Let the Sun Shine in – Simple Tricks for Adding Natural Light to Any Room
by Jo Ward
Some houses are blessed with abundant natural light. The sunlight streams into every room of the home, creating a bright and beautiful interior that looks like it leapt right off the pages of a magazine.
Other homes are not so lucky. The windows are small, the colors are dark, and little natural light reaches the interior. If your home falls into this category, you do not have to cut up the walls and add more windows to enjoy a brighter and airier interior. Here are some simple ways to draw more natural light into your home and make your home more beautiful.
Paint the ceiling white. You do not have to paint the whole room to get an airier and more beautiful look. Simply painting the ceiling white will create a reflective surface and maximize the amount of natural light in the room.
Choose light colors for your window treatments. Dark colored curtains will make a dark room look even darker. Choose white or light-colored drapes, blinds and curtains to make the most of the available light and make the room look more charming.
Create a minimalist space. Filling the space with furniture and accessories can make the room look smaller and accentuate the darkness. Limit the amount of furniture in the room and choose light-colored pieces that reflect the light.
Add mirrors to brighten, lighten, and reflect the light. Hanging two similarly sized mirrors on opposite walls is a great way to make a dark room lighter and more inviting.
Add light-colored throw rugs or replace your dark floors with lighter shades. Dark-colored carpets and hardwood floors absorb the light, but lighter shades are more reflective. If you do not want to replace the carpet or floors, just add a bright white throw rug or two.
Use dark colors to accent lighter surroundings. Painting the room white is a great way to reflect the natural light, but a plain white room is pretty boring. Use dark colors to create contrast and drama; paint the trim a darker shade, add dark-colored artwork to the walls, and decorate the room with contrasting pillows and other accents.
Accent your dark kitchen cabinets with lighter countertops. Simply lightening up your countertops can transform your dark kitchen into a brighter and airier space.
Add a skylight to your dark interior. Adding a skylight can be a pricey upgrade, but it will certainly bring more natural light into the dark corners of your home.
No matter where you live or what kind of home you own, adding more natural light can make it look better and more inviting. The tips listed above can help you transform your dark, forbidding space into a lighter and airier home.
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About Me
My favourite colour is blue. I have just moved into a new house and it's so bland and beige at the moment. I need to get busy and start painting the walls and hang some wall paper to introduce some of my different colour into the house in different ways. If you also love blue you'll know how flexible and interesting the colour can be in all of it's differents shades and tones. This blog has my inspiration on introducing blue in your walls and all around your home. There is no need to be blue about the lack of blue in your home!