How to Brighten Your Home and Increase the Perception of Space

Brightening your home has many overall benefits but it is also an important step when preparing to sell your home. Some of the considerations below can have a transformative impact on how well your home appeals to potential buyers. If you’re not thinking of selling right now, you can still enjoy the benefits of having a more spacious and bright home. Here are some ideas to think about as you begin your home preparations or if you’re just looking to bring more light and spaciousness into your home:

1. Use White. Like we learned in science class, white reflects light while other colours will absorb it. Not everything needs to be white, however. You can use white as one of your palette colours and use other colours to help liven up a space.
2. Paint. Painting has one of the highest returns on investment of any of your home maintenance projects and can enhance the brightness and spaciousness immensely. You don’t have to paint everything white but you should go with light and neutral shades like muted pastels, beiges, or light grey. Some whites can still absorb rather than reflect light. Do your homework and make sure you find the most reflective shade of the colour of your choice. Glossy paints may seem like the best choice but glossy paint doesn’t actually reflect light, it just creates glare. Matte paint reflects light evenly in all directions and is a better choice for most rooms in your home.
3. Mirrors. Mirrors reflect natural and artificial light, are best placed facing a window and also create an illusion of depth.
4. Lamps. If there are areas that aren’t getting enough natural light or if there are rooms without ceiling light fixtures, use floor and table lamps to brighten the space. Skinny bases and light-coloured lampshades will help to ensure the visual weight of the space isn’t negatively impacted.
5. Update Lightbulbs. Bulbs in the 3000-3500 Kelvin range are ideal for nearly every interior room of a home. They cast a bright, slightly warm, yet fairly neutral light that allows your home’s true colours to shine through. Soft white bulbs (2700K) are a bit too orange but are the second-best option.
6. Furniture. If you have a room that is small or dark try to avoid dark coloured furniture, especially large pieces like cabinets, bookcases and wardrobes. Stick with living room furniture that has legs rather than bulky pieces if possible. Furniture that is lifted up off the floor allows for more visual space underneath, helping a room appear larger. Glass and clear plastic furniture are great for small spaces as well. They take up less visual space and allow light to pass through.
7. Declutter and Minimalize. Whether you are planning to sell your home or not, downsizing and getting rid of unneeded belongings is a great way to improve the spaciousness of your home. If you are planning a move, going through what you want to keep and what you want to get rid of is going to save you a lot of time on the other end of your move. The bonus is that your home is going to look clean and spacious in the meantime.
8. Artwork and Accessories. Bright colours in your artwork help to energize a space and make it feel more spacious and open. If it goes with your colour scheme, try adding some metallics in your artwork or accessories. Metallics reflect light and also add an element of luxury, bringing additional life into a space.
9. Chandeliers and Light Fixtures. Crystal or light-coloured light fixtures are best.
10. Floors. Hardwood floors are beautiful but they can drain light out of a room. You can counteract this by adding lighter coloured area rugs. Jute rugs are great and match almost any design. They also add texture to a room which can make it feel warmer and more inviting. If you’re thinking about replacing your flooring, choose light colours. Dark wood stain on your floors is too harsh and absorbs too much light.
11. Windows and Curtains. Open blinds and curtains, avoid dark coloured window coverings, and to create the illusion of height and spaciousness, ensure curtain rods are mounted close to the ceiling. Keep windows clean inside and out and trim bushes and tree branches that may be obstructing sunlight.

Well, there you have it. A great place to get you started on your journey to a brighter and more spacious home. I hope you’ve found this article helpful. If you would like to get in touch, have any questions, or if you are thinking about buying or selling your home, I would love to help! Take care.

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Michelle Stevens
REALTOR®
Email: michelle@jewelhouserealestate.com
Phone: 705-970-6137
RE/MAX Hallmark Chay Realty Inc. Brokerage