There is nothing more depressing than a dark and claustrophobic room. Our homes are supposed to be our sanctuary, where we go to rest and recuperate. However, if we feel suffocated by the stuffy space, it can actually have the reverse effect on us. As such, when designing the interior of your home, you need to prioritise light and size above all else. But how exactly does one go about achieving this? What if you have an objectively small home? Not to worry. We’re going to be sharing some helpful tips for making your rooms look bigger and brighter in our article today. Find out what they are by reading on.
South-Facing Rooms
First and foremost, you need to establish which rooms in your house get the most natural sunlight. If you have south-facing windows, then these will likely be filled with sunlight all day long. North-facing windows, on the other hand, won’t get any at all. Once you have established which rooms are in the most need of brightening up, you can get to work. Avoid having rooms which don’t necessarily need as much sunlight on the south-facing side of the house. The laundry room, for instance, isn’t one that people commonly habit. You would ideally have the living room here instead. If you are really struggling to bring natural light into your home, try installing a skylight. These are perfect because they will provide a permanent source of sunlight throughout the day. Skylights are also very aesthetically pleasing and good for ventilation.
Artificial Lighting
For rooms in the house that receive less natural lighting, you will need to rely more on other sources of illumination. Fortunately, there is a massive selection to choose from. You have fairy lights and luxury lampshades, standing lamps and chandeliers. Whatever the aesthetic, you can find the perfect source for lighting in your room. However, there is also the question of lighting arrangements. What is the optimal layout for making everything look brighter and bigger? Well, for starters, we recommend using accent lighting, which draws attention to certain features in the room or illuminates an otherwise shadowy corner. For instance, if you have an odd nook in the lounge, add a standing lamp to create a cosy little area for reading in. Ambient lighting is also a must. This includes overhead lamps or sconce fixtures. Try having light sources at different heights throughout the room to add further dimension. We also recommend task lighting i.e. desk lamps. These allow you to adjust the light levels in your home at any time, adding more depth.
Decluttering the House
Want to make your home look instantly bigger and brighter? Then you should go about decluttering the place. It goes without saying that your rooms will become smaller if more of their floorspace is occupied by clutter. What’s more, great piles of clutter will cast a giant shadow across the home – in both a literal and metaphorical sense. Therefore, we suggest exerting some self-discipline and going through your home, throwing away the things you don’t want or need anymore. There are plenty of charity shops which will happily accept old furniture and possessions, so long as they are in decent condition. Though it might be hard to let go of certain belongings, this is a necessity if you want your home to feel bigger, brighter and like a more nurturing environment again.
Painting the Walls
Never underestimate the power of colour. Not only can colour affect our emotions, but it can also impact how small and dark a room appears to be. Therefore, homeowners need to put careful consideration into what colours they paint their walls. This can sometimes make or break an entire room. Generally, we advise against painting your walls with dark shades – especially if you want your home to look bigger and brighter. This is because darker colours tend to absorb and mattify sunlight (hence why you shouldn’t go out in the summertime wearing all black!). We also don’t recommend using colours that are too bold, such as lime green or candy apple. It seems counterintuitive that bright shades would make a room look smaller, but they are garish and give light nowhere to go. As such, we suggest painting your home with shades that are natural, gentle, and neutral. These types of colours are much more reflective, helping to bounce light across the room, thereby making it appear bigger than it is. Some natural shades include magnolia, white and the pastels that you might see at sunrise; whilst neutral shades include light grey and duck egg blue.
Optimising the Layout
Sometimes, we can actually make our rooms look bigger by simply rearranging the furniture pieces. People tend to push all their furnishings to the corner of their rooms, which doesn’t always look the most aesthetically pleasing or use the space to its full potential. Thus, we suggest that homeowners revaluate the current layout of their homes. Don’t be afraid to experiment. You could create mini-sections within the lounge or remove the wall between the kitchen and dining room, so you can install a breakfast bar. By optimising the layout, you can make your home look much bigger and brighter than it did originally.
Make Use of Mirrors
In our previous paragraph, we spoke about the importance of using natural colours to help reflect light and make a room look bigger. Well, a mirror can also create this illusion, except even more effectively. That’s why they are such a popular choice in decor. For example, mirrored doors on bedroom wardrobes can subtly trick our minds into thinking the room has more depth than it actually does. The mirrors will also reflect sunlight, making the room brighter. So, if you want to sneakily trick guests into thinking your home is bigger than it is, make sure to place mirrors in different positions throughout your rooms.
We hope you found this article helpful. Keep this advice in mind when next renovating your home, so you can make each room look bigger, brighter, and better overall.