Brightening up a dreary and dark room transforms the appearance of the space and makes it increasingly appealing. However, if you are unable to lighten up a room with structural changes such as adding windows, then you’re not out of all options yet. You can use a number of methods to convert your dark room to a brighter and much lighter place where you spend the time you want.

It’s true that a dark room does feel uninviting and a drab. However, by using the following simple techniques along with some accessories, fixtures, and paint, you can easily brighten up a dim space.

Paint the ceiling white

You might already know that any ceiling, when painted white, can make the room appear much taller and brighter; however, the said white paint has to be of a particular shade. To have a bright room, you need to have the brightest and the clearest white you can find. Stay away from shades such as off-white, ivory, or cream even if you’re a fan of them.

Use mirrors to maximize light

Mirrors are the ideal tools you can use for brightening a dark room. Place mirrors exactly opposite to the windows wherever possible. Why? Well, doing this will reflect natural light. If it isn’t possible for you to do this trick with mirror placement, don’t be worried yet. Another strategic use of mirrors can still brighten up a room regardless of where they’re placed. You can simply fix them over side tables, couches, mantles, and on bookcases as well to help make the space brighter.

Use dark colors for accents only

While color is an ideal tool for designing, a lot of dark hues can make the room feel a little closed in. If your room doesn’t get much light, then it’s advisable that you limit the saturated colors or accents to one wall and paint the others with any light and bright color you like.

Paint all the woodwork

While some people are quite against painting the woodwork, the truth is that to lighten up a dark room, painting the woodwork is another helpful tip. For instance, if you have ceiling beams or an oak staircase, then it’s better to coat them with white paint. As a result, the room will be instantly modernized, freshened, and lightened up. However, keep in mind that you can’t go to the woodwork’s original natural color once it’s been painted, so you need to be really sure about this decision.

Make use of natural light

Lighten up your window treatments so that you can take maximum advantage of the natural light coming into the room. Stay away from such window treatments that can block natural light such as heavy draperies. Instead, an opaque treatment is much better since it provides privacy while also ensuring that the room gets enough light.

Slim line the furniture

3D render of a modern room interior with blank picture frame

If your room is overstuffed with furniture, particularly with heavily carved furniture, then it’ll pull down the room, thus leaving it to appear much heavier and darker. Choose streamlined and lighter pieces of furniture that only have little frills. However, if you do love carved or heavy furniture, then try to choose just a few pieces and for the remaining furniture, select lighter pieces.

Choose the correct lampshades

Lampshades are a great addition to a room because they not only improve the decoration aspect of a space, they also diffuse light. But if you have a dark room then you need to choose the lampshade carefully. You need to avoid opaque shades even if they are light in color. Plus, make sure you use a light material like linen which will allow a sufficient amount of light to pass through.

Lighten up dark floors

Don’t undermine the importance of the floor in lighting up a room. Going for lighter color will help make the room brighter. But if it’s impossible to replace or repaint a room’s dark floor, then you can cover it up with a light-colored rug and enjoy instant lightness.

Give these steps a try and see which ones worked out the best for you to brighten a dark room in your house.