A brighter home can often feel more cheerful. There are lots of ways in which you can make your home brighter from adding artificial lighting to letting in more natural light. Here are just 7 different strategies for brightening up your home.

Add more artificial lighting

One way to make your home brighter is to add more artificial lighting. This could involve plugging in extra lamps, or it could involve wiring in new light fittings. Spotlighting can often be useful for illuminating recesses and corners of rooms. You could also try switching to track lighting in certain rooms – this involves placing multiple lights on one overhead fitting and having them all point in different directions to light up the whole room.

Opt for bright colours

The colour scheme of your home could also have an impact on the brightness. Deep blues and purples and dark wood tones can often make a home feel darker. Instead of these tones, opt for lighter colours and lighter wood tones. White gloss paint is the ultimate way to make a home feel brighter; however, it may not be everyone’s personal preference.

Throw back the curtains

Constantly having the curtains drawn will stop natural light from getting into your home. Throw back your curtains and let the light flood in. If privacy is a concern, but you still want to let light in, you could consider net curtains or blinds – both of these options will distort the view into your home while allowing sunlight to travel in.

Add extra windows

Adding extra windows could allow more natural light to enter your home. This could include adding skylights to ceilings or even adding glass sliding doors. Installing windows isn’t an easy task, and you may find that you need to apply for planning permission if there’s any chance of a new window affecting a neighbour’s privacy.

Go open-plan

An open-plan downstairs layout could allow light to enter even the most central parts of your home. Knocking down interior walls can be dangerous if done incorrectly so you may want to hire residential architects to plan it out. Cut-outs could be an alternative to knocking down entire walls, which could be necessary if a wall is load-bearing.

Make use of mirrors

Mirrors can help to reflect light and brighten up your home. Placing a mirror opposite a window can sometimes create the illusion of an extra window, helping to make a room feel brighter. The larger the mirror, the more likely it is to have this effect.

Use other reflective surfaces

Other reflective surfaces can have a similar impact to mirrors and could help to brighten up your home. This could include stainless steel sinks or polished stone countertops. Laminated wood can also have reflective qualities that could help to make your home feel brighter.