Light can bring depth, ambience and comfort to any room. Brighter rooms can lend to a plethora of innovative design ideas and tend to liven the mood among house members. However, many homeowners worry that they’ll need to add windows, light fixtures or other intrusive methods of light to their dark rooms to get an ounce of extra light.
Don’t fret. There are ways to brighten a dark room without cutting spaces for windows, installing large and cumbersome fixtures or repainting your walls.
Here are three dark room ideas that will brighten your living space with minimal effort:
Reflecting light
Mirrors are an excellent way to move light around a room. Placing them near windows with ample natural exposure will reflect light around a room by using surfaces such as walls, tables, ceilings, flooring and the mirror itself to evenly distribute that light in a dark room.
You don’t necessarily need a standing mirror or large accent mirrors, either. In fact, a small accent mirror or cluster of mirrors adorning a wall will reflect light just as well as, if not better than, a larger mirror. They’ll also act as an exceptional accent piece for your home’s decor.
Layering light
Another exceptional way to lighten a dark and dreary room is with lighting layers. Utilize overhead lighting, floor or table lamps and task lights to make your dark room feel more inviting and efficient. If your overhead lighting is a bit harsh, try switching out the bulbs for something with a softer, warmer glow.
Use brighter daylight bulbs as task lighting to help accent the room’s features and give you a place to enjoy hobbies, read or just have an extra twinkle in your living area.
Ambient lighting can be achieved by placing lamps strategically throughout the room with lower-brightness bulbs.
Accenting with furniture
Another way to make a room feel brighter is by utilizing your sofa, chairs, tables and other light furniture. The light furniture catches the light, much like light wood flooring or white walls, and gently ties it into the rest of the living space within the room’s walls, making a dark room brighter.
Be sure to use neutrals, light shades and avoid deep pops of color, since these can bring the brightness of the room down.
About the Author
Rudden|Bobruska Team
Gary Rudden, Lisa Rudden, and Nick Bobruska
RUDDEN BOBRUSKA TEAM
What sets your team apart from other real estate teams?
There is no team out in the market that offers what we do. All of us are Realtors, but
we each have specialized roles, which make our team so unique!
After decades of living and selling real estate in the DMV, we have established
ourselves as one of the top real estate teams with our market expertise and
cutting-edge technology. Our savvy high-tech marketing is on every website
and social media source. We have a huge network with other top agents, which
helps to premarket homes and discover homes for buyers before they reach the
open market. Our services include professional in-house staging services, broker
expertise in negotiating and navigating contracts, and buyer representation in all
price ranges. Each client has different needs and we create a marketing plan based
on those needs.
Our most distinct feature is our in-house construction and renovation team. We
are literally a full-service, one-stop shop when selling or buying a home!
How does the in-house construction and renovation team work?
All work is managed and completed through our licensed and bonded construction
crew. No need to call outside contractors. We are like “HGTV,” but we just don’t
have a show! Whether it’s a small makeover or a major renovation, we do it all. Our
sellers love this aspect of our team because we make preparing your home for the
market so seamless. Our buyers love the advice and insight we can give for future
renovations and repairs.
Having a licensed Maryland Home Improvement contractor as part of our team
along with the knowledge, experience, commitment and services that we offer, truly
puts our team as a vanguard in the real estate industry.