Whether you have a rental with not enough light or you’ve just bought a home and need to fix the situation with light quickly or not that quickly, we are here to help! We’ve gathered the most effective and smart ways to fill even the darkest room with enough light.
Building Tips
If you are planning to build or rebuild your house, install large bi-fold windows or even floor to ceiling ones. The larger the windows are, the better, and the same goes to the ceilings. This way you will naturally fill your home with light.
A bow window is a lovely source of light, and you can style a windowsill as an additional seating unit.
Such a gorgeous and tall corner window is a perfect solution to fill the space with light, and you can organize the whole room around it.
If it's possible, create floor to ceiling windows or glazed walls, they guarantee enough light in the space. (via mindygayer).
A glazed wall with an entrance to the garden will give a lot of natural light to the room. (via matchness).
Renovation Tips
Choose The Right Wall Color
White reflects the most light out of any color, so feel free to stick with the classics if pure white isn’t too stark for your space. Alternatively, lean toward off-white, pale brown, or light gray colors. If you want a warm shade, go for yellow, it will brighten up the space.
Cold white is perfect for spaces that lack light, such a color will reflect natural light perfectly.
If you don't want white walls, you can go for light greys or some other neutrals. (via cocolapinedesign).
If you love warmer tones, go for yellow that will feel like constant sunshine in the space. (via mydomaine).
Get Lacquer Finishes
The lacquer reflects light and the mirror quality gives the perception of more space. It can be applied to walls, ceilings and floors, which will provide your space with more light.
The coffered ceiling matches the mint walls but it's lacquer to look super bright and reflects natural light.
Glossy grey walls are an alternative to white, they will reflect the light and make your room brighter.
White glossy cabinets will reflect natural light incoming and will fill your kitchen with it.
Install Glass Interior Doors
One of the easiest tricks to get more light from the other parts of the house (or letting light there) is to go for interior doors that let light in. You can put a shade, curtain or film over the glass for more privacy.
Glass French doors are perfect to let light in, and they look quite lightweight.
French pocket doors are a great solution: they let light in and they don't waste space, and a clerestory window on top gives even more light. (via homedit).
Glass bi-fold doors won't prevent light to enter the space and will save the space.
Glass doors with black framing are perfect to let light in and out and if you need more privacy, add curtains.
Glass sliding doors are great to separate any spaces and they can be installed by you yourself.
French interior doors are perfect to let light in and out, this is a great solution to achieve a lighter look in the space.
French sliding doors are a nice way to separate the spaces without losing light, and barn design saves space.
Think All The Dimensions
When illuminating a dark space, you should create different levels of light filling the room with it in all the possible dimensions, up and down, with table lamps and sconces, floor lamps and chandeliers. When you are choosing the main light source, opt for a lamp or chandelier of glass to help light bounce across the space. Glass light fixtures will be better for a dark space on the whole because they are clear and softly diffuse the light and creates a very gentle, romantic glow. North-facing rooms aren’t going to reflect light, so think about using lighting with diffusion to disperse the light.
A chandelier, floor and wall lamps not only bring enough light to the space but also add decorative value.
Rock several layers of light: a stylish chandelier, a sconce and a floor lamp plus some table ones.
Such a clear glass chandelier will disperse the light very well and will add style to the space.
This gorgeous statement chandelier is made of crystals that will reflect the light, and a large mirror will help with that, too.
Clear glass pendant lamps over the table fill the space with light very well, and the trendy shape adds interest.
Illuminate The Corners
If you have really dark corners that remain gloomy even on brighter days, you can always add a source of light there. A stylish lamp, a LED strip, a wall sconce or something else will help you create an illusion of natural light there and will remind you that the room is bigger than it seemed.
Illuminate every corner with stylish lamps and lights that will help you make the space more welcoming.
A sconce is a nice solution for a gloomy corner, choose one that will add style to the space. (via apartmenttherapy).
A pendant light in the corner is a cool solution if you don't have any floor space at all.
Quick Fix Tips
Check The Bulbs
The first step, especially in a rental, is to check the bulbs, they should be bright enough. Choosing more light fixtures or brighter bulbs, always prefer more light fixtures.
Buy LED Strips
If you have any joinery or open shelving in the room, you can easily bring more light to the space just adding LED strips. The decorative items will be also highlighted. The same goes to furniture like cupboards or bookcases: just add LED strips on top, and the ceiling will seem taller.
Attach LED strips to the open shelves to illuminate each corner and create layering.
Integrated LED strips into the headboard, add pendant lamps and wall lights, and voila, the room is illuminated.
Illuminate the shelves with LED strips and they will brighten up the corner and refresh the space. (via houseandgarden).
Get Some Mirrors
This is a trick we all know: getting some mirrors will definitely enlarge the space and fill It with light, too. Placing mirrors around lamps will help to increase the depth of a room, whilst doubling the amount of light available by reflecting light from the lamp back into the space. The same goes to windows: position the mirror so that it reflected the natural light and you’ll see how you room is filling with it.
A large floor mirror placed in a gloomy nook will fill it with light, and if you change your mind, you can move it.
A double-height mirror is a perfect way to fill the space with light, expand it and highlight the tall ceiling.
An oversized mirror in a gold frame reflects the light and brings a sophisticated feel to the room.
In a gloomy corner you can make a mirror wall, which will reflect all the light and it will look bigger.
If you have an awkward nook by the window, place a mirror there to illuminate this corner.
This large floor mirror in a gilded frame is a lovely idea for filling a room with natural light. (via strawberrychicblog).
Change Lampshades
The choice of lampshades can really make a room darker. Silk taffeta and gathered muslin are great fabrics which let the light come through well. Metallic shade linings and cream card lining is going to allow for softer light coming out of the light source.
Check the lampshades, choose light and sheer enough fabric to make sure that you get maximum light.
A corner window is a lovely idea to fill the space with light, and you can dress it up with sheer curtains and add blackout ones but open them.
Choose Sheer Curtains
If you are going to buy some drapes, prefer sheer or semi-sheer ones to let light in. No curtains paired with filming is also ok, and for bedrooms you may want blackout drapes that will stay open during the day.
Frost film in the bathroom keeps privacy but lets light in, and it makes the space feel more inviting and cool.
Skip curtains and stick to film to cover the windows and get enough privacy.
Semi-sheer curtains are great to dress up windows without blocking natural light.
Cover the windows with sheer curtains to let light in and to make your space more welcoming.