Do you have a dark room that receives very small amounts of daylight? If you are not planning to move, then you need to do something about it. The gloomy interior is depressing, especially in autumn, when it is not difficult to fall into a depressive state or mood. Therefore, the owners of apartments and rooms still have a question: how to make a dark room lighter? We will show you a few design tricks that will optically help to brighten the interior.
Did you know that not only the location of the room in relation to the cardinal points, the size and number of windows affect the lighting? It is also influenced by the colors of the floor, furniture and walls, window decorations and other materials used in the interior. If everything is in dark colors, then such a room will seem even darker than it really is. The bright room looks much more spacious and larger.
How to make a dark room brighter if you don't have the desire or budget to replace furniture? To do this, use less capital intensive, but equally effective tricks. Start by identifying the darkest areas in the room - highlight the darkest walls and corners that should make a difference. Consider which of these items can be upgraded relatively inexpensively.
Re-paint the walls or replace the wallpaper. It is not necessary to change the wallpaper throughout the room; you can only replace it on one or two walls. Taking into account the principle that an interior that is not cluttered seems to be lighter, is it worth considering getting rid of some not-so-useful furniture? If you take out a bulky tall cabinet or a furniture wall, or at least a part of it, from a room, then such a room will instantly become brighter and more spacious.
If repairs are planned:
- remove dark material floors or repaint wood floors in light, pastel colors;
- replace dark carpet with patterns or patterns with a smooth and light one;
- replace doors with a solid leaf with glazed or sliding doors;
- paint window frames and sills white;
- cycle the darkened floor and cover it with clear varnish;
- if you are planning to change the floor, think about where you can put light polished tiles that reflect light well and "illuminate" the interior;
- Replace old, dark ceramic tiles in the bathroom and kitchen, or paint with a special paint for light-colored tiles.
If you are planning to paint the walls in a different color, then it is worth choosing the appropriate paint to decorate and brighten the interior.
Of course, the lighter it is, the better. Don't like white walls? Don't worry, a good effect can be achieved with other light and bleached shades.
In a shaded room with one window, it might look impressive to use three shades of the same color. In the darkest of them, paint the wall around the window, and place the lightest shade on the wall opposite the window. We paint the side walls in the third intermediate shade. This way of distributing paint and shadows in the room enhances the daylight that enters in.
You will get a brightening effect by choosing transparent paints to which particles of gold, silver or pearls are added. A wall painted with this paint reflects more light.
Well-planned lighting has a huge impact on our mood. Plus, the interior looks better if bathed in sunlight. When there is not enough sun in the apartment, it is necessary to choose the right artificial lighting. To make a dark room brighter, you need to provide light that is most similar to natural. When planning lighting in a dark room, you can use the following solutions:
- In addition to central lighting, it is also worth installing spot lighting, this is especially important in those areas of the apartment where it is darkest - in the bathroom and corridor.
- A point light in the kitchen will also be useful, especially when it does not have a window or the window is too small.
- If there is a desire to paint the ceiling in a darker color, then in a dark room this is not the best idea. But if you take care of good lighting on the ceiling, then you can think of such an idea. This can be halogen spotlights or LEDs, preferably with dimmable light intensity.
- In the bedroom, additional lighting should be installed near the bed - in the case of a double bed - on both sides. In the living room, in the darkest corner, you should put a floor lamp.
- Spotlights that illuminate selected decorative elements such as paintings, figurines and other decorations can also give good results.
Interior design: soft and light furniture
In a dark room, large pieces of furniture with gloomy upholstery greatly overload the interior. To make such a room brighter, it is better to choose light-colored furniture and not bulky ones. It is better to replace a large furniture wall with a chest of drawers that stands on legs, this will immediately make it visually easier, since the separation of the furniture from the floor adds lightness to it. If the seats on the chairs have dark upholstery, it is worth sewing covers for them from light fabric. The sofa can be covered with a light-colored blanket.
Light floors and light doors are ideal in dark rooms. This is a solution for people who like to clean and clean. Unfortunately, this floor gets dirty much faster than normal flooring, so this is not a practical solution with a large number of family members.
If you are thinking of buying a rug and your sofa or chairs have a patterned upholstery, then a plain and plain rug is best. However, in the opposite situation, you can choose a rug (or carpet) with a pattern, but not too colorful and bright.
