Eight easy-to-implement secrets to add light to a dark room. Get the inexpensive tips and tricks to make your home feel instantly brighter!
No matter the age of your home, adding light can instantly make it feel cleaner, bigger and more updated. Instantly add value and create a cozy, light filled home with these simple techniques.
I thrive on natural light. In the Midwest, winter tends to be gloomy. Sometimes we don’t see the sun for days. When we purchased our Tudor style home, it felt dark and dreary.
I implemented several designer tricks to make our home feel light, bright and airy.
Eight Ways to Add Light to a Room
1. Clean
Light Fixtures and Bulbs
Over time, glass is covered with dust and film. Cleaning them allows more light to filter through. Don’t forget to clean shades, too!
Windows
Windows can also develop a film in addition to dust and dirt that accumulates. Indoors, use a foam window spray for picture perfect windows. If professional window washing or the ability to flip your windows from indoors isn’t an option, use a window cleaner that attaches to your hose. It’s easy and effective.
2. Replace Light Bulbs
Brightness
The amount of light emitted is measured in lumens. Higher lumens provide more light. Watts measure the amount of energy used. The higher the wattage, the more energy a bulb uses.
Light Color
The color of light is measured in Kelvins. The lower kelvins are more yellow while higher are more blue. I tend to prefer warm whites that are perfect for kitchens, baths, and living spaces and use softer whites in bedrooms and for ambient lighting.
Soft White 2700K to 3000K
Warm White 3000K to 4000K
Bright White 4000K to 5000K
Daylight 5000K to 6500K
Learn more about light bulbs in this detailed reference.
3. Replace Doors
If you have a solid or stain glass store, consider replacing with a glass or partial glass door. We replaced the front door in both our primary and lake home, adding a significant amount of light. A dutch door not only lets in light, but fresh air, too!
4. Rethink Curtains and Blinds
How curtains are hung can make your window appear larger and prevent blocking natural light. Motorized Shades make it easy to consistently open your window coverings each day and provide privacy at night. As you can see below, they cover just the window frame and one additional inch when open.
Roman shades, while beautiful, often cover more than 1′ of light while open.
5. Choose the Right Paint
Color
Soft neutral paint colors, especially cream paint colors and warm whites will really lighten up a space. Light paint colors reflect light because they have a high Light Reflectance Value, also known as LRV. See all of my favorite paint colors detailed.
Sheen
The higher the sheen, the more light the paint will reflect Flat is best for ceilings where you want to disguise imperfections. For walls, at minimum, use eggshell or satin. Semi-gloss and gloss will reflect even more light! Learn more about paint sheens here.
6. Add or Replace Light Fixtures
Shades
Shades diffuse, direct and reflect light. When selecting a light fixture, consider how a shade will effect your lighting.
Output
Light fixtures output varies. Refer to light bulb specifications for a light with proper output for your space.
Add a Light Without Electrical
Wireless light bulbs, plug-in picture lights and sconces and motion sensor bulbs have made adding a light fixture easier than ever!
7. Add Mirrors
Place mirrors strategically to reflect light from windows. They instantly increase natural light and give the illusion of more space, making your room feel larger.
8. Remove Screens and Storm Windows
Do you use your screens? If not, consider removing them, even if just seasonally. Test a window with and without a screen side by side and you’ll see the light.
When we moved into our current home, we removed both screens and blinds to allow light to filter in and provide a better view. The photos were taken with the same camera settings – you can see how overexposed the second photograph is!
Hi Julie I really enjoyed your transformation of your lake house!!
I bought a nice lake house in 2019 and have been updating and modernizing since!!
I am now working on my bedroom and bathroom. I want to paint my dark bedroom furniture a light color
and I really love the color silver gray you used on your door. Do you think that would look good in a light bedroom?
Thank you
Terri Capps.
Hi Terri! Absolutely! I love how it pairs with light colors…it feels fresh and calm.
Thank you so much for such great information!
I do have a question: My living room is an open plan and I already have a large mirror on an old chest of drawers. Across from that a a small console with nothing above it. How many mirrors in a room are too many? My default is always a mirror because I don’t know how to choose art.
Done. Picking up a copy for myself next time.