There it is, your perfect home in the ideal location with all the space you need. There’s a master bedroom with an en-suite bathroom and a decent size closet. The main floor has the open floor plan you’ve desired since you was a kid. One problem though, after your new buyer’s excitement has passed, you’ve realized there are some issues with light. Yes, there’s one window in the corner, but it seems to only get minimal light due to your neighbor’s house blocking the light on that side. Or your kitchen is facing West, causing you to stumble through your kitchen with its poor lighting in the morning. Whatever the problem may be, you’ve realized that you’re in need of some more lighting, but aren’t sure where to begin. To help you start, we’ve found some of the best do’s and don’ts of brightening a room.
DO: use bright/shiny colors in art or accent pieces to help create a bright/open feeling. Be sure to use small wall lights to shine on the art!
DON’T: add so many lights that it’s blinding. You don´t want the room to become white-washed to the point where you can´t see your shadow.
DO: make your light switches dimmers. This if a great method for brightening a room, as it will allow you to pick the right amount of light you want for each occasion.
DON’T: use flood lights. Similar to having to many lamps, this is too much lighting that will hurt the eyes.
DO: use a variety of light fixtures. For this, you’d preferably want floor or table lamps in the areas with most usage (ie. near couches, tables).
DON’T: paint the room a dark color. This goes for furniture, too (ie. kitchen cabinets, tables, appliances). Light reflects on light surfaces, and darker colors lends to making a room appear smaller and dull.
DO: hang mirrors. You don’t want an abundance of mirrors when brightening a room, but a few in some strategic locations can help reflect light around the room.
DON’T: solely use one type of lamp. You want to have sources at different heights to create the best lighting.
DO: make sure your room isn´t cluttered with items. Having too much furniture or a museum´s worth of collectables/knickknacks around will only create the illusion of less space and leave few large areas for light to reflect off of.
Photo source: Coastal Living