In a dark interior, you should not choose solid doors, but rather put folding or sliding doors. Glass doors or partially glazed doors are definitely better to allow light to penetrate between rooms.
Mirrors help shape and illuminate the space. It is better to choose the location of the mirrors on the same plane, preferably a large one. The mirror should hang on the wall opposite the window. A large mirror that shows a full-length silhouette of a person should also hang in the corridor - the darkest room in the apartment.
The frame of the mirror should decorate the interior and should be light, not bulky. If you do not like looking in mirrors while wandering around the apartment, then you can use many mirrors in the bookcase, behind the shelves, and place objects made of transparent glass on the shelves.
Using mirrors, you can also mask the doors of a massive cabinet. You can buy a large mirror or put a mirror film on the doors.
Dark curtains with patterned patterns and romantic frills are not suitable for dark rooms. It is better to open the windows as much as possible - let the daylight enter the apartment without obstacles.
However, if you do not like empty windows, then you should think about soft white curtains, the best of which are translucent tulle. If you need to close your windows in the evening from prying eyes, you should choose blinds in neutral, light colors.
Another important point is to try to leave empty windowsills. And if you want to put something for them - let it be objects made of transparent glass that will let the sun's rays through.
In all dark rooms, it is better to create interiors with light-colored furniture, preferably with glossy, lacquered surfaces that reflect light.
In a dark kitchen, if you have dark cabinets and a floor, then you should take care of light additional elements. Paint the walls in a light color, the tiles should also be chosen in light colors, preferably with a glossy sheen, a good option would be skins with backlighting.
If the apartment is not cluttered, not overloaded with trinkets, it always seems much lighter and more spacious. Therefore, it is worth removing all colorful, flashy decorations - not only from the window sills, but also throughout the apartment. All the trinkets dear to your heart can be installed in the closet and only one third of them can be displayed.
Own apartment is the dream of many young families. The imagination draws a beautiful interior design, cozy rooms, a kitchen furnished with the latest technology. But the reality is often not so rosy.
Often, an apartment consists of one room, which is also dark. How to decorate the interior design in this case in order to create a cozy atmosphere and, at the same time, fill the room with light? There are some design tricks to add light to a room and create a sense of space.
The choice of the color of the walls plays an important role in creating a bright room. In a small room, where there is a lack of light, the background should be light. Walls can be painted with water emulsion, covered with decorative plaster or pasted over with wallpaper. But so that the room does not look boring, what can be done? It is recommended to use some bright details.
These can be picturesque objects, original lamps. To create a zest, part of one wall can be decorated in a dark shade. Such a move will allow you to create volume in the room.
The design of a dark room in an apartment in the photo should include as many light details as possible. So, the floor can be decorated in white. This will create a sense of light and spaciousness in a small room. Of course, a white floor is not a good solution. Replace the staining of the floor with white paint, you can install laminate or linoleum in light shades. An effective addition to the design of a dark room in an apartment will be the purchase of a parquet board made of light wood species.
What else can you do so that the dark room in the apartment in the photo does not seem gloomy? Designers recommend focusing on window decoration. The best choice is long curtains to the floor, which will repeat the color of the walls. In this case, the window textiles and walls will merge, giving the room a sense of spaciousness.
How to equip a dark room in an apartment? It is recommended to choose furniture with thin legs. Ideally, the bottom of the pieces of furniture will be open. To create the illusion of light, it is recommended to place a large mirror opposite the window opening. Reflecting in a mirror surface, the sun's rays will fill the room with the necessary amount of natural light.
One of the common problems, called by designers, is the incorrect placement of light sources in a dark room. To create a sense of light, you shouldn't use central lighting. It is better to place several sconces around the perimeter, which will illuminate the room from different points. This will create the illusion of light and large space.
Probably, many are faced with such a problem as the correct interior design in a dark room. Some rooms in our apartments or houses become dark for various reasons:
- it may be due to the fact that there is little sun on this side of the house;
- due to closely spaced trees or neighboring houses;
- as a result of redevelopment of the apartment, if the illumination of the room was not taken into account.
But with the right choice of wallpaper, you can correct all this and visually brighten the room.
