Affordable Ways to Maximize Natural Light in Your Home

A dark house can be depressing and make rooms look dingy and drab. Add extra light however and you’re likely to feel more positive while enjoying a welcoming environment which is a pleasure to live in. Bringing more natural light into your home is a cost-effective way of accomplishing your goal and is better for the environment than artificial lighting too. There are many affordable ways to maximize natural light in your home.

Clear Clutter And Have Light Curtains

To begin adding extra light to your home’s interior remove clutter and heavy curtains from your windows. Posters and transfers stuck on windows add shade rather than light, removing them can make a difference to how bright a room is. Keeping every windowsill clear will help bring in light and give the impression of more space.

Heavy curtains block out light, as do those which can’t be pulled back and secured properly at the sides of windows during the day. At the same time, dark-colored curtains absorb light and should be replaced with light-colored, thin ones which provide privacy while still allowing light to enter a room.

Making The Most Of Windows

Once clutter is cleared from around windows the next step to utilizing them efficiently is to clean them. Never underestimate how dirt can make windows dull and block out pure natural light. By using vinegar and newspaper to clean your windows you can make them gleam.

Window Frames

Dark paint around windows can have the opposite effect of what you want to achieve. Paint window frames white and they will instantly look brighter, fresher, and lighter. Small details like this can make a positive impact on a room.

Walls And Ceiling

The same is true of the color of the walls and ceilings in your home. Use white or light paint in pastel shades and rooms will appear to be larger and brighter. The light streaming in from windows will reflect off the walls and ceiling.

Carpets

Carpets tend to absorb light whereas polished floor boards which shine, and so allow light to reflect, increase light. Where possible get rid of carpets and you’ll notice an increase in light.

Furniture And Furnishings

Dark furniture can look austere and forbidding, whereas light-colored furniture will appear fresh and vibrant. Likewise, furnishings, such as scatter cushions and throws, are best when light colored.

Reflections

Anything which shines reflects or gleams can help increase the impression of there being more light in a room. Strategically placed mirrors opposite windows with an attractive view will create the illusion of extra space while making a room lighter. Metals such as copper add warmth to a room full of light colored furnishings and walls and provide surfaces for light to play and gleam attractively.

Skylights

Adding a skylight or roof panels made of glass will bring a lot of extra light into a room. Tubular skylights, resembling large pipes or tubes, are surprisingly affordable and can help create a modern, airy feel to your home.

Replace Solid Doors

Replacing solid doors with sliding glass or glass panels will make a huge difference to shaded areas indoors. If there isn’t a great view on the other side of a door consider replacing solid panels with reclaimed stained glass, or using plain glass and painting it with glass paints as a cheaper alternative. If this isn’t possible paint all doors white.

Bringing more natural light into your home need not cost a fortune. By making small changes that are free you can add extra light instantly, and a few well-spent dollars here and there can make the inside of your home feel and look far more spacious and bright.