While the summer months bring that brightness into your home, don’t you wish you could have that feeling all year round? Considering how much home decor can affect your mood, it only feels right that you do everything you can to bring brightness into your home no matter what it’s like outside. But, rather than just switching on all the lights (although that is a solution), here are 6 bright ideas to help you make your home brighter.
By Team Savant
Image: R ARCHITECTURE
Pick a Single Wall Colour
It feels impossible to decide on just one color for your walls, but choosing the right color can immediately brighten your home. Soft, basic pastels are a great way to achieve this, but you could also take it a few steps further and go for a bold and bright yellow. These single colors are more effective compared to patterned wallpaper, as they reflect all of the light rather than just patches of it. The simple color is also easy on the eyes, and you won’t feel overwhelmed when you walk into the room with the sun shining outside.
Let Nature In
Being outside will make you feel happier, but if you can’t get outside because of weather (or work), consider using houseplants to brighten up your home and improve your mood. Even everyday house plants such as Dragon Trees, Ivy, or Monstera plants, although mostly green, can achieve this, but so can flowering plants, such as sunflowers or even cacti. It’s up to you exactly how far you dive into the houseplant trend. You may want a single plant on your desk, or you might want to create a jungle throughout your home.
Sprinkle Bits Of You Throughout
What’s brighter than a smile? There’s not much better than seeing happy faces all around your house, and using photographs from a family photographer or vacations can immediately brighten your home and make it more you than ever before. These photographs will give you the chance to show off your personality and also enable you to add some class to the walls. They fill the negative space, so your walls don’t look so bare, and this creates a homey feeling, which is especially useful if you’ve just moved in.
Embrace Different Types of Light
Many types of light can brighten your home, but you already knew that. Of course, your everyday house lights will brighten up any room, but perhaps it’s time to consider alternatives. natural light and lamps are infinitely better than ceiling lights, which can make the room feel too tight. Instead, natural light will wash over the room and make it (almost) feel like you’re outside. Lamps or candles are also effective, as you can place them wherever you like throughout a room to give you just the right amount of light. This type of light is better for your eyes, so you’ll be able to sleep easier, too.
Rearrange the Furniture
You might not think rearranging your furniture is an effective way to brighten your home, but you’d be surprised. For one, rearranging the furniture can help to open the space, and this will make your home feel larger and brighter. It will feel like a brand new start that you’ve been craving for far too long. Besides this, rearranging your furniture also gives you the chance to let more light inside. If a sofa or cabinet was previously blocking a window or other light source, you can get more benefits. You can also place lamps in the now-empty space to give any room better lighting.
Clean Your Windows
If you’ve tried everything else and still feel your home isn’t bright enough, have you missed the obvious idea of cleaning your windows? Many don’t realise it, but your windows can get filthy much faster than you think, and the film of dirt and dust will block out the sun, giving your home a kind of drab filter like a 60s Kitchen Sink drama. You can avoid this by keeping up to date with your window cleaning (hiring a regular window cleaner), and this will give you one less thing to worry about while allowing you to enjoy a bright, comfortable home.
Brighter Days
A brighter home won't just make your home glow throughout the dull and drab winter months, but it will also make you feel better. You’ll feel happier and more productive; you won’t struggle to get out of bed so much, and this will have a direct effect on your everyday life. If you’re feeling sluggish but can't figure out why, consider how brightening your home can help you and your family.