In order for your interiors to feel alive, brightness is almost always an essential component. The presence of bright rooms is desirable in every living space. A simple addition of light is necessary to make a room feel cozy, welcoming, and warm. 

In some situations, however, achieving the perfect lighting can prove to be a challenge. Interiors with few accessible windows, cramped spaces and dark walls often look dreary, lacking that vitality and sense of home.

Here, we will present 9 helpful tricks that will teach you how to brighten up a room, each method focusing on different aspects. We will dive deeper into proper ways to use natural light, the concept of reflection, and the proper style of furniture to inevitably grant you the room of your dreams!

Without further ado, let’s shed a little light on the subject!

9 Ways to Brighten Up a Dark Room

Knowing how to brighten up a room is an important factor in interior design. Taking the measures to make a living space brighter is sure to make a big difference. As it is, there are several different procedures one could take in order to achieve bright rooms, and here are a few examples:

1. Place mirrors at the right spot

The first trick about how to brighten up a room involves the humble mirror. These pieces bear great qualities within interior design and they are often used to expand visual space within the interior. Not only is it highly decorative, but it is also reflective, which means it can be used to spread light, brightening up large parts of the room! The trick makes use of the mirror’s strategic position, placing them right next to prominent light sources in order to maximize its usage and practicality. 

Great accent mirrors can be placed near windows in order to better use natural light. According to Jen & Mar, Co-founders of Interior Fox, “A carefully placed mirror that is opposite a window will echo the natural light and greenery into a smaller room, helping to bring the outdoors in.” A similar effect can be achieved when they are positioned next to light fixtures or ambient lights. Essentially, the brightness from the original source will travel around the room through the power of reflection.

2. Clean your windows consistently

Of course, windows are a key component to indoor lighting. They are the most common access points that allow us to use natural light within our interiors. Through time, glass windows get dirty from dust and debris, blocking out some light that can be used to brighten up the inside. Getting your windows cleaned consistently is already a good step to having bright rooms. This will free up any limited visibility and maximize the amount of natural light. Always have the proper cleaning agent around to give the windows a deep cleanse every now and then. 

3. Take advantage of bright paint

When learning how to brighten up a room, an easy way to get rid of dark components is to change their colors entirely; with bright paint! Light colors could easily shift the way you perceive a room, especially when it is applied to the walls. Light colors like beige, powder blue, and cream are great choices for a light soft finish. For maximum brightness, white walls can be utilized within a room accompanied by the proper decor. 

Paint can also be used within other elements as well. Certain furniture can be refinished in order to boast lighter hues. When placed around the living space through the use of repetition, it can be an effective way of adding lighting to the overall visuals.  

4. Use ambient light sources

It goes to show that the usage of light sources is important when learning how to brighten up a room. The types of lighting to use are just as essential, especially if your goal is to bring out the best in its ambiance. For aesthetic choices of lighting, one can opt for getting fairy lights, candles, or orb lights. Not only do they help make the space brighter, but they also serve as elegant ornaments.

5. Pick lighter curtains instead of heavy ones

The presence of windows comes with the choice to opt for their respective curtains, although it is not always obvious what type is most appropriate to obtain. In order to use natural light in the most optimal way, it is wisest to pick curtains that are lighter as opposed to the heavier ones. Although heavy curtains serve their function as well as blinds, it also limits our access to natural lighting and overall brings down the room’s brightness. Interiors with light curtains can let the right amount of sunshine in, making for bright rooms.

6. Get rid of excess foliage

If you happen to live near a forest area, or just happen to own a lot of vegetation, the presence of plants is often a key part of your abode. This is why it is essential for their growth to be maintained. An excess amount of foliage can block out the view and limit the entrance of sunlight. It is important for these plants to be constantly regulated for us to properly use natural light.

7. Find ways to brighten your floors

When it comes to bright rooms, one prominent identifier for liveliness is the state of the flooring. The way you choose the layout of your floor can immediately set the tone of the entire living space, which is why the proper choice is often detrimental. Opting for a specific type of flooring can also affect the brightness of the room and you can achieve this in different ways. 

Paint

Much like any other element within the living space, the floors can be painted with luminous hues, accentuating the brightness throughout the room. Dan Mazzarini of BHDM Design says that “White painted floors reflect light around the space.” This principle can be applied together with the juxtaposition of darker furniture, making everything pop.

Carpets

Most wall rugs and carpets are warm, comfortable, elegant, and colorful. All of these qualities come together to add more visual interest to your floors. You can use a nice bright carpet to spice things up! McBournie says that “carpets have the ability to both draw you in and create a distraction.”

8. Don’t clutter your walls

One big common mistake that occurs in interior design is doing too much. This is especially apparent with the usage of wall ornaments. Since the look of the walls heavily contributes to how bright the room is perceived, putting an excessive amount of paintings or pictures could potentially obstruct the liveliness of the space. It is important to keep in mind the right quantity of wall decor to maintain the perfect balance.

9. Pick the right furniture

To acquire the best bright rooms, it is greatly beneficial to pick the right furniture for the job. We have mentioned before that using brightly-finished furnishings can contribute to these goals, but there is a further emphasis to be made when opting for the right style and form.

Bright and transparent

It is incredibly easy for a new house owner to impulsively buy their favorite type of furniture before visualizing how it may appear when the interior is fully furnished. One should always consider how the furniture’s color and style affect the room’s sense of lighting. Bright white furniture is a good choice for illuminating, but another option would be glass or transparent material. The contemporary style boasts clear coffee tables that barely casts shadows. Another method would be to opt for dressing your tabletops with appropriate table linens, aiding in the addition of light.

Low to the ground

Most types of traditional furniture like to be put on legs. Couches, beds, tables, and chairs all come with some form of stilt-like support in a conventional sense. While they aid in their elaborate design and function, they are often responsible for casting most of the shadows within an interior. There are modern takes on the designs for couches, chairs, and beds that are low-level, often having no legs at all. They not only cast fewer shadows, but they also appear to embody the quality that’s perfect for lounging. 

On a Final Note

These tricks are all focused on bringing out the best in your interior lighting, and going over specific details and procedures that can all contribute to the final desired product. We hope this article was able to give enough insight into how to brighten up a room. Best of luck with your goals in interior design!