Homeowners have that one room in their house that’s just dull. It’s dark and somewhat depressing, and it feels like they can’t do anything about it. If you have that kind of room at home, don’t give up on it. There are actually a number of simple things you can do to brighten it up.

You probably have already heard that the amount of natural light that goes inside your rooms can affect your mood. The vitamin D of those sunlight-filled rays makes you feel positive. Bright rooms naturally make you more alive and vibrant. More importantly, it makes you feel happier.

Here are 19 ways to make any room in your home brighter:

1. Embrace Maximalism

Going for a palette of daring hues and a bold accent wall can energize your room and make it look brighter. So, if an all-neutral style for your room isn’t something you want, there’s no need to worry.

2. Swap In A Glass Door

An internal glass door actually makes a room feel more open. An exterior glass door, on the other hand, increases the natural light in your room. Wherever you want it placed, you can’t go wrong with a sliding glass door in making a room in your house brighter. Common sizes of sliding glass doors are 6 feet 10 inches, 6 feet 8 inches, and 8 feet for the height of both two- and three-panel designs. Five, 6, and 8 feet are the standard widths for two-panel glass doors, while the three-panel ones have 9 and 12 feet. Swap your solid door out for a sliding glass one if you can actually make more permanent changes to the room.

3. Decorate Using A Mirror Effect

When making a room brighter, one important decorating strategy you should employ is the use of objects, like clear acrylic furniture, brass candlesticks, silver photo frames, gold doorknobs, brass lighting, chandeliers, and mirrors. These things help in bouncing light around your room.

Keep in mind that more light will actually reflect back into your space with the more shiny objects or surfaces you can add to it.

Large wall mirrors can be very useful. The good thing about them is that there are plenty of styles to choose from. You can opt for venetian, sunburst, beveled, or antique mirrors. Wall sconces with mirrors are also a good idea since they can magnify light, day or night.

Use a large entry mirror that can reflect and magnify every available piece of light. The thicker the glass, the better.

4. Brighten Your Room With Window Treatments

This might actually be an obvious answer to the question, “How to get more light in a dark room?”  Yes, the number one thing you can do to effectively brighten your room is to let more natural light in. That being said, it’s a good idea to decorate with light curtains. Light pours through them perfectly, creating a soft glow.

You can choose to go with a beige or light grey color. Curtains that are neutral and light will let plenty of natural light through.

White cotton curtains are perfect for general living spaces. But, really, you can’t go wrong with any white curtains as they give a similar effect.

5. Deep Clean Your Windows

A room with stained windows not only feels dirty, but also has limited visibility, as if you’re wearing glasses with smudges sticking on them. Deep cleaning the windows in a room to make it brighter is such an obvious but often ignored tip. Wipe your windows down inside and out using a proper glass cleaning agent. You’ll surely be surprised by how much natural lighting your room can invite. You’ll also immediately enjoy the wonderful feeling of freshness that comes with it, which is a bonus.

6. Use Plantation Shutters

What’s great about shutters is that they come in bright white colors. When transforming a dark room, they really go a long way in making the space feel lighter and brighter. 

Plantation shutters are a great way to brighten any room in your home because you can easily open them all the way if you want to let the light in. It’s also easy to close them when you want the room to turn dark again, so you could take a nap or watch a movie. 

7. Use Candles, Fairy Lights, And Other Ambient Light Sources

Try adding ambient lights, like orb lights, some large candles, or long fairy light strings to the room. They’ll make the space just a touch brighter without overdoing its luminosity. So long as the ambient lights have that warm, yellow light, they’ll be perfect for any room in your home. Aside from the ergonomic lighting that they offer, another benefit of using ambient lights is the tremendous therapeutic feel and charm they bring. They can effortlessly make even rugged decor feel chic by creating an intimate, hygge-like atmosphere. 

8. Use Brighter Light Bulbs

Swap the light bulbs in your room for some with higher lumens. The unit of measure that actually counts is lumens, not watts, when it comes to making a room brighter. LEDs and compact fluorescent lamps give a higher light output, all while consuming less amount of energy. That being said, they’re not only a good option for brightening up a room; they’re also more energy-efficient.

9. Paint

Lighter neutrals, such as light taupe, dove grey, or warm white, will make your room appear airier and more open. However, don’t just simply paint the walls. Consider painting your ceilings as well if they’re low. To elongate the room, use the same shade for your ceilings as the walls.

It’s best to avoid cool colors in dark rooms. Remember that the amount of light your room receives can affect how the shade of color looks on the walls. Use warm, pale shades to balance any weak, natural light. Use a tester to try out your chosen hue. Do it in your room under different light conditions if you really want to be sure about the appearance of the paint color.

Painting in satin or flat, matte finishes will soak up the light. Lacquer, high gloss, and semi-gloss finishes, on the other hand, tend to reflect light, making a darker room in your home look brighter and lighter. That’s why it’s always best that you use a paint with sheen. For example, if you’ll choose a neutral grey, make sure you’ll stay away from black or brown undertones.

