The Artisan Contracting Blog

How to Make Your House Brighter

How to Make Your House Brighter

You’ve bought the house of your dreams surrounded by large mature trees. You consider this place your heavenly oasis with lots of shade on hot sunny days, right?  Unfortunately, after you move into your new castle, you discover that all of those big trees cast a dark shadow over the house. The interior is darker than you remember when you were wandering through it initially. Now what do you do to brighten up your beautiful new home?

Fear not, because there are many ways that you can transform that darker interior into something of a showplace you will treasure for many years to come.  Using both natural and ambient light is one of the fundamental ways to design a home’s interior. However, there are many other simple, or elaborate, solutions that can make a real difference for making your home brighter.

Using light intelligently is essential to crafting a home that’s the very best it can be. Setting out to transform your space and designing a lighting plan can seem daunting, but there are many solutions that can make a real difference.

Windows, Doors, Skylights

Adding windows will brighten any home, especially if you have a cross-section of different exposures. Kitchens and living rooms are the most obvious and popular locations, but staircases and landings are also a practical choice to bring in more light. Southern exposure will bring in morning light, while western locations will offer afternoon and sunset light.

If you find that your entryway is dark, installing a front door with an upper window glass pane or glass panels will certainly enhance the look and brightness within your home. The light coming in will give more depth to the interior and help flood light down the hall, most often to the kitchen.

Another option is to replace interior solid doors with glass or French doors that provide not only light, but a see-through effect to expand the feel of lightness and brightness within the home. French doors provide a way for rooms to share light and to avoid shutting rooms off. You could even install a solid wood with inserted pane glass panels or a solid door with five-pane sidelights for distributing light in the house.

Installing skylights will do wonders for any dark area.  Whether it’s in the kitchen, living room, hallways or even the bathroom, you get a floor and disbursement of light that surely brighten up any darkened area. Skylights bathe a room in natural light that is both functional and visually appealing.

Accessories

MIRRORS

Make the most of the natural light available such as using mirrors to bounce light around the house. Mirrors add depth and help to increase the amount of light in a space, ultimately making your house brighter. This simple addition can be very effect in long, dark halls or flights of stairs. Place the mirrors in relationship to windows or lamps for full effect.

CURTAINS & DRAPES

Consider hanging airy, lightweight and see-through curtains or drapes to bring more light into your home. You can even consider doing away with curtains entirely. Today, there are many selections of pull-down Mediterranean-style shades or Mediterranean-style shutters in pale wood or a neutral painted finish that can provide natural light without compromising privacy.

COLOUR

You can use colour to help make the appearance of any room look brighter. Consider using a combination of a pale hue with a darker shade for an effective look of brightness against a contract of shade. This will make the room look more expansive and brighter.

The type of paint that you choose also has a big effect in determining its outcome for a lighter appearance. A simpler matte finish reflects light more efficiently. It offers a warmer, more subtle impression and ensures that the eye is drawn to the features of the room instead of the walls. Finish off the makeover by adding colourful, clean-lined-looking accessories like patterned pillows and cushions.

Put it All Together to Make Your House Brighter

Making your house brighter doesn’t have to be a burden or break the bank.  By adding additional light, using either natural or ambient, and then finishing off with the right paint colours, furniture and accessories, your home will look bright and inviting.  It will become the beautiful environment that welcomes you and your family home every day.