How to Brighten up the Darkest of Rooms

Date: 2011.12.20 | Category: Home Improvement | Tags: roman blinds

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Clever use of interior design can help to change the atmosphere in nearly any room. Combining a specific palette of paints, window treatments, lighting elements and flooring can all help to add or remove the appearance of light in a space. For most homeowners, the common desire is to add brightness to common living spaces. When such a request is made, interior designers will likely start with roman blinds or other window treatments and match the room decor to suit. Roman blinds are a good starting point for anyone looking to brighten up a room because they are easy to draw but can be dropped to remove light with ease. 

There are several key elements to weigh when attempting to brighten a dark room. One of the first considerations – beyond clearing the windows and hanging a suitable treatment – would be to add or enhance existing light fixtures. Roman blinds and comparable window treatments help bring in natural light, but dark corners may still exist that would benefit from artificial lighting. Permanent wall fixtures wired to a switch help instantly illuminate a room at the entrant’s command. High-efficiency light fixtures may allow homeowners to leave lights burning for extended periods of time, perhaps even on a timer. Task lighting can be added to permanent fixtures to increase visibility in areas where inhabitants find themselves reading, working or otherwise in need of some additional light.

The natural light coming in from windows covered in translucent roman blinds or comparable treatments can be enhanced with the addition of skylights and solar tubes. Optimizing the amount of natural light that enters an interior space presents an atmosphere impossible to accomplish with light fixtures and task lighting. Skylights can be installed in a variety of configurations, including solar tubes that require minimal space for installation. There are designs available for skylights and solar tubes that enable opening and closing the window fixtures for ventilation. The combination of natural light and increased ventilation is an extremely energy efficient option for homeowners looking to brighten up a space. Mirrors placed strategically where light will catch them can help to amplify the natural light coming from sky lights and solar tubes.

Paint has long been one of the more common tactics for interior designers working to brighten up a space. Dark paint and panelling can actually absorb any light in the room, detracting from the effectiveness of light fixtures and natural light sources. Light colours will always reflect more light, and bright colours can often have a strong impact on atmosphere regardless of how light they are. Bright colours have a profound effect on the appearance of a room, bringing a boldness that might help add energy to a dark space without overt shades of light, white paints.

One last practice to brighten up a room is to clean it. Removing clutter, minimizing dark wood panelling on massive pieces of furniture and brightening up existing pieces with fresh fabric or paint will help enhance the light being added to a room.