A home that is dark and cramped can often make you feel closed in, claustrophobic and stressed. Luckily, there are plenty of things you can do to help brighten up your home to make it feel more open, spacious and inviting. If you feel like your home has begun to feel a bit cramped and dingy, check out these tips to easily change that!
Declutter and organise
A great place to start when trying to make your home feel more spacious and open is to declutter and organise. If your home is cluttered it can quickly feel like the walls are closing in on you. If you’re not good at decluttering or getting rid of old belongings, try and use the 6 month rule. If you’ve not used it in the last six months and won’t use it in the next six months, consider donating it, selling it, or just putting it in the bin. Or, if you really don’t want to let go of it, consider using a storage unit or popping it in the attic.
Paint your walls a lighter colour
Dark walls immediately make a room feel smaller. While darker colours can be great for decor and style, if it’s making your home feel and look dark and dingy, it might be time to paint over it with a lighter colour. That doesn’t mean you have to have all white or magnolia walls! Pastel colours are really in at the moment, and will effectively brighten up your room without being boring.
Refresh your windows
There are a number of ways you can refresh your windows, and it all depends on your budget. If you’re looking to cut costs a little, consider replacing your blinds or curtains with a material that isn’t so heavy, or maybe even switch up the colour to match your freshly painted walls!
If your curtains aren’t the issue, you might consider contacting a company like Phair Windows & Glass to talk about installing larger windows in your home. This doesn’t mean you need to replace every window, but there might be some strategic switches you can make that will make a world of difference to how your home feels.
Hang more mirrors
Mirrors are a fantastic way to make a room look and feel bigger. They reflect light which in turn makes a room feel brighter. Try strategically placing mirrors throughout your home to make it feel larger and more spacious.
Use complementary lighting
Lighting plays a huge role in how a room is perceived. Overhead lighting, while useful, can be too harsh and create shadows in the room. Table lamps, fairy lights and floor lamps are a great way to add complementary lighting to a room. Not only that, but the right lighting can create a warm and inviting atmosphere to your home.
Replace or cover your furniture
Dark or bulky furniture can make a room feel cramped and closed in. When choosing furniture for your home, it’s important to choose pieces that are right for the space. If you can’t afford to replace all of your furniture, consider covering them with throws that are lighter in colour. For large and bulky items that you can’t cover with a throw, consider giving it a lick of paint to give it a new lease of life. Frenchic have a fantastic line of colours that is specifically made for painting furniture!
Minimise wall and shelf decor
While decor on the walls and on your shelves can add a great amount of personality to a room, it can also have the adverse effect of making it feel cluttered. Place beautiful ornaments on shelves and pack things like books and magazines away elsewhere. Wall and shelf decor is often better when kept at a minimal, so why not give it a go and see the difference it can make!
Add plants
Plants are a wonderful way to add life and a pop of colour to your home. Not only do they help purify the air in your home, but they help create a more inviting and relaxing atmosphere in the home. You can also utilise overhead space with hanging baskets or small potted plants if you don’t have space for a large potted plant on the floor.
Create a focal point
Finally, a focal point helps create depth and dimension to a room, and it doesn’t have to be over the top either. You can paint or wallpaper one wall to stand out from the rest, or you can use artwork as the focal point. Either way, doing this makes your home look and feel more inviting and most importantly, less cramped.
