5 Easy Ways to Brighten a Dark Room

1. White and bright

While this may seem like the most obvious solution, it’s obvious for a scientific reason. The lighter your walls are, the more light they’ll reflect. Choose a white paint that is most suited to the location of your room – warmer whites for north-facing rooms and cooler whites if your room faces south – then grab the roller! For best results, coat all surfaces and finishes, from the ceilings and walls, to the doors and skirting boards with similar neutral, light reflecting colors. Whitewashing the walls can also prove cost effective in the future – it’s the ideal way to keep the backdrop neutral whilst you switch up furniture and accessories, so there’ll be no costly re-painting jobs when you fancy a change in decor.

2. Mirror, mirror

Another quick fix solution for brightening up your room is to add plenty of mirrors. Mirrors double the amount of sunlight by letting it bounce off reflective surfaces. The best place to position mirrors is opposite windows, making it seem like you’ve added another window to the space. The addition of mirrors doesn’t just increase the amount of light that enters the room, it also gives a designer finish. There’s an abundance of styles to choose from, such as Venetian, antique, sunburst and industrial-style mirrors. In place of a gallery wall of pictures, why not incorporate a display of hanging mirrors to create a focal feature? They look awesome.

3. Opt for light reflecting surfaces

Remember it’s not just mirrors that can reflect light – mirrored coffee tables, lacquered furniture and metallic accessories can lighten a dark room. Adding these items to a dark space can instantly bounce around the light and brighten up the general ambience. Bring in objects like silver photo frames, brass candlesticks and glass chandeliers to give the subtle effect of increased light.

4. See through touches

Filling the room with dark oppressive furniture is a sure-fire way of sucking all the light from your space. With that in mind, how about considering a scattering of see-through chairs, coffee tables and side tables – there are some stylish acrylic pieces on the market that add the wow factor, along with plenty of glass table tops and cabinets. What’s more, keep in mind furniture that’s solid to the floor can make your space feel small and darker, so choose pieces that are raised to give the illusion of more light and floor space.

5. Use color to lighten a dark room

Nothing makes a room look and feel more cheerful than colorful accents and accessories. A dark room will immediately be lifted bright rugs, a rainbow of scatter cushions and fun statement accessories. Not only will these additions energize a room, they’ll also reflect your personal style and add a ton of personality to boot.