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Brighten living room


How to Brighten a Dark Room

Remember what amateur photographer and Beetlejuice love interest Lydia Deetz told her father when he offered to build her a darkroom in the basement? “My whole life is a dark room. One. Big. Dark. Room.” Well, to each their own and all that, but for the majority of us, to have a light-filled home is preferable. It’s not always easy, however. In fact, brightening up a dark space is a common challenge when designing a room. Thankfully, there are foolproof tricks that interiors professionals like Jessica Schuster, Dan Mazzarini, and Gary McBournie use to add light through details. From painting the ceiling to layering in accessories, we asked them for some tips to help you let the light in.

1

Paint Your Floor White

Courtesy Dan Mazzarini

As if you needed a reason to cover those midcentury parquet floors that came with the apartment. “White painted floors reflect light around the space,” Mazzarini says. “I like Armorseal Rexthane by Sherwin-Williams.” Here, the designer juxtaposed snow-white floors with black furnishings and accents for an edgy, graphic look.

2

Choose a Bright Rug

Ricardo Labougle

A large, multicolored area rug, like this one in Juliana Lima Vasconcellos’s pied-à-terre, is not just a solution for defining a specific area in a home. “I love colorful carpets,” McBournie says. “They have the ability to both draw you in and create a distraction.”

3

Ditch the Heavy Curtains

Douglas Friedman

“I will opt out of using draperies and instead use a solar or Roman shade to give the appearance of less fabric while still finishing the windows,” Schuster says. To wit: Get rid of heavy, dark curtains that absorb light. Here in the designer’s own apartment, the curtain-less look accentuates the natural light that floods in.

4

Select Bright Art

Douglas Friedman

While dark rooms can be cozy, adding vibrant artwork will elevate the mood and look of the space. For added brightening properties, McBournie says: “Don’t forget to add some picture lights or spotlights.”

In this cozy den in San Francisco, designer Nicole Hollis made a bright artwork by Doug Aitken the mesmerizing focal point of the largely dark room.

5

Hang a Mirror

Stephen Kent Johnson

Double the amount of sunlight in your room by bouncing the light off reflective surfaces. “It helps to completely mirror a wall or to add a decorative mirror opposite the windows to bring in the light,” Schuster says—just as Gabriel Hendifar did in his sultry New York apartment, shown here.

6

Try a High-Gloss Ceiling

Roger Davies

One of the best ways to bring more light into a room is with a high-gloss paint color, and a ceiling is the perfect spot to experiment with this design choice. “High-gloss paint can add another reflective surface to a dark room,” McBournie says. Here in a Beverly Hills home, designer Oliver M. Furth painted the ceiling in Pratt & Lambert’s high-gloss lacquer in Gun Powder.

7

Take Your Room’s Temperature

Stephen Kent Johnson

When it comes to lighting, color temperature matters a lot! And according to Mazzarini, 2700K bulbs are recommended as you enter the world of LED lights. “If budget allows, use a warm-glow technology dimming bulb,” he adds.

Lighting designer Lindsey Adelman would know: Here in her Brooklyn townhouse, she selected her own Drop System chandelier to create just the right ambience.

8

Incorporate Metallics

Annie Schlechter

Using shimmery gold or silver accessories is an easy way to transform a dark and dreary space. “I have successfully used metallics on the walls, ceilings, light fixtures, and accents of furniture,” McBournie says. “Just be careful—too much of a good thing is too much of a good thing.” In a bedroom of a South Florida home, for example, designer Rodney Lawrence incorporated just the right amount of silvery accents in the lamps and de Gournay wallpaper.

9

Choose Light-Wood Floors

Nick Glimenakis

When a space is in need of additional light, it’s best to choose light-wood flooring to brighten up the room. “A lighter floor contrasted with a colorful wall can help to ‘push the walls out’ and make the space feel larger,” McBournie says. Designer Delia Kenza did precisely that in her recent renovation of a Brooklyn townhouse, shown here.

10

Embrace a White Lampshade

Philippe Garcia

White paper wraps rock...and everything else when it comes to lightening a room. “White paper is your friend,” Mazzarini says. He suggests not holding back from bringing white paper lampshades, lanterns, and pendant lights into your dark space. Take this bright bedroom in a Belgian retreat designed by Olivier Dwek, for example.

11

Opt for a White or Neutral Color Scheme

Silvia Foz

A dark room isn’t the place to try out a moody, dark color palette. “Light hues on the walls and ceiling can really help lighten a naturally dark space,” Schuster says. If your walls are neutral, paint the ceiling a shade lighter to help light bounce around the room. That strategy helped this New York apartment designed by fashion veteran Carly Cushnie feel extra airy.

