How to brighten interior spaces

If spring and summer are seasons when homeowners focus their renovation energy on outdoor living spaces, that attention shifts back inside upon the arrival of autumn.

People tend to spend much more time indoors than outside come late autumn and throughout winter. The ambiance inside in autumn and winter is notably different, as fewer hours of daylight can darken interior spaces. Finding ways to brighten home interiors can make spaces more inviting in late autumn and throughout winter:

• Layer with sheer and blackout curtains. The simplest way to brighten interior spaces is to allow natural light to illuminate them, but that can be difficult in homes with blackout curtains. Blackout curtains are highly effective at keeping light out, but they won’t do much to brighten interior spaces in winter. Layer blackout curtains with sheer curtains so you can still get some privacy but brighten interior spaces with natural light at the same time.

• Add lighting wherever possible. The days when interior lighting was limited to floor lamps and overhead fixtures are long gone. Various types of lighting can now be used to brighten interior spaces throughout winter. Recessed lighting is a relatively inexpensive upgrade that can brighten any room in a home at any point in a day. Unlike a traditional overhead fixture where the light emanates from a single source, recessed lighting can be installed in various points in the ceiling so each corner of a room can be lit up. In addition to recessed lighting, under cabinet lighting in kitchens and on bookshelves can brighten spots that traditional fixtures typically fail to illuminate. Layering the lighting so light comes from various sources can create a brighter feel.

• Use color to your advantage. Color is another tool that can be used to brighten interior spaces in winter. If homeowners are reluctant to paint walls with new and brighter colors, then accents can lend rooms a lighter feel. Vibrantly colored throw pillows, blankets and fixtures can create a lighter feel when residents and guests enter a room. Artwork with light colors also can help to brighten interior spaces.

• Wash the windows. They are easily overlooked, but dirty windows can block natural light and greatly reduce the amount of light entering a home through the windows. Clean the interior and exterior of your windows prior to winter so any grime that has built up in recent months and years is not preventing light from entering your home.

It can be a challenge to keep interior spaces bright over winter. But there are many ways homeowners can illuminate interior spaces.