Bright Ideas To Improve Your Gloomy Home

Does your home feel gloomy? Brightening the place up could improve your mood, impress guests and boost the value of your home. An obvious way to bring more brightness to a building is to buy more lamps and install more bulbs, but this isn’t the only way to un-dim your property. Here are just a few simple ideas for letting in more light.

Remove window obstructions

Windowsill clutter, heavy curtains, nets and plants could be blocking out the sun. Find ways of removing or repositioning these so that more natural light is entering your windows. Opt for light sash curtains in the summer instead of thick winter curtains. Allow any netting to be pulled back like a curtain. If you have blinds, make sure that these are rolled up and not simply left with the slats open. Also look out for big objects like wardrobes places next to windows that could preventing as much sun from getting in.

Use mirror magic

Mirrors are a great way of creating the illusion of another window. Place these opposite a window to help reflect in light. Hanging mirrored ornaments and mirrored wardrobes can also let in more light. You can even use mirrors to brighten up gloomy parts of your garden.

Get glossy

Glossy paints will help to reflect the light. These can be bought in all kinds of colours and used on walls or furniture. High-gloss white can be one of the brightest options, as well as being a safe neutral colour for going with any surroundings. Many types of furniture from a white TV stand to white kitchen cabinets can help to brighten a property up. You could even paint the front of your house a glossy white to up your kerb appeal.

Reflect on your kitchen surfaces

Kitchens can often only have a small window and many people will invest in lots of spot lighting and vibrant overhead lighting to make this room brighter. However, there are many ways of letting in more natural light such as changing an old countertop for something brighter and laminated. This could be laminated light wood or a white stone. You could even opt for chrome steel surfaces – these will act just like mirrors. Taps and sinks in particular look great in chrome steel.

Strip the carpets

Wooden flooring or ceramic tiles will reflect much more light than a carpet. New white carpets can help to brighten a room, but you may as well go for white ceramic tiles as these will be easier to clean. Be aware that old wooden flooring and tiles may have lost its sheen over the years. A deep clean and a fresh coat of laminate might be enough to bring it back alive, although it may be just as cost-effective to simply replace this flooring. Click-fit flooring is a cheap DIY option that can look the part and provide just as much durability.

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