Making your home brighter

A key factor in our quality of life at home, good light keeps us visually comfortable as we go about our daily tasks. Bright surroundings also help keep the atmosphere at home cheerful, which boosts our physical and mental well-being. However, some homes don’t get much sunshine, so the amount of natural light coming in is relatively low. To remedy this, there are several ways to make your home brighter.

Arrange your furniture wisely

There is no point investing in new windows or piling up light fittings if your furniture is stopping the light from circulating properly. Making your home brighter therefore starts with making good use of the space in each room of your house, flat or studio. The first thing to do is move bulky furniture away from the windows. As well as darkening the room by blocking the light, such furniture tends to make a room feel cramped and oppressive. So place functional furniture away from bay windows and windows, and opt for pictures, mirrors, a small table or a few plants (hanging or in pots) instead. The bulkiest pieces should go against warm-coloured walls to add depth to a room. By rearranging your furniture to free up the space near the windows, you will instantly make your home much brighter.

Make the most of your window dressings

The second step to a brighter home is to replace heavy, dark curtains with sheer voiles. To let in as much natural light as possible, choose light-coloured or transparent voiles for your windows. This tip is simple but remarkably effective, especially in small rooms.

Choose your wall colours carefully

Light colours reflect light well, whereas dark colours absorb more of it. The third step to a brighter home is to repaint some of your walls in light colours. Why only some? To avoid a cold, monotonous feel throughout the house. The walls facing bay windows and windows are the main targets for this makeover, followed by the walls around windows and those near a roof window. Cream, off-white, turquoise blue, champagne yellow, powder pink and aqua green are just some of the light shades you can use to give your walls a new lease of life. By applying this simple method, your interior will be noticeably brighter. A little bonus: light colours make a room look more spacious. By repainting your rooms in light colours, you will create an airy, relaxed and soothing atmosphere.

In a bathroom or kitchen, dress the walls with light-coloured tiles to boost the brightness of the room. Matt or gloss, coloured or white, patterned or plain, you have a huge choice of colours to brighten up your kitchen or bathroom. Tiles are also highly decorative as well as easy to maintain. Zellige tiles, for example, are a safe bet for kitchen or bathroom wall tiling. A clean look and good light reflection are their main strengths, making them a great way to brighten certain rooms.

Choose the right furniture

The next step to a brighter home is choosing the right furniture. In keeping with the colour scheme, opt for light-coloured furniture with slim designs. This helps free up space and lets light spread well in every room of the house. In a dining room, choose white lacquered chairs that will reflect the light perfectly. In a living room, furniture with simple, refined shapes will bring a sense of lightness and style. Add a few plants here and there to bring your living room to life. Also go for furniture and decorative objects made of reflective or transparent materials. A clear glass coffee table, a lacquered chair, silver figurines or flowers in a glass vase: you can complete your furnishings as you please, taking care not to overload each room so as to keep the understated, airy feel that goes with plenty of light. You can even vary the mood in each living space by adding decorative objects in warm colours such as brown, red or orange. Among other things, choosing the right furniture helps you make better use of space and improves the flow of light in your home.

Use mirrors and reflectors

A simple, effective way to brighten your home is to place a large mirror directly opposite a window. This instantly makes a small room brighter, while creating a space where natural light is spread as widely as possible. Another advantage of mirrors is that they add depth to a room thanks to an attractive optical effect. If you don’t have a large mirror, you can just as well group small mirrors side by side on the wall that gets the most natural light. It is both simple and very decorative. Reflectors, meanwhile, bounce light from outside directly into a room. Placed on window sills or balcony ledges, reflectors will considerably increase the amount of light in your home.

Choose light-reflecting flooring

If you have the chance to replace the flooring throughout the house, go for it. In the bathroom and kitchen, choose tiles. Tiles reflect natural light very well without dazzling you. Opt for patterned tiles in light colours. In other rooms, wooden flooring is in fashion. Here too, choose light-coloured wood and lay it in the direction of the light. If you can’t replace your flooring, simply put a large white rug in a living space, especially the living room. With regular cleaning, the rug will stay white for years and the room will be noticeably brighter.

Use several light sources

On top of natural light, you can greatly improve the brightness of your home by carefully choosing the light fittings you install. Remember that to achieve harmonious lighting throughout your home, three types of light fitting should be installed in most rooms:

•        Main lighting: as the name suggests, this is a light fitting that gives off powerful light to light an entire room. To keep the people using the room visually comfortable, it is essential that the main light gives off a light close to daylight.
•        Task lighting: this is a fitting designed to provide powerful light focused on a specific area of a room. This might be the reading corner in your home, your desk or the worktop in the kitchen. As a rule, a task light gives off a cool, bluish light to help you concentrate.
•        Ambient lighting: this is a light fitting designed to create different moods in a room depending on what people are doing and what they need. Giving off a less powerful light than the main light but a warmer one than the task light, ambient lighting is mainly decorative.

Your choice of light fitting mainly depends on how the room is used, its decorative style and its size. Based on these three criteria, you have plenty of options for lighting every room in your home:

Ceiling lights

Perfect for lighting every room in your home, the ceiling light is the main light fitting par excellence. Designer, rustic, neo-retro, modern or minimalist, a ceiling light fits easily into any interior style.

Chandeliers

Majestic and elegant, a chandelier guarantees excellent lighting in the largest rooms of your home. Highly decorative, chandeliers usually take pride of place in living spaces such as the living room or bedroom. This stylish fitting will give your home the level of brightness you want.

Floor lamps

To save space and gain light in every room of your home, choose a floor lamp for task lighting. In a living room, bedroom or dining room, a floor lamp guarantees both light and style. Whatever your interior style, you will easily find a floor lamp to suit you.

Portable lamps, desk lamps or candles

When it comes to ambient lighting, nothing beats the look and originality of portable lamps and candles. With these stylish, timeless lights, you can bring more light into your home while creating a cosy atmosphere in every room.