Many of us may not realise this, but if you have perpetually been feeling fatigued, stressed or cranky, take a keen look around your room and its natural source of light. It is a scientifically proven fact that humans react, act and feel better when they are embraced with sunshine and better ambience than a poorly lit abode. This means that dark spaces can have an adverse effect on your and your family's mood and energy levels as well.
So, is there any area of your room or home that is poorly lit, and is looking exceptionally dim compared to the other areas? Here are 10 home decor tips for you that will help you to brighten up a dark room.
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Trick your eye into adding an illusion of light and space in your room by adding lots of mirrors. It is suggested to add a floor-to-ceiling mirror at the corner of your gloomy room. Mirrors take little light and have the ability to magnify it ten-fold. You can also go for mirrored tiles and glided frame for a more sophisticated approach.
When it comes to furnishing and decorative pieces, avoid heavy-in-sight colours, such as tones of pale greys, dark mustard and deep brown. Your safest bet would be white. White curtains, white vases or wall hangings with white base (depending on that dim corner) will give your room a more relaxed atmosphere. The best part about white is that it reflects light, whereas dark furnishings absorb more light.
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Steer clear of dark, wooden and loud furniture pieces. Even though it may look attractive as a standalone piece, it can make a room look darker and smaller than it actually is. Always accentuate your dark room with light-coloured accent pieces that are bright in colour.
Create a fine balance between dark and light in your bedroom. Needless to say, the only important person in your room is you! Hence, it is important to incorporate your own design sense in your room that expresses your personality. If your room has darker walls, you can then use light-coloured bedding, curtains or floor carpets to contrast with it. Earthy colours, butter yellow and soothing tones of cream are a few colour options that will uplift the decor of your room.
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Adding a magic touch of greenery (real one) will give your room a much brighter and livelier feel. A few plants, such as ferns, and snake or spider plants are a safe bet for you, as they can thrive for days in limited sunlight. You can use quirky pots to keep your plants. This is a perfect way to add a dramatic effect to the dingiest areas of your rooms. You can also go for something like succulents or dynamic lilacs to add some colour in the dark areas.
Use sheer or lighter-material curtains to give an illusion of more space and light in your room. Sheer fabric will allow more light to enter the room, compared to the thick, dark ones. Also, make sure you hang your curtains a little bit higher and wider in a darker room, as this will allow maximising the amount of natural light entering the room.
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Right pops of bright colour always help in breaking up the neutral background. Go for primary or jewel-toned colours to lighten a room without changing the colour of the paint, by adding things like wall arts and bright photo frames. These will also give a brighter impact on the space.
Bring bling to your rescue. Adding sparkly and neon coloured furnishings is a great way to uplift the spirit of a dark room. Go for a gold side table, or a glossy-finish carpet or a metallic-finish wall hanging to brighten up your room and add style. Add some colourful pop of neon coloured accessories in the dark areas of your room. Add a bright orange lamp shade or a neon red hanging in that corner, which you want to brighten up. Score on this big design trend always!
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Consider artificial lightning (and not just fixtures) in plenty of shapes and sizes as a part of your decorating plan. If used aesthetically in varied heights and locations, a good lightning can not only draw your eye on your favourite object in a room, but can also light a full vertical wall. Soft lighting in some strategic areas will help to keep your mood light as well. You can also look for creative options such as lighting in the built-in shelves or floor lighting.
Stay away from clutter as much as possible, as it can sneak up on you. We all have clutter stacked in the knick and corners of our rooms. But, let us tell you, this adds to giving your room a more claustrophobic and darker appeal. Banish all of them, and stick to stacking items in your drawers and cabinets.
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Use these exciting tips to give a bright twist to those dark and dingy corners of your room. And, when you add these interesting ideas to your space, do send us your before and after photos, we will surely add them in our next article!
