19 Designer Tips for Lightening Up a Dark Room

The many facets of a crystal chandelier will reflect other light sources, including the sun and lamps, throughout a space. In this Lebanese mountain home, a Turkish chandelier is centered in a room with oversize windows.

Blue skies brighten the world. By painting the ceiling a light blue, designer Rodney Lawrence created an optical illusion that opens up this Quogue, New York, living room.

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. A glossy ceiling finish reflects light well, and it adds an unexpected element to a room.

There are plenty of window-treatment options on the market that provide privacy without turning your abode into a vampire’s lair. Get rid of heavy, dark curtains that absorb light, and instead opt for translucent shades that allow sunshine to spread throughout the room.

Incorporating shimmery gold or silver accessories is an easy way to transform a dark and dreary space. The simple addition of a metallic mirror, light fixture, piece of artwork, or even a decorative object has a way of reflecting light and making a design scheme feel more luxurious.

If light can’t reach your window, it certainly won’t be able to brighten your room. Make sure any bushes or trees near your windows are trimmed regularly, and avoid planting trees on the southern side of your home (as Scandinavian Home Staging explains, the sun will be too high for the trees to provide shade in the summer, and in the winter, the foliage will block your windows from solar warmth).

It may seem counterintuitive, but glossy walls can create glare rather than reflect light equally. Matte surfaces, on the other hand, reflect light in every direction.

Yes, we know. This one seems a tad obvious, but simply cleaning your windows can have a major effect on how much sunlight streams into the room. The less dirt, dust, and splatters on your windows, the more sunshine can peek into your room. (Plus, cleaning a window is way easier than installing more windows.)

Carefully think about where you place light fixtures throughout your space. The New York Times reports that indirect lighting aimed upward (say, a torchiere at the back of the room) can make up for lack of light on the ceiling as daylight dwindles.

You love your art, but do you love it more than a healthy dose of vitamin D? Save your large, dark artworks for rooms that aren’t short on light. If you cover a wall with paintings or posters, they will absorb the little sunlight streaming into your space rather than reflect it.

Bookshelves or partitions should never be parallel to a window, or they’ll obstruct the light. Carefully consider the flow of daylight and how you want to promote it.

This isn’t the place to try out a moody, dark color palette. Think back to sixth-grade science: The lighter the color of your walls, the more light they’ll reflect. If your walls are neutral, paint the ceiling a shade lighter to help light bounce around the room.

While you don’t want to go glossy on the walls (remember: glare), reflective surfaces can play to your advantage when it comes to bouncing light. For a room with limited sunlight, opt for glimmering items such as acrylic accents, translucent furniture, and mirrored surfaces like a reflective coffee table.