It goes without saying, but the lighting in a room can really change how it presents itself to an outsider. Not to mention, it has a drastic impact on the aesthetic and overall ambience of a room too.

When decorating a room, we naturally spend some time considering this; how will the colour scheme we use compliment the lighting of the room itself, and vice versa? How do we make sure that the lighting is not overwhelming for those who are in the room? These are but some of the many questions that are posed when considering this.  

With this in mind, we have compiled a helpful list of tips below on ways that you can improve the natural lighting in the home. As natural lighting helps to improve the number of endorphins and serotonin that your body is producing, enhancing the amount of natural light in your home is sure to make you feel better. 

Following what has been a challenging year for us all, and after a long, cold few months, what better time than now to make some changes in your home, in time for the warmer and sunnier months. Not to mention, with the recent news that we will once again be able to have visitors to our homes in the summer, getting the interior design bug at the present moment has not come at a better time. 

If you are interested in finding out some of the ways to improve the natural lighting in your home, read on for more. We are confident that you will find something to inspire you here, no matter the size of your home or room!  

  1. Selecting a Colour Scheme: This is for those who are planning to completely overhaul the décor of a room to improve the quality of natural lighting. Thinking back to the lessons that we had in primary and secondary school art lessons – which our children may well be learning as we speak – there are some colours that absorb light, and some which reflect it. Naturally, if you want to improve the natural lighting in a room, you want to select a colour scheme that will reflect the room’s natural light. Not only will this make the room feel brighter and more welcoming, but it will promote the feel of the room itself being larger; ideal if you are living in a smaller house and are feeling overwhelmed at the size following the last year.  
  • Window Fixtures: It goes without saying, but if the room you are focusing on has a small window, you are somewhat restricted in the level of natural light that is going to flowing in. However, considering the more interior elements of the window when improving the natural light in a room, you would want to consider whether you will be using curtains or blinds. Venetian blinds are an excellent way of enhancing the natural light within a room while not compensating on the aesthetic of a room either. While we recognise it can be challenging to know which ones to select for a room and what would work best, Make My Blinds have compiled a detailed and helpful guide to help interested people like yourselves find the best venetian blinds for their home. Head to their website to find out more.  
  • Decorative Pieces: While it can seem somewhat challenging imagining how decorative pieces could help improve the natural light in a room, just hear us out! This is a bit of a generic term and can include various things that are commonly found in homes across the country. While they may very well look nice and contribute to a room’s overall décor, certain decorative pieces can also positively contribute to the level of natural light in a room. Implementing a large mirror or reflective pieces into your colour schemes and general décor will reflect any natural light that is coming in and bounce it around the broader areas of the room. Furniture within the room could also be chosen to reflect the natural light coming into the area. Choosing items of furniture that have reflective surfaces on them – think of coffee tables or other helpful stands – will further contribute to how light travels throughout the room.  
  • Installing Skylights: While this might not be suitable or ideal for some people reading this, it could well appeal to those who want to strip their room back to basics. As mentioned previously, the size of the window in the room you are focusing on is crucial when wanting to improve the level of natural light that is coming in. If you have found that you are unhappy with the size of the window in your room, and have the funds to change the sizing, then there is nothing stopping you from doing that! Not to mention, you could go even further and consider implementing skylights into the room that you are set on changing. While some rooms in your house would naturally not be suitable to have skylights due to not having a suitable roof or ceiling, this is certainly something that could be considered for rooms that could have them. Skylights can let in a level of natural light that the usual windows cannot. Not to mention, you get a great look at the sky during both the day and night; who doesn’t enjoy an opportunity to marvel at the starry skies above?!  
  • Flooring Options: Like the colour of a wall, the flooring in a room is just as important when wanting to improve the levels of natural light of a room. It goes without saying but using darker flooring, including the likes of thicker and darker carpets, you would naturally be decreasing the opportunity for light to bounce around and be reflected. Opting for flooring that is reflective in material and appeals to your tastes is an ideal place to start. Selecting a flooring that has a glossy coating or polished finish is the best way to reflect light and is something that we are confident will look good as well! While we recognise that this is an option that might not be suited to everyone, as mentioned previously, this is an ideal suggestion for those who are going back to basics and redoing the room in question from the foundations up.  

While we recognise that this guide is not suited to everyone, we are still confident that there is something here that will leave you feeling inspired. It is tricky to find the balance between letting the natural light into our homes, but in a way that is not overwhelming.  

Whether you choose to implement just one of these ideas or opt to use a few in tandem with one another, the choice is entirely up to you. Feel confident that the decisions you make will make a difference to the natural light within your home and that you will feel better for it in the long term.

While the effort that you are going to now might seem somewhat tedious, we are confident that it will be beneficial and that you will have a bright and beautiful home in no time.  

Just remember to keep those sticky fingers away from the clean windows, fellow parents!