Dark homes are the pits, everyone I know says that light is a must have in their home, but what do you do when you aren't blessed with good light? I personally live in a dark home with very few windows, and when I say very few windows, I mean I have like 2 in the main living area. One of these is a huge sliding door, and the other is a very small kitchen window. You would think "oh a huge sliding door would let in a ton of light right?" The answer is no, and that's because I have a six foot fence six feet behind that sliding door which blocks the majority of any light that I might get.
So, how do you add more light? I have learned this tips along the way and they will work promise! My number one trick is mirrors, this is the first thing that I use. Mirrors reflect light no matter how dim that light might be and bounces that light around the room. I have 7 mirrors in the main living space and believe me it makes a HUGE difference ! They really do help brighten up those dark corners.
The other obvious thing is adding additional light sources like table and floor lamps. If I had my way I would have sky lights, there is nothing better than having natural light (these are super expensive to have put in, so that's not an option for me).Having pot lights installed are another option if its in your budget.
Another trick is painting your walls a color on the cool side, it really helps brighten a room as well. I also like to add brightly colored accents through out the room as well, like white painted figures, light colored picture frames thing of that nature.
One of the best improvements to add natural light that I made was that I took out my all wood, no window, kitchen door, and replaced it with a glass paned door, and what a difference that made! So in essence I added an additional window (light source) without cutting a hole in the wall, by just installing this glass door.
I added a shade for privacy when I need it ( so that I can hide behind that shade if there is someone I don't want to let in)hehe .. Speaking of this shade, its not the prettiest thing to look at but I have an idea to make a new one from this shower curtain I picked up at Ross.I will keep you posted on that.
I hope these tricks will help anyone who needs to brighten up your space with more "light". Is anyone else doomed with minimum windows? What are your tricks?
Great tips! Our home is pretty light naturally, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't KILL for some amazing skylights like that inspiration photo!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kelly, I would too, love, love skylights!
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