Six Tips to Lighten Up a Dark Room

A couple years back—as I was exploring the natural lighting in my own living spaces—I decided to address the black hole that was my dining room. This space receives so little direct natural light that growing live houseplants is impossible, and it occurred to me that spending any amount of time in this room made me feel depressed. A makeover was long overdue, and lighting was going to be a pivotal element in bringing the space back to life. But that—as I found out—was only part of the equation.

The most popular option right now is the use of neutral light browns, cool grays, warm grays, or white throughout interior spaces. This approach makes it easy to coordinate furniture and accessories to create a light and airy interior.

Of course if you like sleek modern furniture, I say go for it!

Sometimes less is more when it comes to creating a lighter feel to a room. There is a style sensibility called minimalism that stresses clean uncluttered spaces, and those types of interiors certainly do feel airy and light. It’s not necessary, however, to go to that extreme if it’s not your thing. It’s worth noting, though, that having a lot of knick-knacks and furniture in a space will make the room feel heavier and claustrophobic. If the room is full of stuff there is less space for light to travel, so if your goal is to lighten up the room, it may be worth your while to get brutally strategic about how much decor and furnishings are on display.

One of the most effective reflective surfaces to use are mirrors. Not only do mirrors reflect the light, but they create an optical illusion by visually doubling the space, making the room feel larger than it is in reality.

The best—and cheapest—way to lighten up a room in the daytime is to maximize the natural light entering the space through the windows. 

If you happen to live in a more modern home, you might want to look into something called a light shelf. A light shelf is literally a small shelf that is installed within a foot of the top of your window that bounces that upper level light deeper into the room. So instead of the natural light just illuminating the first few feet of the room, you could increase the reach several more feet into the space, decreasing the reliance on electricity. Most of us in more traditional homes probably can’t do that, but it’s worth a mention!

Details mean everything, so it’s worth taking a look at some of the smaller details that can go a long way towards maximizing the use of your indoor lighting. Anything that requires a lamp shade (such as table lamps, wall sconces, chandeliers) could benefit from switching to light colored covers to allow light to pass through better. If you have decorative lighting with crystals, those should be kept clean to maximize the reflective properties. Use uplighting on stairs or other architectural features to highlight special artwork, or to increase the general lighting in the space. And finally, add in a strands of LED fairy lights, white Christmas lights, LED candles, or real candles to create a romantic “hygge” mood.

Related blogs you may want to read:
Eight tips for assessing natural light in your home
Five ways to create light layers in a room
Does bringing nature into the home actually improve your mood?
How to reupholster a dining room chair in 9 simple steps
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A spring decor makeover for my small rental bathroom
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How to care for faux florals
Eight health benefits of decorating with plants
11 interior decorating tips that help reduce anxiety and depression
Nine hygge decor ideas
Winter color palette ideas for your home decor
Eight ways to create cozy winter interiors after the holiday decor comes down
A little project with jute twine and an old foot stool
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