How Can I Brighten up a Dark Room in My Home?

Owning a home is always a work in progress. It’s a constant challenge to find ways to highlight the best features in each room while keeping everything up to date. One of the more difficult tasks can be dealing with a dark room. It can give visitors the impression of being cramped and small no matter what the square footage of the room is. Here are some techniques that can be used to lighten things up a bit.

 

Maximize Natural Light

If the room has access to any natural light, either from a window or from an adjacent room, an easy way to amplify it would be to use a decorative mirror piece placed opposite your light source. This makes it possible for light to be reflected back into the room, instantly brightening up the space. Glass features can also provide the same benefit in the form of tiles in the bathroom or in a kitchen backsplash. Glass cabinet inserts can also provide the same effect while adding character to the room.

 

Use Light Cool Colors 

Changing the color on the walls seems like an obvious choice. What is not so obvious is that it is best to use cool colors when you do so. Why? Warm colors give any room a cozy feeling since they contract visually when viewed, which is the opposite of what you are trying to do. Cool colors recede when viewed, giving you the impression that the room is larger.  What cool colors are best? Think bright whites, cool light grays and blues.

 

Add Extra Light

Making sure a room is well-lit is another way to brighten things up.  Remembering to use cool instead of warm light bulbs, here are three types of lighting in particular to try:

 

• Ambient Lighting: This is lighting that would be installed overhead that projects downward when turned on and covers the whole room. Chandeliers or wall-mount fixtures make a bold statement, while recessed fixtures are a more subtle way to cover as much area as possible without needing to hang anything.

           

• Spot Lighting: This type of lighting helps bring attention to a focal point in the room while simultaneously brightening it.  Using individual spot lights or sets of multiple spot lights on a track can bring attention to a statement piece in the room such as a large painting or fireplace. Spot lights can also be used to reflect off of a mirror to add to the room’s glow as well.

           

• Task Lighting:  This is lighting that serves the specific purpose of showcasing a particular area in the room. If you are brightening up a kitchen, install lighting underneath the cabinets to make your food prep area brighter.  In an office area, a desk lamp will exhibit charm as well as add shine to the room. Table lamps are a great idea for a favorite reading area.

 

No matter what room of the house you are dealing with, there is a lighting solution for it. Find the right combination for your living space and you will be guaranteed to bring out its full potential.