It’s summertime, the sun is shining, and there’s light enough for everyone, providing the clouds part long enough to let it through. Though some of us might be facing stormy weather uncharacteristic for this time of year, there’s more natural light with every day that some of us aren’t taking advantage of.
If your home still feels a little drab, a little dreary, here are a few ways to increase the natural light that gets into your home without having to make any huge investments.
6 Ways To Make Your Rooms Look Brighter & Roomier
Cut the clutter
The number one rule to getting more natural light into the home is to understand how light travels. It travels in straight lines, filling a space so long as it isn’t cut off. As such, any objects in the way will block light, create shadows, and drastically change the light temperature of the room.
To that end, it’s a good idea to declutter as best as possible, moving items off the central table, for instance, to allow the light to go beyond them and reach the other side of the room.
Position your furniture better
Of course, when we’re talking about the obstacles of a room, especially the living room, then we have to consider the furniture as well. You might not want to get rid of it, so it might be better to reposition it as well, giving the light as much of a straight line between your chairs, tables, and other furniture as best as possible. Not only will this improve how light travels through the room, but it can also help the room manage the foot traffic that comes through a lot more easily on top of that.
Bounce it around
While light travels in straight lines or rays, that’s not to say you can’t redirect it. Everything has different levels of reflectiveness, bouncing light and changing its direction. Nothing works quite as well at this as a good mirror does, however. Even placing a single mirror on the wall opposite the major window of the room can drastically improve how light is distributed throughout the entire space. If you have any mirrors in the room, consider arranging them to spots where they are most likely to pick up and reflect as much light as possible.
Let it in
Of course, how the light gets into the room matters just as much as what you do with it when you let it in. If you have the budget for lighter window treatments, that can help a lot. However, if it’s been a while since you cleared the dust and dirt from the window, don’t be surprised as to how much it can affect its ability to let in natural light. Work with a reputable window washing company and make sure yours is clear and clean. Even a basic wash can have a great impact on how well the window lets in light.
Make good use of colour
As mentioned, everything, every surface, and texture, has a certain reflectiveness to it. Not only can the material affect the reflectiveness, but so too can the colour. Dark colours absorb light and thus won’t help it travel around the room effectively. However, bright and light colours do the exact opposite, taking in the light and bouncing some of it back out. As such, doing something as simple as brightening the palette of the room can have a tremendous effect. You don’t necessarily have to paint the room to achieve this, either. If you have white or pastel walls, then simply brightening your accents can work well, too.
Focus on that window
If you have trouble getting more light into a room from the window, then instead it might be better to focus the attention of the room on the window where the light is coming from. Play up the impact of a window by turning it into a focal point. You can do this by, for instance, accenting the windowsill or by creating a gallery wall around it. It might not make a major change to the light saturation of the room, but it takes the focus off the darker points of the space.
Of course, there are other ways to improve the natural lighting of the home aside from the ideas mentioned above, as well. For instance, if you have the budget for it, replacing your curtains for blinds can both increase the max light you get in during the day hours while allowing you to shut it out completely when needed. However, when it comes to cost-effective ways to maximize the light in your home, follow the above tips.