How to add more light to your home

As the winter is well and truly here it can feel really dull and dark so adding light to your home can make such a difference. A brighter home helps you to feel happier and more awake. There are a few really easy ways to brighten up your home without spending too much.

Choosing doors and wall colours

Light walls can make a huge difference to how bright a room feels. Avoiding dark paint or wallpaper will make your room seem a lot lighter without changing anything about the windows or lighting.

Glass doors help to allow light to flow throughout the house. Using a glass door from a bright room into a darker room will help brighten the darker room up. If you worry about a full glass door how about one with a glass panel?

Soft furnishings

Again by choosing light-coloured soft furnishings you can ensure the light in the room bounces around nicely. Dark colours absorb the light and make the whole room seem darker.

If you can not afford to change your sofa then adding some pale cushions or a throw could make a big difference.

Curtains should be chosen well to frame the window and make the window look wide and stylish. A well-framed window makes a room much nicer and seems brighter quite simply.

A pale-coloured rug can help when a dark carpet makes a room seem dark. If you are worried about stains on a light carpet then choose one which has a pattern including some light colours. Every little bit helps and makes all the difference.

Blinds vs Net curtains

I find that net curtains can block a lot of natural light from entering through the window. Blinds can make a big difference whilst still allowing you and your family privacy.

If you feel net curtains are the only way forward then consider if you need full-length ones or if half-length would do the job just as well. Again the difference here is huge.

Mirrors

Adding large mirrors to a room helps to reflect the light around the room from a window. If you have a big window at one end of a room and it is often dark at the other end adding a mirror halfway up can help dramatically.

If you already have a mirror and feel that is still not enough could you consider mirrored items? In a bedroom, a mirrored draw unit or even a mirrored jewellery box could add another item to brighten the room.

Artificial lights

Sometimes if you have tried all the above methods you may have no choice but to add artificial lighting. If this is the case then opting for natural light choices can make a difference. Many places now sell reading lights which are designed to mimic natural lighting brightness.

By choosing these you eliminate the yellow/orange colour which makes your makeup etc look so different.