10 ideas to make sure your house is always bright

Chloe Hines Chloe Hines
homify Country style living room
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A bright home is fresh, welcoming and inviting. Unfortunately, depending on the set-up, position and amount of windows, brightness can be something that's hard to accomplish. Luckily for you, there are plenty of ways to change this.

Wall colours, neutrals, smaller furnishings, the right window coverings, etc; are all ways in which you can achieve a brighter home and all of the examples below are wonderful. Below we will discuss everything from lighter wall colours, to the simple task of polishing your windows, that can make your home instantly brighter! Most of these can be an afternoon cleaning or DIY project, others might require the use of professionals Either way, by the end of this article, your home will be bright and cheery, just like you!

1. White walls

White walls are fantastic for three reasons: They highlight our bold and unique furnishings, they allow natural light to indirectly reflect from every point and they're clean, modern and youthful With just these three reasons, it's enough to at least give it a try.

2. Polishing windows

Whether you choose vinegar and water, newspapers dipped in vinegar, or bunched up aluminum foil—sometimes a good polishing can make your home seem brand new. Try to avoid leaving wipe marks to make your windows look professionally polished! Clean them once a week and more often during the dry season to get rid of dirt and grime.

3. Little curtains

So, you want some privacy, but you don't want to give up the great natural light the occurs during those small, afternoon hours. Opt for sheers instead of curtains—they offer privacy and a way to allow more light in.

4. Plants

Whether it be interior plants, or large-scale windows that display the plants outside—bright tropicals, succulents and cacti are all low-maintenance and bring plenty of light into your home.

5. Little furniture

By purchasing and positioning tiny furniture in you're home, you can make your home look more open-concept and brighter. Avoid dark, plush furnishings and instead opt for skinner chairs, smaller sofas and see-through tables like the glass table-top dining room table seen here!

6. Mirrors

Reflective surfaces—glass, mirrors, glossy floors like marble and glossy tiles like subway tiles are all a great way to add more light to your space. Especially in smaller homes, using a mirror or two to reflect your natural light all over the house might be necessary if you're too few on windows.

7. Neutrals for furniture

These three small windows are left clean with no window coverings—and it looks fantastic! The brightness really allows the neutral furnishings to speak up! If you have a stark white room with bright windows, you might think there's nothing else you can possibly do to make your room any brighter. However, that's not true. Begin to use neutral furnishings to add some extra brightness to your home like these professionals

8. Bright colours

One of the easiest options, is to add bright colours to your home—these don't necessarily have to be white, they can be any colours that you prefer, like bright fuscias and pinks like seen here. Especially in children's rooms and nurseries, this option is best—and remember—colours are easily changeable so don't sweat the more bright and bold ones.

9. Remove barrier walls

Are you looking through your home and wish more sunlight would reach the farther rooms? Known down those barrier walls and allow an open-concept plan to rule your entire future! This bright and open home has extended lateral windows across the entire floor, yet the light reaches as far as it can go! Even on overcast days, the amount of light will surprise you.

10. Industrial lighting

Industrial lighting elements, like pendant lights, antique chandeliers and vintage fixtures are a great way to bring in more light. In rooms with no windows or skylights, use larger lighting fixtures in order to make them seem less drab and dark. This room with vintage fixtures is one great example!

For more great lighting ideas, stay on homify and check out these articles!

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