Whether you live in a dimly-lit apartment or are lucky enough to have with a large-windowed house, natural light is not the only factor that determines how bright your home appears.
What will really make the difference is a solid decorating strategy. A bright home is not only inviting, but it can uplift your mood, lower stress levels and improve your overall well-being.
Thankfully, you don’t have to hire an interior designer to liven up your space! Here are a few, simple decorating tips you can do yourself to add light and life to your dark home.
1. Supplement natural light
No matter how much natural light you have, it’s no use to you at night. It’s important to have extra lighting on hand as nighttime approaches. This holds even more true if your home as few windows. Using wall sconces, floor lamps and table lamps near the back of the walls can help illuminate those areas your ceiling lights cannot reach.
This pair of mercury glass table lamps can help keep the edges of any room bright. You may also want to get the nightstands to make the perfect set!
2. Add more wood
Elements of pale colored wood can help lighten up a room. You may consider adding hues of green so the room feels naturally sunny.
Whenever possible, choose light wood flooring, especially in high-traffic areas. If replacing the floors is not an option, you can always trick the eyes with wooden furniture, like this gorgeous set of tables and chairs consigned to Ava’s Attic.
3. Counteract with black
Every interior decor blog will tell you to paint a dark room white to compensate for the limited sunlight, so it may seem counterintuitive to bring black decor into your home. However, introducing some hints of black or navy creates a beautiful contrast that helps make the lighter areas pop. Linear elements such as fabrics, small chairs and picture frames will work well for this purpose.
It’s still important to choose a light-colored background for a room with limited light, and then emphasize it by adding dark accents, such as these beautiful, swiveling bar stools.
4. Opt for reflective items and furniture
You can use mirroring items to your advantage to bounce off more light in dark rooms. Translucent and acrylic furniture are especially great in areas with limited source of natural light.
You can’t go wrong with this mirrored nightstand from Ava’s Attic, which is not only gorgeous, but excellent for reflecting light in a gloomy space.
5. Be bold
You don’t always have to stick to an all-neutral room. Go for a bold accent wall or art piece to add a touch of life. A daring color palette may even help a room seem brighter and more energized. Maybe your room could use something like the painting below.
The most important thing is that you find a balance so that your room maintains a natural play between light and shadow.
As you can see, it’s not hard at all to make a room appear lighter and it can be done without making any major alterations to your home. Choosing your furniture and accessories wisely and placing them strategically will get the job done.
Best of all, there’s no need to spend thousands, as you can find all of these consigned pieces at Ava’s Attic.
