by absorbing natural light, so move them out and examine exactly where the light comes in at different times of the day. If you prefer to use curtains, then choose light fabrics and colours that will let in far more brightness.
Alternatively, you could choose to use wooden or faux wooden shutters (the latter are less expensive), which are ideal for giving a minimalist look to the room.
Shutters are easy to open and close, and you can get ones with slats that move to allow as much or as little light as you want. It doesn’t matter what size or shape your windows are because you can get shutters designed specially to fit them.
Clear some clutter
When you’ve sorted out your natural light source from your windows, try moving some heavy furniture around or out of the room altogether. They can absorb light, especially if they are dark themselves, so it’s worth doing some experimenting.
Bring in furniture with lighter colours, and also consider your floor. Again, if it’s very dark, you might want to replace it with a less powerfully coloured one that’s neutral enough to help light bounce off it.
Organise your light sources
It’s easy to think only about the main overhead light source, which could be a chandelier or an array of spotlights, but you should also think about the ambient light to help create a good feel to the room. Much of this can come from natural light, but when darkness arrives, it’s good to be able to provide lighting that leaves no unlit zones or dark spots.
Using recessed lighting in the ceiling is particularly effective when you need additional brightness as natural light fades or if the room doesn’t get that much.
For pictures or photos on a wall and for special ornaments, you could add some spotlights to highlight your treasures, and if you’ve styled your furniture and floor coverings in light colours, you can bring out some darker colours in those attractive additions to the room.
Use your imagination
Test out options for bringing in the best light to your room and then complement that light with furniture and other fittings. This will not only banish the darkness but also open up a very different and brighter space to enjoy!
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