Cooler weather is heading our way now with summer ending here last week. The sun will indeed be setting earlier in the next few months here with it now being fall and soon winter.
So less sunlight hours truly affects the brightness in any home. during this time of the year
And if your home is already struggling to retain as much natural light as possible, you may be wondering how you can add more light and brightness to it.
Utilizing as much natural light a possible will indeed help brighten things up. See making the most of what natural light you have available in your home is key here.
I happen to work from home writing and creating clean responsive web design for clients. My home office is right off my living room area. Since my kids have indeed returned to school for the year now, I am working more and longer hours daily from this space. But we have dark walls and floors in my work space, yet the room is still quite and airy.
How were we able to achieve this?
The answer still might be escaping you, but will share some tips with you below now.
5 Tips on How to Add More Natural Light to Brighten Up Your Home:
- Mirrors – The more shiny surfaces, such as mirrors, you can add to a room, the lighter the appearance you will give. Mirrors can placed just about in any room to help with natural light. One suggestion though is to use thicker glass for the mirror you choose, as the thicker the glass the more reflective it will be adding the most amount of natural light as possible.
- Light Window Treatments – Heavy window treatments that are more opaque will allow the least of about of light into a room. Therefore, you want to use sheer or lighter fabrics also in light cream-like colors to allow the most amount of light to enter the room. If privacy is an issue, light colored shutters can be used to allow light to enter when need be still.
- Glass Doors/Roof Lanterns – Using glass in your doorways and even in your ceilings with glass doors and/or affordable slim-line roof lanterns will add more natural light. You can use frosted or tinted glass for a bit more privacy, but still allows light to stream through easily.
- Pendent Lighting Fixtures – These light fixtures can most certainly also add light and brighten already darker areas. Another tips if you use they types of lighting fixtures is to add brass fixtures to allow for for something shiny for light to reflect off of.
- Contrast Light with Dark – If you have darker walls, floors or even furniture, you want to break it up with lighter linens, cushions and/or rugs. The careful addition of lighter accents will soften and brighten up the area in question without destroying the overall mood.
These are just a few adjustments we made to help brighten up our living and my work space.
Now, tell me how you have added more natural light to your own home.
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Kathy Radigan says
Thanks for the great tips Janine! My home is in need of a few of these ideas!! xo
Janine says
Aw, my pleasure Kathy and just glad that my tips could help you out some!! xoxo 🙂
Meredith says
Love these tips! Time to spruce up–welcome, Fall! 🙂
Janine says
Time to totally welcome, Fall now!!! 🙂
Nicole Johnson says
My home is a bit cave like. When we moved in we painted all the trim and door frames white. We also went lighter on interior paint colors and it really helped. I will have to see about adding mirrors. Thanks for the tips.
Janine says
My pleasure Nicole and adding mirrors really can create the illusion of a much brighter space 🙂
Seana Turner says
I can definitely use all these tips. My kitchen is on the back part of my house, so it gets minimal light under the back of circumstances. Plus, we have a lot of trees. Toss in a gloomy day and it can be pretty depressing. I put in a lot of windows, and I try to put on a lot of small, environmental lights to perk things up. Love the image!
Janine says
Yay and so glad you can use these tips for your kitchen! As for the image, I thought it was the perfect one to showcase adding light to a room, as well 😉
TheNotsoSuperMom says
Great tips Janine!
Janine says
Thanks so much!!! 🙂 <3
[email protected] says
Natural light is the best way in the fall here in Carolina. it’s not so hot, so you can open the drapes and let the sun shine in. I have to say I’m rather simple when it comes to home decor and such.
Janine says
Eli, so am I , too with home decor, but I love the idea of using natural light to brighten things up for the fall and even winter, too as it is most definitely a bit more dreary during this time of the year. So got to do something to help with this 😉
Kristen says
Oh how I LOVE this! I need a mirror for sure now and will lighten up our dining room curtains! Thank you friend…we have one dark room and you might hold the solutions!
Janine says
Aw, yay and so happy to give some help for your one dark room and truly made me smile knowing I could help you today!! 🙂
Bill says
A new talent I didn’t know you had…interior design….great suggestions. I’ll pass them on to Bev and we’ll see what happens. Thank you Janine and Happy Monday!
Janine says
Aw, thanks Bill and even from he time I was kid, I used to love adding simple, but unique touches when decorating my own bedroom (as crazy as it sounds). So, I truly do love to decorate. Happy Monday once again and so glad Bev could use my tips 🙂
Diane Roark says
Janine,
I love all these tips. I have always heard that lighting make a huge difference. I have several rooms I need to upgrade and change the lighting. Is the picture above your office? It is bright and beautiful!
Thanks for sharing.
Blessings,
Diane Roark
Janine says
Aw, thanks Diane and I used a stock photo for the article as I was not having a ton of success photoing my area, but definitely lighting is so key here and the more the merrier as it really does help keep things light and airy, too 🙂
Carrie groneman says
I MUST have lots of light and the curtains open or it drives me crazy! Great post with so many wonderful tips Janine. The link is fabulous for ideas and resources; thanks for sharing those. Carrie, A Mother’s Shadow
Janine says
Aw, you are so welcome and I agree that I need the blinds or curtains open as the dark drives me crazy, as well!
