Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Adding Light to Your Home Decor: A Guest Post

Today, I'm excited to be sharing the words of my friend Anna on the blog. When Aaron and I first bought our home, we loved the cabin-like feel of things, but we also realized that the oak trim meant that we needed to find some ways to bring more light into the room. Thanks, Anna, for these home interior tips! 


Adding Light to Your Home Decor


No home interior looks its best unless it is properly lit. Light is an important factor that shouldn't be underestimated. If you are looking for more ways to add light to your rooms, we suggest you follow our tips and tricks down below. Happy reading!

Adding Light to Your Home Decor

Brighten up your carpets. If you have carpets, make sure they come in nice, light colors. Heavy fabrics can make your rooms appear a little overwhelming, not to mention dark. Go with cotton and linen. Steer clear of brocades and velvets.

Lighten up those walls. It goes without saying that you should paint your walls light colors if you want your living space to appear brighter. Choose white, pink, pale blue, light yellow, etc. Common knowledge tells us that light colors reflect natural light. On that note, metallic finishes, blue-grays and cool tones will be your best choice. Use reflective paints for your ceilings.

Buy bright furniture. Aside from your walls, your furniture should also be bright. Get love seats, sofas and armchairs in light tones. Feel free to use dark colors for smaller pieces, such as ottomans and stools. When it comes to pillows, cushions and wall hangings, opt for cheerful colors and designs.

Add mirrors. Mirrors are powerful tools that serve a greater purpose than just cluing us in on how we look today. In Feng Shui, mirrors are irreplaceable gadgets that serve to bring abundance and even double your happiness, health and wealth. Don't underestimate the power of mirrors. Add a few large pieces on the wall that is opposite your windows to add more light to your room. As you know, mirrors reflect light, which makes them perfect additions for any living space, big or small.

Use a single drapery. Even if you have big windows, your curtains may be blocking sunlight. Avoid using double sets because they will darken your room. Instead go with a single drapery. Use light colors or go for sheer curtains.

Choose blinds over curtains. A huge advantage of blinds is that they let you control how much light comes in during the day. Your best bet is Venetian blinds, but you get ones that best fit your budget and needs. It is important to choose the right fixtures. Inadequate window treatments can negatively affect your room.

Add skylights. Leave this as your last resort. Adding a skylight is a costly improvement. Yet it can significantly brighten up the living space. Furthermore, it will reduce electricity costs. Because you don't want to spend a fortune on skylights, make sure to install only a few. Areas you want to focus on are your bathroom, living room and kitchen, that is, the rooms you use most often. There is no need to add a skylight to your bedroom. Since you use it mostly to catch some Z's at night, there is no need to provide extra light.

Keep things clean. Some light fixtures show dirt more easily. That can only make your room unappealing and uninviting. Make it a habit to keep your things neat and clean. Also, don't let clutter overpower your interior. The fewer things you keep out on display, the more spacious your room will seem.

Use bedside lamps. If there are dark corners in your living space that need brightening up, just place a lamp. There is no need to keep the lamp on all day long. Turn it on in the evenings.

Use these little tips and hints from AfterTheBuilders SW14 to lighten up your home interior like a pro. You will be astonished by the results.

Thanks for your words, Anna! Home decor is much fun, and light makes a huge difference. These are amazing tips, and I plan to keep this in mind while doing our decorating. Check out Anna's decorating service if you're in the UK

Currently,
Kelsie


30 comments:

  1. Our house is still being renovated by my husband and lighting has been the most difficult aspect. Our house leans towards the darker side naturally so we have to light hallways. We have opted for can lights in those places which work well and do not draw much electricity. But we can never agree on light fixtures. I am modern and he is more traditional. We literally kept a lone bulb over our dinner table for months until we could agree on something.

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    1. Ha! I love that. Figuring out what you really want can take time! Sounds like you've got a good plan in place!

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  2. I love these tips and can't wait to implement them in my new house, whenever that will be :) I like how my house is decorated, but now my taste has changed and I would stick to lightly colored blues or greys instead of light beige. I think the cool tones are beautiful and light. I actually have our bedroom painted and decorated in light cool tones, and it's so calming.

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    1. I agree! I think I would do more lighter greys and cool tones. I've started to shift our house over, but I have a few rooms I'm just not sure if it's worth painting or not ha!

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  3. I needed this post a few years ago! After living in two dark homes with not nearly enough light, I wanted ALL the light when we built our house. I especially love the tip about keeping light fixtures clean. Often, ours didn't even look that dirty, but cleaning them would make a world of difference.

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    1. Yes, yes, yes. I am right there with you girl. It's amazing what a difference light makes!

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  4. Love these simple and affordable tips. These seem very do-able and I can't wait to try some of them out!

    Greta | www.gretahollar.com

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  5. Great tips! I use all of these techniques and I have to agree that it really lightens everything up! :) Great post!

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  6. Great post - it's something I struggle with in our little home so I'll definitely be using some of your ideas! It's going to mirrors first I reckon. :)

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    1. Mirrors for the win... just gotta keep them clean ha!

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  7. When we bought our house I became obsessed with light fixtures

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    1. Oh, I totally hear you on that!! I love light fixtures.

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  8. I agree, light is one of the most important parts of home decor! I think the mirror tip is an excellent one!

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  9. I love bright living rooms! Natural light is a must! Great tips!

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    1. Me too! It especially makes a huge difference when taking photos!!

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  10. Love all this! I agree that light is so important for spaces and we try to have lots of cool, neutral walls, lighter furniture, and pops of color or darkness to balance it all out. Great tips!

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    1. Amen to that, sister. And you are the decorating queen :) I love adding textures as well!

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  11. Pinning this most! Absolutely love it.

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  12. After reading this I kept saying YES! I do all of these things and I am happy to say I live in a well lit home. Having that wonderful light filled space is always what the doctor ordered. It drives me crazy when you walk into a home that is dark and dreary.

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    1. That's awesome, Trisha! I am glad you have so much light!

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  13. Beautiful! I love all the natural light. I'm right in the middle of decorating, so this post came at the perfect time!
    ~Mattie
    www.mattiesmakings.com

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  14. Love these tips! Living in a small home, we've been trying to figure out how to lighten it up a little without the lights running all day

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  15. Nice post Kelisie :) It looks like you are home decor expert. Please add subscribe button to keep me updated about your post.

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  16. Love this article. This will help me a lot. Great Tips.We are a customized steel manufacturing company inspired by design and relentless innovation to bring a level of quality unprecedented to what's been seen in steel decoration. We are proudly veteran owned and operated and 100% manufactured in the United States.https://www.steelrootsdecor.com/

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