Dark Room-Any tips on lightening it up?

Hi Johnathan,

We have a similar room in our home. The first thing we did was to paint everything white so that every bit of light that came into the room would bounce off the walls and ceiling. I had thought about painting some of the furniture yellow and using yellow for the bedspread & curtains, but surprisingly I discovered that light blue and rust colors on a white background actually brightened up the room a lot more.

A wood floor is always going to absorb light. A possibility might be to white wash it to lighten it up or to possibly find a light throw rug to cover part of the floor.

Keep the small window uncovered during the day if you can by extending any curtains past the window so that they can be pulled aside or use shades that can go all the way up during the daytime and be pulled down for privacy at night. I hope this helps. Wishing you the best.

If possible, put up a mirror opposite the window to bounce light around the room.

Johnathan, you did not say what you used this small room for.....is it a daytime room, living room?, etc.

Linda's comments make sense.

I would like to add a suggestion to maximize the amount of, and different types of light in the room, so that you can have maximum brightness in any season. North of 60 where you are, I know the days are short in the long winter season.

Have a variety of light sources-ceiling fixture, table/desk lamps on dimmers at different heights, task lights which marry function with purpose, and ambient light to add warmth and dimension to the whole room. Wherever possible use LED lights as they give off a clear light as opposed to the yellow hue of incandescent bulbs, and they are long lasting and energy saving as well. Add LED mini lights to twigs, branches,flower arrangements/book cases or LED strip lighting, in corners or under shelves.

Mirrors Plants lighting and light colors lighting that you can dim Is helpful.

Try to keep things light in color.

depending on personal preference it may be worthwhile to invest in a happy light.

use light colored dots pillows, carpet,throw blanket, bright color pictures on the walls

Recessed lighting?

Skylights or solatubes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saDzRYewZNE

Agree with Linda that painting the walls teal would darken the room, and the lighter the wall color, the more light will be reflected rather than absorbed. If you do like the teal colors, then I would recommend instead to paint the room the lightest intensity available in the teal hues that you are considering. For example, If you look at the first example, picture below, paint the walls the lightest color, which in this case would be the one on the far right of the strip. You can then add the darker shades in small accents around the room, such as in bed coverings, small throw rug,mirror frame, etc.

A mirror strategically placed to reflect the light from the window might help.