Dark spaces in your home can be the bane of your life. It’s difficult to make any poorly lit space inviting and welcoming, and you may have despaired of how to make your basement bedroom, your tiny bathroom or your dimly lit hallway look attractive and bright.
The good news, however, is that there are a few easy ways of brightening up any space, and even better, they don’t need to cost the Earth. Here are our top tips for affordable and DIY simple ways of brightening your home.
1. Make It Big
If you have a large room but it’s poorly lit, you can really go to town with a large lighting fixture. Choose a big pendant lamp or a large chandelier and this won’t just make the room lighter, it’ll also add dramatic impact to your drab room. The bigger the better. Of course, this won’t work in a small space, it’ll only make it look smaller!
2. Be Selective
When you’re lighting a dark bathroom, it’s important to take care over which light fittings you choose. The best way to make a dimly lit bathroom more appealing and bright is to install your light features either next to your mirror or actually within it. Always choose a design which features bare bulbs too as this will help to combat the dark.
3. Place Your Lights Strategically
Don’t only rely on a ceiling light in any dimly lit space. Instead, add additional lamps around the room strategically to light dark corners and make the room brighter in all the key locations. Think about where you really need the light. Don’t bother putting a lamp in a corner you won’t be sitting in. Instead, think about adding a lamp with a swing arm beside the couch for more impact.
If you wish, you can make DIY lamps at home very easily.
4. What About Arc Lamps?
If you’d rather avoid drilling some holes in the wall to install sconces, why not use arc lamps instead? These will bring light nearer to you where you need it most and make the space feel much brighter overall.
5. Choose Light Fixtures With No Shades
It’s easier to get extra light into your room when you don’t have a shade to block it. The brightness will be able to spread out rather than being concentrating down to a single spot. Moody lighting can be achieved with a fabric shade, but when brightness is your goal, a sconce or wire pendant will do the job more effectively.
6. Hang A Large Mirror
A mirror can give the illusion of a much lighter and brighter space. A mirror will reflect the light while creating more depth in the room. This tricks your eye into seeing a larger, more open space. Whenever possible, hang your mirror on the wall opposite a window as this will allow the daylight to bounce directly off. This will even work when the window is very small.
7. Use Paint Wisely
Always use a gloss finish paint for the ceiling instead of a matte paint. If your ceiling is already painted, remove it with a palm sander which is easy to use and then replace it with a glossy paint instead. This will enable the light to effectively bounce off the ceiling surface and it will make the room look lighter.
8. Choose Bright Accents
Don’t be tempted to go too minimalistic in your small room. It’s easy to make the space look brighter and more inviting by embracing loud accents. If you have wooden panels, paint them with a rich colored paint to add some extra bright impact. Alternatively, use a wallpaper with a bright and colorful pattern to add fun to the space while making it look lighter.
9. Choose A Mix Of Light Sources
Never limit yourself only to one pendant light in your dark space. If you have more light fixtures, your space will feel cosier and brighter. Add scones, table lamps, floor lamps and even candles for a real array of light sources to suit every mood.
Follow these top tips and you’ll find that even the darkest and least inviting space in your home will open up and look a lot more welcoming and attractive without having to spend a fortune.
We hope you enjoyed this DIY simple ways of brightening your home
