Living rooms come in all shapes and sizes, and inevitably have different levels of natural light. If you find yourself with a dark living room, whether due to its orientation, layout or window size, we’ve detailed some of our top tips for how to use home décor tricks to brighten a dark living room
Video Credit: Civil Mentors
Brighten A Dark Living Room # 1 Reflect Light With Large Mirrors
One of the most well-known pieces of advice about how to brighten a dark living room is to put a large mirror in it. But where exactly you position a mirror will have an impact on how much it boosts the light in the room.
It will be best to put a mirror close to a light source; for example, you can place a large floor-to-ceiling mirror next to a window or a lamp, in order to allow the mirror to reflect more light than if it was further away.
Alternatively, you could mount a large mirror on a wall which will give the impression of the room having an extra window.
Brighten A Dark Living Room # 2 Make Smart Furniture Choices
The material, colour, and height of the living room furniture will have a significant impact on the brightness of the room.
Sofas in light colours such as beige, mint green, or duck-egg blue, will feel less bulky compared to darker colours such as dark blue or grey, so it will brighten a dark living room and make the room feel more spacious.
You can also choose minimalistic, low-to-ground furniture such as sofas and coffee tables, which will open the empty space above them and expose them to light.
Alternatively, choose transparent coffee and side tables made from acrylic, that will give off the illusion of floating in the room.
Brighten A Dark Living Room # 3 Keep The Walls Light And Empty
Painting the walls of the living room white is an effective solution to brighten a dark living room. This is because white reflects light around the room, reflecting it back to other surfaces and making the room look much bigger than it actually is.
If the all-white feeling is too boring, you can also use coloured paint or wallpaper to make a featured wall, but make sure to keep it relatively subtle so as not to jar with the other white walls.
When it comes to artwork, the walls of dark rooms should be kept as bare as possible. Choose no more than three items out of mirrors, wall hangings or pictures, because too many of these items will close in the space.
Brighten A Dark Living Room # 4 Use Pale Window Dressing
Whether you want blackout curtains or soft drapes, choosing a pale colour for your living room window dressings will help keep the space feeling light. White, beige, or light grey are all suitable colours, and any pattern is best kept subtle.
Alternatives to curtains, such as blinds or shutters, will prevent your window dressings from taking up any space in your living room.
Another advantage of using blinds is that when the blinds are pulled right up, they expose the entire window, allowing maximum light to enter the room and diffuse light all over the room.
Brighten A Dark Living Room # 5 Brighten Up Your Flooring
If you have dark-coloured floors, the quickest solution is to buy a brightly coloured carpet to cover them up. However, investing a little more time and money to put in new flooring or refinish what you have might be worth it in the long run.
If you really want to brighten a dark living room, consider the following:
- If you have painted hardwood floors, refinish the floors to expose the light wood underneath. You might also consider painting the floors a brighter colour, like pearl grey.
- Concrete floors are sturdy and practical, and they come in many different colours. The finished concrete is polished until it’s smooth and gleaming.
- Brightly coloured tiles are a good choice for brightening the dark living room.
Brighten A Dark Living Room # 6 Replace Overhead Lights With Soft Perimeter Lights
Harsh overhead lighting can highlight the fact that a room is naturally dark. Instead of flooding the space with fluorescent lighting, choose your artificial lighting carefully so that it looks as natural and pleasant as possible.
Track lighting can really brighten a dark living room without creating a harsh atmosphere. Use plenty of strategically-placed floor lamps with light-coloured shades to diffuse light all over the room.
Moreover, when you want to create a bright, cheerful atmosphere, light some candles in addition to using artificial lighting.
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