Ways to solve the problem
Of course, the problem can be solved by lighting, but you won't keep the lights on all day and night, it's expensive and unnecessary. You can choose a color palette of wallpaper for the walls of a small dark room. First of all, the wallpaper should be in light colors: peach or golden. It is not necessary that they dominate in the color of the wallpaper; intersperses of these colors are enough. When choosing wallpaper, it must be borne in mind that by mixing different shades and colors, you can achieve the feeling of a light room, but measure is needed in everything: if you overdo it, it will turn out to be colorful, the room will become even darker, thus, you will achieve the opposite effect. We don't need a strong contrast.
To achieve the desired effect, you cannot use wallpaper with large patterns, this impairs the visual image of the room, it will seem smaller and darker. A small pattern, a small relief and a discreet color are the most suitable. If you decide to apply wallpaper without a pattern, then get a solid wallpaper in pastel colors.
To increase the illumination of the room, use this method: cover the wall opposite the window with wallpaper with a small pattern and a light tone. And paste over the other three walls with wallpaper that has a darker tone that matches the color of the light wall. You will get the visual effect of increasing the light. The thing is that a weak light from the street, reflected on a light wall, creates the feeling of two light walls.
Selection of a combination of colors
A dark living room can be lightened by matching and combining colors to make it look original. But do not rely on color contrast, this will only worsen the situation. Use the same scheme as above, just decorate the room with bright and light elements, for example, decorations or pictures, but do not overdo it, because our task is to make the room not colorful, but light. Two or three bright colors are enough to bring a touch of holiday and comfort.
Matte wallpaper absorbs sunlight and is therefore not suitable for us. Looking for the opposite: glossy wallpaper that reflects light and illuminates the room. It will be nice if there are glitters in the wallpaper. Creative people can be advised to paint the wallpaper on their own, enjoying the play of colors and admiring the effect made with their own hands. A type of wallpaper like liquid wallpaper may well suit you. Light colors, especially yellow, will transform the room into a clearing illuminated by sunlight. After all, liquid wallpaper contains reflective gloss.
In rooms with windows facing north, it is preferable to apply a cream-colored wallpaper. White will be similar to the tone of gray and will create an unpleasant impression of being in such a room. Adding yellow to one of the walls will give the impression of a sunny day.
Don't be afraid to experiment! If you are not sure of your choice, take a few pieces of wallpaper for a sample (ask the seller) and see how they look in different lighting conditions: in bright sun, in cloudy weather, with the lights on. This fitting will show you for sure whether the colors you have chosen match.
The effect of different tones on a person's mood
If you find it difficult to choose color options for lightening a dark room, knowing the effect of colors on a person's mood can also come in handy. Here is a description of the psychological effects of color on people:
- Peach-colored wallpapers are great for the bedroom, they make the room look larger and brighter. This color cheers up in gloomy rainy weather.
- Beige wallpaper creates a calm, peaceful atmosphere, and is also suitable for bedrooms or living rooms. Combined with white, creating light warm tones, when combined with others, slightly darker tones create a sense of calm.
- Wallpapers of golden colors stand out from the usual color scheme. They add a little solemnity, warmth, tenderness. An overabundance of this color will ruin the impression of the room, use it as a small addition to beige or light brown wallpaper.
- The cheerful yellow color combines with almost any other color, creates the effect of a sunny day in the room, and is great for lightening dark rooms.
- on the impression with the yellow ones. Color promotes working mood, raises tone, and attracts to communication. It is undesirable to use such wallpaper in the bedroom, it is best to glue them where your whole family often gathers.
- Brown wallpaper can cause sadness in a person, however, when combined with light shades, it can make a room a more noble, austere look. But they require more artificial lighting as they darken the room.
- Pink color is typical for romance, sensuality. A light pink shade evokes calmness, bright tones excite. Such wallpapers are quite suitable for brightening a girl's bedroom or in a bathroom.
- Aggressive red should be used in places where showiness and festivity are appropriate. This color stimulates the appetite, so it is worth using it in the dining room or in the kitchen.
- Purple wallpaper creates a sense of space in small rooms. This would seem to be a dark tone, but it does an excellent job of visually expanding rooms.
- Blue, on the other hand, narrows the space. This cool, soothing color reduces activity and induces drowsiness.
- Blue is the color of romantically minded people, it gives a feeling of comfort, reduces excitability. In some companies, blue rooms are used to resolve conflicts and disputes. Suitable for small rooms, allowing you to expand the space, suitable for children's rooms.
