Using dark wall paint or dark tones to decorate a room can make it appear dark and gloomy. However, the biggest downfall of doing so is the room will appear smaller than what it actually is. Dark colors shrink even the largest room which can make the room appear up to 2 times smaller than what its normal size may be. Therefore, you may be looking to brighten the room in a quick and easy manner. We have put together a mix of beginner tips as well as advanced tricks that will help you get the most out of your preexisting décor while brightening up your space.
Change the Color of Your Walls
The very first thing you want to do when you are seeking to brighten up a room is to change the color of your walls. Many times, a room appears darker because the walls are painted a dark color. Instead of completely changing the color scheme you may have going on, consider using a lighter tone of the same shade. For example, if you are working with a dark gray wall you may want to change it to a light gray instead this will open of the room and give the appearance of a brighter and more spacious area.
Incorporate White
White is a light reflecting color. Therefore, adding more-white to a dark room will cause the room to look spacious and bright. You do not need to change the color of your walls to be white in order to get this effect instead consider changing or painting the color of your furniture to white. The color white sends out light instead of absorbing it. Therefore, creating a clean and crisp brightening effect in any room.
Light the Walls
Another excellent way to brighten up a room is to incorporate more light into your décor. One way to do that is to add scones with bright lights to your walls. The scones should aim upward and downwards in order to reflect the most-light into the room. Depending on what area of the room you would like to brighten up you can choose different size scones to expand the brightness in those areas.
If you would like to make the room not only appear brighter, but also larger you want to place the scones on the corners of the room in order to round out the edges and give you a larger appearance.
Add a Rug
Dark hardwood floors and/or laminate floors are usually a statement piece for any home, especially contemporary homes. However, although they are beautiful, they do draw a lot of light out of a room. To fix this matter and brighten up a room you want to add a rug. Rugs are not only excellent statement pieces, but they also help expand and bring more light to a bedroom.
Runner rugs in light hues are perfect to break up the dullness of a room while giving you a change to experiment with rich colors that bring out the airiness of a room. Patterned rugs are great as well, especially if they have white tones in them. This will help bring lightness to the room without showing every speck of dirt on it. However, if you want extreme light you can always go for a full white rug.
Add a Plant or Two
Plants are great space breakers. They bring natural light and life to any room. To bring more light to a room you want to place smaller plants in areas that seem too dark in the room. This will bring not only light to an area, but an airy feel as well. Also, let’s not forget plants come in different colors as well, so incorporating them into your décor is a simple task.
Embrace Pale Wood
Many homeowners are not very fond of pale or blond wood. However, if you are working with a dark or smaller room it can actually be your best friend. Pale wood gives the room a sense of openness while brightening up the dark area. Even if you happen to have all dark wood, adding just one piece of pale or blond wood will do the trick.
Embrace the Darkness
Seems kind of counteractive but adding contrast with dark pieces to the darkened room will actually brighten it up. The idea behind this is adding dark pieces and light pieces to the room give it a natural balance. Therefore, causing you to have a brighter room with just the right amount of darker tones you may enjoy.
Better yet, if you don’t want to add black tones to counteract the room, consider adding navy tones instead as it is a dark color. However, it is fun and on trend without giving you a solid just straight black tone to work with.
Update Your Light Bulbs
Seems like the general thing to do. However, your light bulbs can make a huge difference in the amount of light that your room is actually getting. Besides checking your light bulbs to ensure they offer more of a cool light instead of a yellow setting, consider getting light bulbs that offer a hint of blue. This can offset any dark colors you have in the room and brighten it up over all.
Add Mirrors
Mirrors are great when you want to bring light into a room. They reflect on the light that is currently in the room and expand the area they are placed in. Therefore, they help absorb any darkness that the room may have. You do not need to place mirrors everywhere in the dark room, instead consider adding a few pieces on the wall to open up the space.
Have a Balance
Ultimately, it is important for a room to have balance between light and darkness in order to create highlights that give a room dimension. Adding light to darker areas in a room will lighten up dark corners and areas. However, the key is to not go overboard and light up everything you see. Instead, keep a steady contrast for the best results.
