We, of course, love lighting. Layers of light help to brighten any space, highlight certain aspects of a room, and help set the mood. Justin Krutz, a blogger for Palatin Remodeling, sent us this guest post with interior design decorating tips to help you brighten your home beyond just lighting. Thanks Justin!
So you’ve gotten that new lighting for your home and while it keeps you from sitting in the dark, the right lighting combined with the right decorative touches can do wonders for you and your home. It can bring new life to a room that’s been feeling tired for a while, help you get through the long winter days with little sun or even set the right tone for your home when the bright and warm summer days arrive once more.
Paint
Paint is widely recognized as a great yet inexpensive way to change up the look of any room, but a new coat of paint lends itself just as well to sparking new life in any area of your home.
White: White or variants such as off-white or cream are popularly known for making a room look larger. While white by itself may be a bit overpowering – it’s a great base to start with and you can mix it with other colors such as sky blues for the baseboards and molding
Earth Tones: Browns, beiges and similar earth tones are also a great choice especially when accentuated with darker shades or used to complement existing furnishings such as dark hardwood flooring.
Pastels: While reds, yellows and other colors may be too dark – you can still use pastel shades of these colors to help brighten up a room.
Accessories
Along with paint, it can be surprising what some simple decorative flourishes can do to brighten up a room by adding a much-needed splash of color in the right places.
Throw Rugs: No matter what type of flooring you have in your home, a brightly-colored throw rug or two can immediately provide a great contrast to a dark floor, for instance.
Mirrors: Mirrors aren’t just useful in the bathroom – any highly reflective surface such as a mirror can be used for decorative purposes as well as capturing light and helping to direct it around a room.
Artwork: Paintings and other pieces of artwork done in bright colors can help add much-needed color to your walls. When combined with the right lighting – artwork can provide a great focal point for a room as well.
Furniture
In most rooms of your home, the furniture helps define a focal point as well as directing the flow of traffic – but it can also affect how bright a room appears to be.
Placement: The furniture should be placed to allow the best flow of light possible. For example, shelving or tall pieces of furniture shouldn’t be placed where they can block light from windows or fixtures.
Color: Dark furniture can be combined effectively with light-colored floors and walls to make the rest of the room seem brighter. Adding a decorative blanket or throw pillows to a dark sofa or chair is another great option to jazz it up.
Minimize: While the minimalist look isn’t for everyone, the guiding principle “less is more” applies very well to furniture when it comes to brightening up a room. The less furniture in the room – the less shadows will be cast and there will be less to divert your eye from the bright areas of the room.
Justin Krutz is a home improvement blogger for Palatin Remodeling, Inc., a Thousand Oaks kitchen remodeling company which provides a complete range of home remodeling services to homeowners throughout the Southern California area.