You can look through a home all you want before you make an offer and pore over photos of the interior endlessly, you still never know exactly what you’re getting until you’re living there. If you’ve bought a house that’s darker than you expected it to be, it can be cause for dismay at first. Fortunately, there are plenty of renovations and simple home interior ideas you can use to bring more light into your home when you’re sick of the darkness.
Add Windows in the Kitchen and Living Room
The first thing to do is to add some windows in your home; the ideal locations for more windows are the kitchen and the living room, as they are where you spend the most of amount of time during the day and want to take advantage of natural light. When you decide to invest in new windows, there are plenty of choices to be made, including custom grille patterns, frame material, and even the type of windows that will fit in the space. If you decide that more windows are the way to go, consider visiting us at Golden Windows, with our showrooms in Kitchener, London, and Kanata, to see what works for your home.
Embrace Dark Colours
Charcoal is a popular colour right now; it’s stylish but not too cold and works very well with Nordic-inspired interior design. It may feel like you’re going against the grain when you paint a dark room in a darker colour, but if a well-placed mirror doesn’t do the job and you can’t add new windows to the room, it may be better to use the shadows in the room’s favour. Go with moodier colours to create a deeper, warmer feeling to the room, rather than trying in vain to bring out the precious little light there is.
French Doors, Mirrors, and Sliding Doors
If your home struggles with light on one side more than the other, try using French doors to let the light through the rooms; you can enhance the effect with a mirror on the opposite side of the room, too. Be careful not to go overkill with mirrors, and don’t leave them in direct sunlight; instead, you want to use them to catch diffused light. A room can also become quite disorienting if you use too many mirrors; stick to two walls and that’s all. On the main floor, sliding doors to the backyard can also open up more wall space to bring in natural light.
South-facing windows can cause overheating, while west-facing windows can lead to overwhelming light and heat coming in during sunsets. If you live in a house that’s naturally dark already, you likely don’t have to worry about overwhelming the house, but if you’re worried about direct sunlight and heat, using Low-E coated windows helps prevent heat energy from penetrating into your home. We have 4 different Low-E glazing options at Golden Windows for you to choose from and the type you want may be influenced by the way light comes into your home. If you’re considering a home renovation to bring more light into your home, consult with your contractor or with one of our professionals. The professionals at a Golden Windows showroom can help you decide which product is the best one for your home. Give us a visit today and lighten up your home.