Hello everyone! What a better way to spend my day off on my birthday than to write a post for you!
While I've been snowed in all weekend, I've been hard at work on finishing our hallway so I can get to work on my shiplap wall. All that's left for me to do today is to stain the wood (hoping that I like it) and I'm finished. With that being said, I will be posting our shiplap wall soon for you to see!
In the meantime I've been pacing up and down my freshly painted hallway and all around my house just LOVING all of the natural light the snow is reflecting in through the windows. I've never seen my house this bright before! When we first bought our house, each and every room the entire way through the house was just...dark. Every room you walked in just felt heavy and dirty and cave-like. We still loved the house because we knew things could be changed but I knew my main focus would be lightening up the whole house top to bottom. I have to say I think I've been doing a great job on working with the natural light this house gives me and making everything feel light and airy.
If this is an issue in your house, then keep reading. Today I'm sharing 8 simple ways to brighten up your house for good!
{Brighten Your House In 8 Steps}
Step 1: Paint
Okay duh. Almost everyone knows that if you want a brighter room you should choose bright paint colors because paint can make all the difference in a room. But does bright mean a bright pink or green will work? Not really. If you want a light and clean feeling room then you should have neutral colors on the walls and have your bold colors be your accents. For example, if you want to incorporate a nice bold royal blue in a room you should not paint your walls that color. Your room will feel extremely dark and small. What you should do is choose a nice neutral color for the walls, like an off-white, and choose a few decorations that incorporate royal blue such as throw pillows, vases, pictures, etc. to accent the room. This will make your room feel bright but also give you your pop of color you're looking for! If you're not a white and beige type of person, its okay! You're "neutral" color can vary from a soft green to a very light blue/grey. There are a ton of different ways to incorporate color. If you're set on painting with a bold color I recommend only painting a wall or 2 (depending how large the room is) as an accent wall and choose lighter colored decorations around that wall. Don't forget about your ceilings too! Ceilings reflect just as much light as your walls so if you're looking for a bright room paint your ceilings white! Below are some great neutral colors along with a room that incorporated their pop of color as accents.
Step 2: Natural Light
This step may be limited, like in my case if you don't have a lot of windows. So it's very important that you work with the natural light that you have and you use it to it's full potential if you really want a bright house. Trees are a big factor with this. When we purchased our house the whole back yard was filled with tall, dark trees. It seemed like we lived in the middle of the woods! This kept our house nice and cool in the summer, but it blocked a ton of natural light from shining in. Once we got them removed I couldn't believe the difference it made inside the house. Another thing to think about is you want to keep everything around your windows and doorways bright and light. If you want to hang curtains, choose white, flowy curtains that will transfer light through them into your room. This will also give you that clean, and airy feeling. If you're choosing a thick, dense material most likely it will block a lot of natural light. If your hanging blinds, again go white to reflect the light into your room. Plantation shutters are a great purchase because you can close them for privacy and keep light out, but you can also open them up and let a ton of light shine in so you're getting the best of both worlds! If you have a secluded house with no neighbors around then I personally wouldn't even worry about window treatments in certain rooms, like your family room, kitchen, and office. Let your house absorb as much natural light as possible if you can get away with it!
Step 3: Recessed Lighting
Okay, so this step is a little pricey so not everyone can do this right away (like me). But when you don't have any natural light beaming into a room, (ex: basement, bathroom with no window, sunlight only shines in for a short amount of time, night time) recessed lighting will still give you a nice bright room that disperses light evenly all over. Just having some table lamps are great if you're creating a cozy and warm environment. But if you're looking for bright, recessed lights are the way to go! Kitchens and bathrooms are the most functional to have recessed lighting in because these are the rooms you usually need the most light in.
Step 4: Floors
Floors reflect just as much light as the ceiling and the walls. If you have dark floors they will darken the room. If you already have a crazy bright room then that's a good idea to have dark floors to create some contrast. If your not in that boat and your trying to brighten everything up, I would suggest working with your floors along with everything else. We were lucky enough to have beautiful light hard wood floors under all of the carpet in our house. Not everyone lucks out the way we did though. So I'm here to give you some suggestions. First I would say to replace your flooring if you can. If it's too pricey then I have some other options. If you are looking into replacing your flooring I would go with a nice light color. A few years ago the really dark hard wood floors were trendy, but now the trend seems to be going back to the natural wood look, grey tones, and the white wash effect. These color choices can really brighten up your space. There is also tile that looks like real hardwood in these lighter tones if you're interested in that. If you're looking into carpet, a nice beige or light tan will do the trick. If you followed the trend when the dark floors were in, or you just have dark flooring in your house, try a nice area rug. This can make all the difference. Not only will it add texture and layers to your space but if you go with a bright white or beige it will really lighten up your room! Below are some nice light shades for wood flooring and an example of a beige area rug on top of dark floors.
