It often happens that after the repair is completed, the room turns out to be dark or even gloomy. It is unrealistic to stretch new wiring to connect additional light sources, because this will ruin the finish. Design techniques will come to the rescue, which will visually make the room brighter without much difficulty.
- Light colors in the finish
- Wall cladding with wallpaper
- Removing Excess Textiles
- Furniture selection
- Getting rid of doors and partitions
- Open shelves
- Mirrors and reflective surfaces
- Glass and gloss
Light colors in the finish
To visually expand and brighten a room, you need to “blur” the boundaries between different planes. The best solution is to paint the walls and floor in a light shade, preferably close to white. Dark floors strongly absorb light, but in darkened rooms of a large area you can not lighten them. The smaller the room, the lighter should be the color of the flooring.
What if there is no way to repaint the floor? Measures may not be so radical. For example, on the base you can lay a light carpet or buy a beige, white carpet. If possible, light glossy tiles or polished concrete are mounted in the bathroom or in the kitchen. If the floor is covered with dark wood, it can be sanded. This will remove the top coat of paint, expose the structure of the wood and lighten the coating a little.
In apartments located on the north side, there is always a lack of natural light. Therefore, painting walls here in white is not recommended - it will look grayish, cold. It is worth using warmer shades - beige, ivory, cream, milk.
If the room is rectangular, a light yellow color will come up, evoking thoughts of spring. By the way, white paint can also be applied on top of another material - then it will become a few tones lighter. For ceilings in small apartments, you should always use a pure snow-white tone. It refreshes the room even with the dark color of the walls.
to contents ↑Wall cladding with wallpaper
For rooms in which there is an acute lack of light, too colorful wallpapers are completely unsuitable. Canvases should be pastel in color, contain a discreet, unobtrusive pattern or be plain. A simple ornament looks easy and fresh, does not overload the space.
If you still want to use bright, catchy wallpapers, they finish only one wall or accent area. This will not affect the level of illumination, but it will add volume to the room. This technique is considered fashionable, especially if the wallpaper includes interesting compositions, rhinestones, 3D-elements. In the bedroom, such an area is ideal for emphasizing the allocation of the bed.
to contents ↑Removing Excess Textiles
Textiles are used in almost every room. Its purpose is to hide the window from prying eyes and give the room additional comfort. But in darkened rooms, not every curtain will come in handy. Heavy curtains take a lot of sunlight, increasing the feeling of gloominess of the room.
Completely abandoning curtains is a rather bold decision, but the lack of textiles on the windows, as a rule, creates a certain discomfort. Not suitable for a small darkened room and blind blinds, thick Japanese curtains.
In order not to limit the penetration of light into the room, it is better to use the following ideas:
- use light, light, completely plain curtains that let the sun in, and place night curtains made of denser material (for example, blackout) under them;
- apply only tulle or short transparent curtains of cream, beige or other pastel colors;
- to hang fabric blinds that do not block light, or buy permeable roller blinds;
- equip a long cornice, extending far beyond the window to visually expand the window area;
- free the windowsill from any things, remove large plants.
If the window in the room faces the north side, the room often looks cold, uncomfortable. For such cases, it is recommended to use yellow curtains, which add warmth to the light fluxes. Flowing fabric will be associated with sunlight, illuminate the room, make it more spacious and brighter.
In a dark room, you can not get carried away with other textiles - rugs, pillows, capes, which collect dust and hide the free space. Instead of a massive, voluminous carpet, you should throw a light mat on the floor, a thin rug or completely remove the cover. Similarly, you need to do with fluffy bedspreads and dark rugs. In an extreme case, such products are changed to light - beige, creamy, peach.
to contents ↑Furniture selection
Too massive furniture (heavy sofas, ceiling cabinets, sideboards) causes a feeling of darkness, makes the room gloomy. Light spreads from top to bottom, so all dimensional furniture must be light. Simply put, everything located above the mid-horizontal line of the wall is painted in white or another light color. Only small furnishings (coffee and coffee tables, armchairs) can be darker.
An excellent opportunity to lighten cabinet furniture is to paint the facades with light wood-like paints. If it is not possible to decorate or change upholstered furniture, it can be hidden under light, light bedspreads. Designers also use the polishing method, replacing matte facades with glossy ones, and install mirror doors.
to contents ↑A great option for small darkened rooms - glass furniture. Such products transmit light, allow it to circulate freely in space.
Getting rid of doors and partitions
Partitions help to zone the room, but often take a lot of light and interfere with its natural passage to distant corners. Because of the doors and partitions, the room seems too dark, its area is visually hiding.
It is quite possible to get rid of some piers without damage to the residents. For example, in a small apartment, it makes no sense to keep such structures between the living room and the corridor. Since the partition is not a bearing, it is demolished without any problems.
In the case where the wall has real functional value, it can be replaced by a lattice screen, a small wall made of glass blocks, a half-open drywall construction. Such partitions will significantly increase the amount of light in the back of the room.
Zoning in darkened rooms can also be done using sliding doors with glass inserts. An equally popular option is accordion doors or lightweight cabinets with open sections. The main thing is that any designs are made in bright colors and are not deaf, massive.
Open shelves
Too large shelves, often located racks have long lost popularity. To store clothes or arrange accessories, it is worth using open shelves that occupy a minimum of space and can easily be placed in any area of the room. On sale you can even find folding racks and shelves that can be cleaned as needed. In a darkened room, you do not need to mount a large library. It is better to place your favorite books on light shelves, and hide the rest of the literature in a closed cabinet.
Mirrors and reflective surfaces
The use of mirrors and various mirror surfaces is a well-known design technique for enhancing the illumination of rooms. Mirrors reflect light, double its streams, so the room becomes brighter. You can buy a large full-length mirror for your home or integrate a mirror cloth into the door of the wardrobe. The main thing is not to get too carried away, otherwise the room will resemble a store.
In the corridor, a good option to increase the amount of light is to place several narrow long mirrors in front of the lamps. Their frames should be light, light in color. Usually enough 2-3 products, but the exact amount depends on the size of the room. In addition to mirrors, other reflective surfaces will help to lighten the room:
- glass vases and bottles;
- shiny frames of photos, pictures;
- glare-creating accessories;
- shining metal objects;
- crystal glasses and services.
Glass and gloss
To improve the level of lighting in a small dark room will allow glossy furniture or other objects with a glossy finish, similar decoration materials. Glass products work in the same way - stained-glass windows, door inserts, unusual viewing windows, lamps with glass and crystal suspensions. Such things look beautiful, outstanding and help to "multiply" the streams of light in the room.
To make your home cozy and bright, you can use one or more of the following ideas. Simple decorating and decorating techniques will help drive the melancholy and darkness out of your home and enhance the feeling of home warmth!