Always paint your ceiling a lighter color than your walls. If you can paint it bright white, the better. It opens up the room by giving you the feeling of height and space. It will reflect light that’s directed to your ceiling from fixtures or lamps.

10. Remove Internal Walls

Borrowed light from different sides of your home should have the freedom to easily move across to darker spots. That way, you can maximize the natural light to create a brighter space. What you can do to achieve that is to utilize a planning scheme in your home that’s more open, creating more light and a sense of openness. Remove internal walls or anything that may block the natural light.

11. Minimize Furniture

Swap your clunky and overstuffed pieces of furniture for those having sleek, smooth lines and light legs. Cumbersome or heavy furniture overwhelms a room as it makes the space feel dark. Keep any room in your home feeling light by opting for lighter, sold colors instead of dark, bold prints.

12. Consider Light Wood Flooring

Light stains in your wood flooring are better at masking scratches, which make them perfect for high-traffic spaces. More importantly, choosing light wood flooring helps to brighten your room when it’s in need of additional light.

13. Add A Light-Colored Rug

One of the best ways to make your room brighter, especially if it has a dark-colored floor, is by adding a rug. Once the rug is in place, you’ll immediately feel like your room is a lot brighter. Of course, you’ve got to make sure that the rug is light-colored.

You might want to place several small rugs around the room. Put them under pieces of furniture or by the doorway. Keep in mind that one large area rug may work best in other situations, but it might not be the perfect choice for a room with a dark-colored floor.

14. Brighten Your Space With A Decor

Decorating can be very fun, especially when you’re going to do it with a purpose, like making a room brighter. 

Opt for neutral decor. Try looking for classic pieces you know will really stand the test of time. It helps in making the most out of your decor budget. The last thing you’d want is to replace them each season.

Timeless pieces that are good ways to brighten a dark room include white porcelain and clear glass. Think outside the box. Combine them with different textures. Such a strategy actually adds visual interest. Decorating isn’t only a way of making any room in your home brighter. It’s also a way of expressing your style. Have some fun with it.

15. Don’t Overdo The Design Of Your Room With Wall Art

When it comes to accessories, like art pieces, many homeowners commit the mistake of trying to do too much. The walls of a dark room in your home should be as bare as possible. It holds even if you actually live in a mansion. That way, all the light gets reflected.

Pick a maximum of three pieces for a dimly lit room. You can opt for either a lightly-toned wall art, light tapestry/wall hanging, or a wall mirror, as long as it sets the mood in your space. Even a single large dark collection of photographs or wall art can impede your efforts to brighten the space.

16. Place Bookshelves Perpendicular To Your Window Walls

Carefully consider the daylight flow from your windows and how you want them to go across the room. Don’t obstruct the light. Partitions or bookshelves should never be positioned parallel to the window wall.

17. Add Greenery

It’s widely believed that merely having a couple of plants around your space enhances mood. Indeed, plants inside a room are important for so many reasons. They don’t only add texture and improve air quality by bringing nature indoors; they also add color and life to any dark room. Not to mention the fact that they’re easy to maintain.

Include the following kinds of plants:

• You can try a spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum), English Ivy (Hedera helix), and Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema modestum) as all of them are super handy and attractive.

• Pothos (Epipiremnum aureum) is another species of plant you can add to your space. It’s an almost indestructible vine. It’s available in a number of solid and mottled color variations. Pothos can meander around and through a trellis or trail along a window.

• If you want something that can add height to your low ceiling, screen an area in the room you wish to conceal, and grow under most light conditions, opt for a tall column of Sansevieria trifasciata, also known as a snake plant.

A little green in your room can go a long way in creating a brighter and cheerful space.

18. Remove Outdoor Bushes Or Trees

You may want to consider pruning large bushes or trees or removing them altogether if you have some hanging over your windows.

Bear in mind, however, that it’s essential to check with the local authority where you live to make sure that you aren’t breaking the law. You’ll be up for a huge problem if a tree is protected with a Tree Preservation Order. That being said, you may have to really request planning permission before you can remove them, even if they’re actually on your property.

If the trees that are blocking light or overhanging on your property are your neighbor’s, the best thing to do is to talk to them first. Always go through any appropriate channels before removing any branches.

19. Add A Skylight

There are now many options available on the market, from simple skylights to TDDs or tubular daylighting devices. They can brighten a dark room up or bring shafts of light into your dark hallway. If you’re asking if it’s possible to bring in light to internal rooms from above, then, yes, it’s definitely something you can work out. 

Conclusion

As you can see, it can be challenging to learn how to brighten any room in your home. However, it’s also a fun and creative process. The good thing is that you’re not only limited to painting every surface white or adding mirrors. There’s a lot more you can do.

Of course, the biggest benefit that a well-lit room brings is that it gets used more. Hence, it’s high time to improve the lighting and visibility in that neglected area in your house to make it more functional and inviting.