Learn how to turn any house into a sunshiny, happy space with these 5 top ways to brighten your home! Whether your home is in a shady area or simply doesn’t have much windows to let the natural light in, there are some easy ways to be able to brighten your home without much cost.
When we just bought our first home, I could not get used to how dark each room felt. We have a beautiful tree in our front yard that shades most of the house. Though this is wonderful to keep the temperature down during the summer heat waves, it tainted my mood. I hope these 5 top ways to brighten your home give you some fresh ideas.
What are the 5 Top Ways to Brighten Your Home?
- paint the interior walls white
- take off anything extra on windows
- hang up some mirrors
- add light fixtures
- use light-colored furniture
Paint the Walls White
Primarily, this is the first step we took to brighten up our home. On our trip to Sherwin-Williams, we got overwhelmed with the amount of shades of white. We chose this warm off-white paint color named “Hint of Vanilla”. I would recommend this color as we are in love with this shade and it really did brighten our home! In these photos you can just see what a difference it made to go from grey to white walls! The change was so drastic, it even made our 1,060 square foot house feel bigger. The white color really made any ray of sunshine that slipped in bounce off the walls.
Take Off Anything Extra on Windows
Next, any blinds, curtains, and shades that are on the windows will stop the natural light from seeping in. Although it is necessary to have some sort of privacy especially when it gets dark outside, make sure to open up whatever cover you choose for your house during the daytime.
We chose to completely get rid of the blinds on our windows due to how dark our house felt with them hanging on our windows, even when they were open. We preferred just hanging curtains on the side and closing them completely for the night. This method is ideal to maximize the sunlight pouring through and still having the option to cover the windows for the night.
In fact, just washing your windows thoroughly inside and outside will already make your home feel brighter. Pour some vinegar into a spray bottle and add in some lemon essential oil for a homemade window cleaner that will leave your windows shining. If you are interested in more homemade natural cleaners, check out more posts about that here.
Hang Up Some Mirrors
Additionally, this tip has a similar effect as painting the walls white. The white walls combined with mirrors create an even BIGGER difference though. We hung up a mirror on our living room mantle and it created a super cozy vibe and it is one more reflective agent that contributes to our happy space.
Our bedroom also has sliding closet doors with mirrors and this makes our room the brightest one in our entire house. All day long, the light that penetrates into the room is reflected. I love reading in my room for that reason!
Add Light Fixtures
In those dark corners where there is just no existing brightness to work with, adding some standing lamps or other light fixtures is the way to go!
Create a cozy nook with a lamp and rocking chair, like we did. All throughout the day I can just turn on the lamp and rock on my chair while I work on my embroidery hoop or take care of the laundry.
Having a variety of different light fixtures, on the ceiling or on the ground, makes for a cozy home that feels airy and bright!
Use Light-colored Furniture
Last but not least, choosing light-colored furniture also can brighten your home! Just like your paint choice, this will provide even more faucets for light reflection in your indoor space. Select some accents for your pieces of furniture to really get your eyes excited with the amount of brightness!
Our favorite accented piece is our yellow ottoman and it really does lift my mood whenever I use it or just walk by it!
Conclusion
I hope you try out these 5 top ways to brighten your home if you are struggling with a dark space. Let me know down in the comments what are your favorite ways to brighten up a home!
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