12

Supplement Your Daylight

Joshua McHugh

Indirect lighting aimed upward can make up for lack of light on the ceiling, especially toward the end of the day. “This is an opportunity to be creative,” McBournie says. “For the interior library of a New York apartment, I created and strategically placed a faux light shaft with an iron grate on a focal wall.”

Another excellent example? Here in a pint-sized kitchen designed by Cochineal, vintage sconces take the place of humdrum task lighting.

13

Clean Your Windows Regularly

Amy Neunsinger

Yes, we know. This one seems a tad obvious, but simply cleaning your windows will have a major effect on how much sunlight streams into the room. “It is amazing what clean windows can do for a room,” McBournie says. “I recommend doing this every spring and fall, or more often. ” You can see how the strategy pays off in this light-filled living room designed by Nickey Kehoe.

14

Hire a Lighting Designer

Those sad fixtures your landlord likely pulled out of a Dumpster aren’t doing you—or that dark room—any favors. “Often, a lighting designer can trick the eye to make the light feel more voluminous in a darker space,” Schuster says. The lighting in this moody Richard Mishaan–designed powder room strikes just the right note.

Charles Curkin Articles Editor, ELLE Decor Charles Curkin is ELLE Decor's Articles Editor, covering everything related to the architecture, interior design, real estate, and travel industries, and has previously written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Paris Review.

How to Brighten a Dark Room in 10 Creative Ways

Figuring out how you can brighten a dark and gloomy room is always a principal challenge when moving into a new space. This is especially true if your new place is void of large windows to allow natural sunlight in. Fortunately, there are several easy ways to decorate your home or office to transform it into a brighter abode.

Figuring out how you can brighten a dark and gloomy room is always a challenge when moving into a new space. This is especially true if your new place is void of large windows to allow natural sunlight in. Fortunately, there are several easy ways to decorate your home or office to transform it into a brighter abode.

Finding the perfect level of lighting can be challenging but fun. It is also fundamental to almost every interior design style out there. Here are some awesome ideas to brighten any dark bedroom, kitchen or living room.

1. Place mirrors near light sources

It’s an age old advice to use mirrors to expand visual space and brighten a dark room. However, to use your mirrors to its fullest potential, make sure to strategically place it near a light source. For example, a giant wall or floor mirror near a window can really amplify natural lighting. Placing table lamps or a floor lamp next to a mirror can also have a similar effect. For the best result, make sure that the lamp emits ambient lighting so it’s not too bright when reflected off the mirror.

2. Fairy lights, candles, and other ambient light sources

Source

If you’re looking to add just a touch more light without overdoing the luminosity of your room, you should try to decorate with some long fairy light strings, a group of large candles, orb lights, or other ambient lights. Not only will they offer just the right touch of luminosity, but also add tremendous charm and therapeutic feel. So long as they have a warm, yellow light, they will be perfect for your home. They create an intimate, hygge-like atmosphere that can effortlessly make even the most rugged industrial decor feel chic.

3. Pick lighter color or transparent furniture

We usually choose our sofas, chairs and tables based on our personal style and what we think goes best together. That said, always consider how your furniture decisions impact the lighting level of your home. A small, dim room? A large, gray or navy sofa is probably not the best idea! A stylish, compact sofa in a lighter color like white, beige, or ivory will make your room look and feel a lot bigger and more spacious. More importantly, avoid walnut wood tables, bed frames or TV stands. Instead, consider something like a transparent acrylic coffee table.

4. Cover floors with large, bright area rug

Source

Brighten your room by treating your bare floors to a lightly colored rug. Not only will this add some softness and texture to your floors, but it will also make your floor glow. This is especially applicable if your dim space features dark floor boards. When selecting a color for your rug, you can opt for white/ivory, yellow, or some warmer hue combinations. To help expand visual space, make sure the rug is of larger size.

5. Embrace white walls

Every decor guide you read probably mentions this, but it’s true – white really is the best solution to brighten a dark room. White sends light bouncing around your space, reflecting back onto other surfaces and making the space look much bigger than it is. Feel that white is just too boring? Consider adding ornamental trims on the ceilings for added texture, or paint one side with a refreshing color for some diversity.

6. Deep clean your windows

This is such an obvious but oft-ignored tip. Like wearing glasses with smudges on it, a room with stained windows will feel dirty and limit visibility. Get a proper glass cleaning agent and wipe down your windows – inside and out. You will immediately enjoy the feeling of freshness that comes along with it, and be surprised by how much natural light your room was able to invite.