- Green is juxtaposed with life, confidence, visually pushing the walls apart. In such a room, it is easier to cope with anger, irritability, negativity.
- Striped wallpaper affects a person not so much with color as with a geometric pattern. The vertical stripes visually increase the height of the room. Horizontal stripes give the impression of increasing width. Bright colorful stripes create a good mood, playfulness. Classic - austere style.
As you can see in this article, the color scheme can be matched to increase light and space. For this, there are certain colors that can affect a person in different ways. You just have to decide what you want to achieve from a particular room.
It can be pleasant to be in a dark room: twilight gives rest from bright light, relaxes, promotes rapid falling asleep and helps, if necessary, create a romantic atmosphere. However, everything is good in moderation. Gloom is boring and depressing. Prolonged exposure to dark rooms can lead to stress and even depression. Particularly harmful are dark rooms in which people work, do business, and read. This applies not only to, but also to kitchens, children's rooms, living rooms.
Rooms with small windows or with a loggia / balcony can be dark, especially if they are drying clothes. If the windows face the north side, the rooms are usually cold twilight. How to make a dark room brighter? How to work with rooms with windows facing north? How to add light and warmth to the interior?
Darkroom design: how to make a room brighter?
1. Choose a finish in light colors
Nothing makes a room as bright as using tones close to white. The lighter the ceilings and walls, the more light in the room.
For a ceiling in a dark room, pure white is ideal. For the walls, you can use paint or wallpaper, both white and light beige.
If the windows face north and the weather is almost always cloudy, bright white walls are likely to be perceived as gray. This will make the room feel cold and uncomfortable. For such rooms, it is better to use a creamy finish. In a rectangular room, one of the short walls can be painted in - the room will immediately warm up and be filled with spring optimism.
If it is possible to remove the doors between rooms, it is worth doing it. If this is not possible, you should choose light doors with large-scale glass inserts.
5. Add lighting
A good move is to install LED lighting under the ceiling around the perimeter of the room. You can install "warm" lights directly above the window - so that they are behind the curtains. When twilight deepens, curtain the room and turn on the near-window light - it will feel like the sun is warming outside, and its rays penetrate the fabric of the curtains.
6. Use mirrors
One or two mirrors will be enough, depending on the size of the room. It is desirable to arrange the mirror so that it reflects and multiplies the light - ideally opposite the window or so that the chandelier "looks" into it.
7. Introduce "rays of color"
A monochrome white or cream room looks light but not joyful. To make the room not only bright, but also sunny, you can add bright accents of yellow, blue or turquoise.
A yellow rug can be placed on the floor of a dark room with a north-facing window. It will look like a bright ray of sunlight has penetrated in and painted a yellow circle on the floor. The room will become light in spring. You can add a few more yellow accessories, but in limited quantities.
To all participants of the Design Museum - who knows how to create a cozy atmosphere in dark rooms? Let's take a look at ten quick tips. For various reasons, the room is dark - these are tall trees under the windows, and the north side, and maybe a structural feature.
Living in such a house is neither practical nor comfortable. All the details of auxiliary artificial lighting should be considered. We carefully consider the design of the walls, because this is how you can visually reduce or enlarge the room.
1. Walk around the house - what makes your rooms dark and cluttered?
Walk around the apartment, look from the side of the guest - what seems superfluous to you? In creating individuality, any detail is important - this is conveniently arranged furniture, and well-chosen wallpapers.
To make a room brighter and more spacious, you may need to remove a huge cabinet that takes up a lot of space. A large mirror can be hung, it promotes a sense of spaciousness. We will decorate the windows with light and airy curtains.
2. Colors of furniture
The mood of the room directly depends on the coloring of the furniture. Products of dark colors are solid and monumental, they can be absolutely out of place in a small room. Light shades, on the other hand, will give the room a cheerful and cheerful look.
Sophisticated headsets coated with bright white varnish create a sense of aristocracy. The furnishings made of natural wood are always up-to-date. The color combination must be observed.
If the walls are traditionally white, the furniture can be almost any: red, red-brown, dark yellow, orange - to your taste.
3. Paint the ceiling
There are no problems with high ceilings: we make them in different configurations and in any color. For example, blue, will increase the space, remind you of the sky. Suspended - create the illusion of a starry night.
Modern tensioners can be of various colors, with patterns or monochromatic. It must be remembered that if in one room the ceiling is colored, then in others we add paint.