Jen says
My home office is a dump right now! It needs re-vamping, lighting and everything else. Thank you for sharing these tips! I am at least going to buy a mirror until I can get the rest done!
Janine says
Aw, so happy to share and love that you are going to try the mirror effect now, Jen!! 🙂
April G says
I just added some light colors to our windows and I love them. These are some great tips! Happy Monday.
Janine says
Aw, yay and so happy you were able to do that, April. Happy Monday to you, too!!! 🙂
Rea says
Ahh sunlight and sunshine, very important! However with the line of work I’m in, I sleep during the day and it’s really hard to do so when you’re not used to it. I’ve always put on thicker curtains in our bedroom because I don’t want to be disturbed by sunlight when sleeping. I need to make my room feel like it’s evening even when it’s scorching hot outside. During weekends though, I make use of all the sunlight I can get! 😀 I agree with mirrors, they can truly add light and also give the impression of a bigger space.
Janine says
Aw, Rea, I know your schedule is a bit different and unique, but still loved hearing that you have used mirrors to help with this effect 🙂
Jennifer | The Deliberate Mom says
These are great tips Janine!
You may chuckle, but I have a small disco ball that hangs just outside our patio doors. In the sunshine, it reflects light like crazy into our house!
I have light window treatments and mirrors in the house as well.
Thanks for sharing.
xoxo
Janine says
I love that and so not laughing. I would love to see it and sounds absolutely perfect to me, Jennifer xoxo 🙂
catherine gacad says
we are doing café curtains in our living room and dining room. so it’s just a curtain on the bottom half of the window for privacy, whereas the top half let’s all the light in.
Janine says
I love that idea and sounds gorgeous, Catherine!! 🙂
Tamara says
I sure hope everyone follows this post because it makes my job much easier when I go to photograph people in their homes! We have huge picture windows but I also love windows and other reflectors.
Janine says
You could always pass this article onto your clients 😉 But seriously, we have a huge picture window too which I have to say is one of my favorite features in our home, too 🙂
Nellie @ Brooklyn Active Mama says
love these tips!! I need to update my house for fall, I especially love the red accents!! I totally struggle with getting enough natural light in!
Janine says
I know it is truly sometimes so hard, Nellie, but just so happy I could share a few tips here to inspire. Oh and I love the red accents for the fall, too 😉
Cynthia says
Beautiful spaces, beautiful places – like this blog, and YOU! Hope you’re having a great day! Sending hugs and keep that house bright! 😉
Janine says
Aw, you are so beautiful, too Cyndi and sending major hugs back your way, too now!! 🙂
Dana says
I recently put window film on my powder room windows – we need privacy in there, but blinds made it dark. The film lets the light through, and it looks so much brighter in there! Great tips, Janine. Happy Fall!
Janine says
Dana, I absolutely love your idea here, too and definitely sounds like a great way to let some light shone in. Happy Fall to you, too!! 🙂
Jhanis says
If only I can make changes to our rented apartment I would paint the walls white to make the interior brighter! The mirror idea sounds doable though. Hmmm. This is making me want to remodel the living room. LOL
Janine says
Aw, I know I see stuff like this and I totally want to redecorate, too 🙂
Bev says
Our last place had awesome natural light. Our current place has it in the bedrooms and the kitchen, but less so in my workspace and in our living room. We’re hoping to one day add another window to our living room to let it more light. And we need to replace our ceiling light fixtures which are just awful. Since I’m home so much lighting is definitely important!
Janine says
Bev, I can totally imagine lighting would be essential to you, as you are similar to me and are home working, too. So totally get what you are saying 😉
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
I love the idea of decorating with mirrors. I think it adds some class as well as brightening up the room.
Janine says
I couldn’t agree more, Robin 😉
Chris Carter says
Ah yes. I hate the shortening of day light and totally in need of these ideas for my home! I spend so much time in it while the kids are in school, and the winter darkness is depressing!! I’m going to try some of your tips!! Thanks Janine!!
Janine says
Aw, you are so welcome Chris and I know so much time indoors now with the kids in school myself, too!
Jack says
Is it actually getting colder somewhere else? It is still 100 here, hard to believe that Fall is happening.
Janine says
Jack, it is supposed to be 50 here by Friday, but today was 80 degrees. So I’ll believe it when I see it now!
Aunt Gloria says
Good tips Janine. I love as much light as I can get!
Janine says
Aw, thanks Aunt Gloria!! 😉
Rabia @TheLiebers says
My dining room has wood paneling on the walls and ceiling! It’s such a dark room. I hope to get it painted someday, but until then I can use some of these ideas!
Janine says
Aw, Rabia glad to pass on some tips to help you, too here 🙂
Leslie says
So many great tips! When we first moved into our home, I painted our entire partially below-grade family room in a light blue color. But it turned out even that was too dark for a space that gets so little natural light. When L was born I repainted it in a bluish-gray that is nearly white, and I love the how much brighter it is. That and lots of bright colors all over the room really help to make the space cheerful. I also recently read about light bulbs that are supposed to be nearly identical to natural light. I’m thinking they may be necessary during the winter months!
Janine says
I need to find those light bulbs and think you just sent me on a new mission now, Leslie!! 🙂