The most beautiful rooms are often bursting with natural light. Not only can this make the space seem even bigger than it is, it adds complex and dynamic ambience as the day gradually shifts from day to night. So take advantage of whatever windows you are provided, and make sure to deep clean them at least once a year.

7. Opt for light beige/gray curtains

Simplify your window treatments by opting for light curtains on both sides of your windows. You can choose either blackout curtains or light drapes – either way, just make sure the color is some shade of beige or light gray. For blackout curtains, a very light gray like IKEA’s MAJGULL is a great investment (no real blackout curtain will be truly ivory or beige).

8. Pick minimalist, low-to-ground furniture

Stuffing an already-dim room with oversized furniture will cast more shadows, leading to an even darker feeling room. To avoid this, make sure to buy minimalist furniture that lie low to the ground. Set a maximum height for your furniture and make sure that each piece falls below the set height. That means omitting that bookcase, no matter how nice it looks. Leave ample space between furniture pieces – the empty areas will offer itself up to lighting opportunities. This philosophy is core to mid-century modern design and is likely why the style became so popular – it plays so well with lighting!

9.

Don’t overdo it with wall art

A common mistake amongst new designers is trying to do too much. This is especially true when it comes to decorative accessories like art. Even if you live in a mansion, as long as a room struggles with lighting, its walls should be as bare as possible so that all the light can be reflected. A single large dark wall art or a collection of photographs can really impede your efforts in brightening the space. For a dimly lit room, pick a maximum of 3 pieces out of either a wall mirror, light tapestry/wall hanging, or a lightly-toned wall art that sets the mood.

10. Aim your lights at the walls or ceiling

Instead of simply aiming your lights every which way, try illuminating the walls or ceiling. This is opposed to a bright light focused on a narrow area on the floor or a soft ambient light that offers minimal luminosity.

You can do this with a wall sconce or torchiere floor lamp. When you wash the walls/ceiling with light, you infuse every corner of the room with a warm glow, making it feel cosy yet spacious. If you plan to install pot lights into your ceiling, always add a few at the very edges so that you can elegantly cast light down the walls.

Source

As you can see, learning how to brighten your dark room can be a challenge, but also fun and creative – you’re not just limited to adding mirrors and white paint to every surface! If you give any of these a try, we would love to see your photos and hear about your results. Join the conversation in the comment section below.

Jessica O'Neill

Museum Lover | Traveler | Historian 🇨🇦🍁

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How to decorate a living room? 92 photos of stylish design. Tips from the pros

Your dream has come true: you have renovated your living room. The only thing left to do is to arrange a cozy and ergonomic space that would gladly bring together a loving family, a friendly company and at the same time could become a great place to discuss important issues and make constructive decisions.

This can be done with the right selection of accessories. They will allow you to change your cozy nest when you want updates.

Just change the curtains, sofa cushions, add a couple of new touches to the lighting fixtures - and your living room will sparkle with new colors.

We are happy to share with you the nuances of decorating stylish living room interiors in this article.

Simple secrets of decorating a living room

Accessories are an integral part of any interior.

Wanting to update the living room, you can focus on changing the lighting, textiles and carpets, decorating the walls.

At the same time, it is important to observe the main rule - decorative elements should not only be fashionable and modern, but also go well with the main style decision and furnishings.

Do not forget about the sense of proportion.

Let's take a closer look at the main secrets of decorating a living room.

Style selection

Before you go shopping for accessories, decide on your style. This will greatly simplify the choice and will not allow you to purchase too much, saving the family budget.

When selecting attributes, remember that they must first of all complement and combine with the furnishing of the space.

Deciding on a color

The color scheme is perhaps the most important moment in decorating a living room, on which even the emotional state of the owners depends.

When deciding on a palette, do not forget about the rules of three colors: one is the main one, the others are for decorating accessories, flooring and furniture.

Choosing a center

Every room needs a centerpiece that draws attention.

Anything can be used as such an object: furniture, accessories, fashion design tricks.

It is important to arrange the elements correctly so that they complement and decorate the interior, and do not interfere with each other.

Decoration of window openings

The choice of clothing for windows on the modern market is huge: you can stop your eye on various types of curtains or blinds. The most important rule that you should be guided by is matching the style of the living room interior.

Also, you should not forget about such a nuance as color and lighting.

To maintain harmony in the design, consider these points and remember that properly selected curtains will not only become a decorative element, but will also allow you to hide the flaws of window structures.

Flooring design

You can focus on the initial stage of the living room renovation: choose tiles, linoleum, self-leveling structures, parquet with a pattern. It will become a reasonable and stylish decoration.