Step 5: Furniture and Accent Features
Your furniture and accent features can also play a big part in the heaviness of a room. If you have a lot of dark wooden features like cherry cabinets, a dark built-in, dark colored doors, dark woodwork like your trim, old paneling, or even a red-brick fireplace, then all of these factors can be darkening your room and giving you that heavy effect. All that's needed in these examples are some white paint or you can upgrade to new with lighter colors. Just by painting the old paneling and fireplace in our family room to white made all the difference of brightening the ENTIRE room up. Painting all of your woodwork white will make your paint colors stand out and will allow more natural light to shine in around your windows. If you already have dark furniture such as a chocolate brown couch or a mahogany bedroom suit, don't stress about replacing it all. Just accent with light colored pillows and throw blankets and you should be good. Plus if you have lighter wall colors and floors, having a few dark furniture pieces will create a nice contrast! You can see the before and after picture of our painted fireplace on my "Merry Mantle" post. Below I have an example of dark bedroom furniture that is used with bright linens and walls to create contrast.
Step 6: Mirrors
Mirrors everywhere! No I'm kidding. But really if you are looking for an easy way to brighten a space and make it feel larger, all that is needed is a mirror. Hang one large decorative mirror on a wall opposite of a window or several small decorative mirrors to reflect more light into your room. Even if you don't want to hang a mirror, just use some as decoration. Set one up on a dresser or on the floor. This is a simple and cheap way to reflect light and make your room brighter.
Step 7: Plants
Plants believe it or not have some affect on how bright and clean your home feels. It's good to have some fresh plants in your home but you don't want a jungle either. If you're one that loves gardening have some fresh herbs to grow inside but no more than that. Keep a separate area for growing your flowers, large plants, fruits, and vegetables. There are a ton of creative ways to grow your fresh herbs right in your kitchen! You can click here for a cute DIY tutorial that won't look cluttery. Accenting your tables, countertops, or your mantel with some fresh cut flowers or "green" plants are a great idea. This brings a sense of freshness and cleanliness into the room- you just don't want to over do it with this. Remember when choosing flowers and small plants for your home the lighter the brighter. Plants and flowers in lighter shades will make your home feel brighter. If you have super dark green ferns everywhere your house will seem dark. Also really dense bunches of flowers are heavy. Only use a few stems to decorate with so the feeling stays light. You can also hang wreaths inside for decoration! It's unique and stylish. Using plants brings in texture once again and your chance to add some color to the room! Some good decorative plants to use in your home are Hydrangeas, Peonies, Magnolias, Lavender, or any type of wild flowers. Decorative grasses and succulents are a very nice touch too. I've attached some examples below how to incorporate plants.
Step 8: Declutter
And I said it! The final step is to DECLUTTER. This is actually one of the most important steps in making your home feel brighter and lighter. Clutter creates the feeling of heaviness and makes a space seem dirty (even if it's clean) and overwhelming. This also relates to decorations. YES. I am admitting it. Everyone who knows me knows I cannot stop buying home decor and I am always adding something to a room. But what I have been learning is that less is more when it comes to this. You should have a focal point in a room along with some accents for your eyes to wander, but you don't want your eyes to be confused where to look when walking in a room. Knowing how to do this will come with learning and practice. If you want a space to feel clean and bright then you have to make it look clean and the bright will come with that. That means putting away and hiding all unnecessary things like chargers when not in use, laptops, kids toys, dog toys, mail, paperwork, greeting cards, personal hygiene objects in the bathroom, books, shoes, bags, purses, coats, you name it. The list can go on forever but you get it. Some things don't necessarily have to be hidden but everything should have its place where it belongs. If you don't have a mudroom or a coat hanger like me, keep your shoes and coats away in a closet. Keep your bathroom clean by putting away makeup, hair supplies, contact cases, razors, toothbrushes, etc. Make sure dirty laundry goes to a closed hamper or to the laundry room. If you want a nice looking house it should be organized and clutter-free. And when it comes to the decorating, it's a learning experience along with a personal preference like I've been learning! There is no right or wrong way to do it, it's just whatever suits your style. Not everyone that walks into your home will be in love with it, but it's not their home- it's yours and you should be happy in it!
Let me know if this article has helped you at all and feel free to share! Please add any comments below and add any tips you have to creating a brighter home! Thank you for reading Farmhouse Flare today!
Sincerely,
Lauren Taylor