Compatibility and coherence should be in all rooms. But if you have low and rough ceilings in your house, only white colors will do, which will not visually reduce and press on top.
4. Choosing the right furniture for the kitchen
To begin with, you need to think about everything well and plan where and what will stand. Distinguish between the cooking area and the dining area. I want to visually enlarge a small kitchen.
Light pastel colors are suitable for wall decoration. Do not clutter up the area with dark and massive furniture. Modern kitchen sets, with facades of various colors, are perfect for any kitchen. Corner cabinets and tables will increase the usable area.
5. Kitchen lighting is the main aspect of comfort
With the right lighting, even small kitchens are very cozy and comfortable. Small lamps that can be placed under cabinets are handy for work surfaces.
It is important to hang a height-adjustable chandelier above the dining table. It is advisable to use a bright overhead light that does not create harsh shadows.
6. Cozy dark bedroom
Flip through magazines, look at photographs of dark-textured bedrooms, read recommendations from famous designers. You might want to create a mesmerizing dark bedroom.
Don't be afraid of dark wallpapers, you can get an amazing effect with them. In fact, there are many amazing benefits to choosing these materials.
The combination of pattern, texture with deep color creates a very comfortable atmosphere conducive to relaxation. This combination provides an amazing backdrop for various pieces of furniture, fabrics and decorative elements.
7. Balance dark wallpapers and textiles
Your bedroom is yours alone. Here you do not have to receive and accommodate guests, the sleeping area is just for you! Therefore, it is necessary to strike a balance in your individual style.
Use light colored bedding. It will contrast nicely with dark walls. And the snow-white bedding with colored edging looks just amazing!
Light tones of pillows, duvet covers and bedspreads will become the central point of the room's decor, as if attracting the eye. Colored prints will look attractive on linen. To match the glamorous style, you can purchase a white or silver bed.
A Scottish-style carpet looks interesting on the floor. The cage will add simplicity and at the same time expand the space. Burning candles will create romance.
A fragrant sachet in the form of rolls and pads will help reduce anxiety, stabilize the sense of peace of mind and immerse you in a sweet dream.
The main thing is not to overdo it with accessories. Many small objects scatter the eye, create the impression of being cluttered.
8. Lighting a dark bedroom
So that the room with dark wallpaper does not turn out to be too closed, we make the floors from light woods, linoleum or cover with bright carpets, enlivening with color elements.
Daylight and artificial lighting play a major role in creating comfort. We choose window curtains from transparent and light fabrics in pastel colors, we select silk curtains for them.
By hanging a sconce near the bed, you will balance the light in the room - this is the final touch. The lamp shade can be made in both dark and light colors.
9. Dressing room
The presence of a room larger than the old and inconvenient closet will save you from the daily shifting of things from shelf to shelf in search of the necessary things. Remove the bulky drawer - this will expand the living space and thereby increase the comfort of your home.
To do this, it is not necessary to allocate a separate room, you can simply fence off part of the room with sliding doors. Depending on the number of family members and their clothes, we determine the required area.
The owners of large apartments have advantages - they can equip a full, real dressing room, with mirrors, where you can go and choose an outfit or change clothes.
Pay special attention to the ventilation of the room, otherwise dampness and moisture will spoil not only your things, but also the walls with furniture. Fresh air must necessarily be the same as in all other rooms.
Natural light, if present, should be limited to blackout curtains as clothing will fade quickly. Artificial lighting should be bright enough to allow you to see yourself in the mirror and see things in the most distant corners.
10. Convenient zoning
The minimum dressing area should be about 4 square meters. m., with a depth of at least 1.5 meters, so that it is easy to move around. All dressing rooms, large or small, are equipped with shelves, drawers, which are equipped with light guides. It is important to fill the entire space from floor to ceiling.
Well-placed shelves and hangers are a guarantee of convenience for all family members. When planning a dressing room, delimit storage areas, taking into account the number, seasonality and need - this will help you navigate the size and height of the hangers. Take into account the purpose of things - for daily wear, adult or children's clothing.
Use special furniture lifts that are designed to move drawers from bottom to top and vice versa. In the inactive zone - these are places below 50 cm and above 2 m - rarely worn things are folded.
Various household items can be stored in the dressing room - iron, ironing table, vacuum cleaner.