None of us want to live in a dark and depressing home. After all, humans need light, both natural and otherwise to stay functional and happy. That is why taking the time to make your home a brighter place is a task well worth the effort. The good news is you can find some ingenious suggestions on how to brighten up even the darkest and drabbest of homes in the post below. 

Arrange your furniture in the right way 

Blocking your window with big and bulky items of furniture is always a bad idea, so be sure to leave the line of sight to your windows open for maximum natural brightness.

Similarly, items like your sofa or a bookcase will look better in a position where light can reflect onto them, especially if they are lighter in color. Indeed, if you are looking to brighten up a room, be sure to choose lighter woods like ash, or bleached pine, as well laminate with the white finish can work wonders.

Invest in a bigger window 

Light enters our home through windows, so it stands to reason that installing a larger window makes sense. However, many homeowners have put off this strategy because of the hassle involved. After all, it's not always easy to find a provider that can match your windows needs, or allow you to design a custom option. Then once you have done this you will need to find somewhere to have the window made, and after that someone to install it in your home for you. 

Fortunately, one-stop window replacement services like Renewal by Andersen have the solution to all your window woes. Such services can design, manufacture, install and service your new larger window for you too, which means that you only need to speak to one company for the entire process, making it far faster, and less stressful. 

Add additional lighting 

Adding more lighting to your home to make it brighter may seem like a no-brainer, but it is hugely effective. This is because most homes are built with overhead lighting only. Unfortunately, this type of lighting is not the most effective option for brightening the home. 

Instead, it's important to add additional forms of lighting such as recess lighting, table lamps, and floor lamps. Indeed, these options will not only increase the wattage available in the room but also add texture and interest. Additionally, lighting can also be moved around and positioned in the spaces that most need it, again enhancing the overall brightness and look of the room. 

Make the best use of mirrors

Another very smart way of brightening your home is to strategically use mirrors in your decor. Indeed, you can use mirrors that hang on the walls, as well as mirrored items of furniture. The value of such mirrored surfaces is two-fold. The first benefits are that they reflect the light and so cause a space to seem brighter. However, they also reflect the room well, and it's this trick that helps to make a space seem larger too, which can further enhance the atmosphere. 

Be warned though mirrored furniture can be a real pain to keep clean, so if you have young kids or overly enthusiastic pets, you may want to limit your mirror use to the walls. Otherwise, you could find yourself spending a great deal of your free time polishing! 

Choose the right doors 

While open-plan living is popular right now, you will need at least some doors in your home. With that in mind, if you want to create a brighter and more open space be sure to choose drawers that are not solid, but have windows in them to let more light in. 

The great thing about doors with windows is that there is such a wide range of options to choose from. These include clear glass, frosted glass, stained or pattern glass, and even reinforced security glass for outside doors. 

Keep your decor minimal

It's also possible to create a sense of space and light in a room by keeping your decor to a minimum. Indeed, by choosing a minimalist style, with pale-colored furniture pieces, plants like succulents, and neutral tones, and by keeping your surfaces clutter-free you will allow light to hit every corner of the room, without casting too much shadow. 

Of course, lighter items of furniture will reflect the light too and if you combine them with the other tips in this post, you are sure to create a wonderful space that is as bright and pleasant to live in as possible.