Carpets are a real decoration of the floor in the living room.

In addition, they also have an aesthetic function: they insulate and protect from dust and dirt.

Carpets can be used in different ways: cover the entire floor or zone individual corners.

Lighting

Lighting fixtures are multifunctional. They are used not only for their intended purpose, but also serve as decorative elements. With it, you can place accents and create functional areas.

The main purpose of decorative lighting is to highlight beautiful accessories and create a special mood.

The best choice is to use several types of lighting while respecting the overall style of the room.

Make the most of furniture surfaces

Countertops, shelves, chests of drawers, window sills are a great place to place various decorative elements. Vases, indoor flowers, photographs, pictures, figurines - not a complete list of items for interior decoration.

With a sense of proportion and harmony of style, decorative details will allow you to breathe fashion trends into your living room interior as often as you wish.

Decorate the walls

It is generally accepted that the best wall decorations are paintings of various types. Feel free to use them to decorate the living room. They will help maintain the balance of furniture and other interior items.

Decorating the walls with photo wallpapers has become a fashionable trend. Remember to respect the same interior style.

Use plants

Indoor flowers will give freshness, originality and liveliness to the interior. Choosing plants, you can show creativity and imagination.

The existing variety of decorative planters and pots will be the perfect complement to classic and trendy designs. Stylish and discreet flower arrangements have proven themselves well.

Pillows

Sofa cushions are a universal decorative element of any living room style, creating a cozy and relaxed atmosphere.

Important points when choosing these decor items are moderation, proportionality, contrast, shape, pattern.

Usually they are selected in combination with curtains, furniture upholstery, accent elements.

When designing a living room, first of all, think about convenience and comfort.

The main rule is to try to make the ordinary unusual, and then your living room will play with new colors every time.

Carpets were unfairly abandoned a few years ago. Perhaps the reason is that we are tired of carpets since childhood - our mothers and grandmothers covered the floors with them and covered the walls. But Irina recommends not to forget about this piece of furniture in the living room. They can also zone a room (for example, highlight a soft group or a dining table in the living room), and make the space more comfortable.

“Currently, carpets come in a variety of styles: modern or classic, in composition: synthetic and natural materials, and, accordingly, in price. For any interior, you can choose the perfect carpet. It will help zone the space and simply make your living room cozier,” says the decorator.

Project by Anna Krapivko. Photo: Evgeny Gnesin. Decorator: Irina Bebeshina

Project by Vera Sheverdenok. Photo: Evgeny Gnesin. Decorator: Irina Bebeshina

2 Wall decor: paintings, posters, herbariums within

Empty walls make the space less habitable and cozy. Whereas choosing a picture for the interior is already half the battle in competent decoration. Here is what Irina advises: “Nothing sets the mood in the interior like well-chosen art. A large oil painting looks very impressive, but a few suitable posters can look just as stylish. Now on the vastness of Instagram you can find very interesting paintings from emerging artists at very affordable prices.

Design and decor: Irina Bebeshina. Photo: Evgeny Gnesin.

There are posters of Arseniy Shults on the wall

Posters or paintings are not limited. An unusual trend is frames for herbariums. “Recently, I really like the frames for herbariums with two glasses,” says the decorator. - This is a current trend, and they are presented in all major interior stores. Such a frame will look very unusual and remind you of a walk in the forest or your favorite flowers in a flower bed.”

IKEA

IKEA

3 Sets of textiles: spring, autumn, New Year

Textiles are the best way to decorate inexpensively. The variety that decor departments offer even in the mass market opens up great opportunities for the apartment owner. Textiles are also used by decorators.

Project by Viktoria Draugelyte. Photo: Evgeny Gnesin. Decorator: Irina Bebeshina

4 Open shelves: not only books, but also decor

It is important to keep order on the open shelves of a shelving unit or cabinet in your living room. But they are also easy to use to decorate a room. The decorator has his own tricks and tips. “Books are best sorted by size and color,” says Irina. “And dilute the library with stylish accessories, photo frames and even houseplants in beautiful flower pots.”

Project by Ekaterina Durava. Photo: Evgeny Gnesin. Decorator: Irina Bebeshina

Design and decor: Irina Bebeshina. Photo: Evgeny Gnesin

5 Coffee table: independent accessory and base for the composition

If you want to add a coffee table to your upholstered furniture group, pay attention to its design. It may well become a decor item. But you can also create a beautiful composition on it.

“A coffee table by the sofa is not only a stylish decor item, but also a very convenient and practical thing: it is absolutely indispensable for casual work or watching your favorite movie with a glass of wine,” says Irina.

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