It’s almost officially the start of spring! You might be looking around at your home about now and wondering where all the light & color has gone, though. Today I want to show you 8 Simple Ways to Brighten Your Home!
Tip #1: Add a fun rug with pops of color.
Dark rugs can bring the whole vibe of a room down and make a room feel smaller. By adding a rug with some fun pattern and/or color, you can instantly breathe new life into an otherwise bland space!
Apartment Therapy provides some great room inspiration with fun rugs. I particularly love this bright Aztec print.
Tip #2: Put a little light on the subject.
If you have a room without windows, like my own half bath on the main level of the house, using the right light bulbs can make a world of difference. Try daylight bulbs for some faux natural light!
The 36th Avenue gave their bathroom a makeover and added daylight bulbs to really open up the space. It’s amazing what one little light bulb can do!
Tip #3: Swap out dark, heavy curtains for sheer white.
The sun stays out longer in the spring, so do your home a favor and let the sunshine in, but without sacrificing privacy or style. Sheer white curtains do just that!
This beautiful home featured on DecorPad is a perfect example. The sheer curtains add a softness to the room and let that happy sunshine in!
Tip #4: Add fun accessories, like pillows and artwork, in bright colors.
Add white mats to your photo frames, paint wooden frames bright colors, hang photos of flowers, swap out throw pillows and vases for those in brighter colors. The possibilities are endless!
Living in Bleu has an amazing space filled with pinks, greens, yellows…all on a beige sofa. Grab a couple cans of spray paint in your favorite happy colors and add some bright cheer to your decor!
Tip #5: Lighten up your bedding.
Oh how I wish I could pull off a white comforter…but I have 3 dogs, two of which are black labs and shed like crazy. (Did I mention they like to snuggle in our bed on the weekends?)
I can’t have white, but I do have a pretty light-colored duvet on our bed that does a lot to brighten up our room. If you can pull off white, go for it!
Jamie at Southern Revivals updated her master bedroom, complete with white bedding, and it looks absolutely stunning! It’s nice to create a neutral base palette in each room, then add color as the seasons or your tastes change, and white bedding is perfect for that.
Tip #6: Paint the trim white.
We lived in an older home a few years ago that was covered in dark wood trim…and I hated it. That was back when we were flat broke and couldn’t afford a can of white paint, so it had to stay that way. But if you have the means, and dark trim, I encourage you to whip our your paint brush and go to town!
Now this might be an ongoing project that you do little by little until it’s done, like Welcome to Heardmont did with their trim, but it’s absolutely worth the time and effort! And once it’s done, it’s done – you just have to sit back and enjoy your freshly brightened home!
Tip #7: Clean your blinds & windows, then open them up!
If you’ve been covered up in snow this winter, or even just got a lot of cold and rain, your windows paid the price. And your blinds are probably full of dust from sitting idly by all winter long. Time to dust them off and open the windows!
Creatively Southern has an easy way to clean your blinds, which I have recently added to my own to-do list. Before putting your blinds back on your windows, give the windows and sills a good scrubbing, too, then open your windows and let in the fresh air!
Tips #8: Try a fresh coat of paint.
For as little as $20, you can buy a can of paint and freshen up any room in your home. We recently painted my daughter’s bedroom, taking it from turquoise and brown, to bright white with a dark purple accent wall, and it’s a massive difference. (The room reveal will most definitely be on the blog at some point!)
Prime example: My own laundry room makeover. The previous owners painted the laundry room a dark terra cotta orange, so I brightened up this basement space with a happy & bright blue. A quick covering of the concrete slab in light grey added even more light to this formerly dungeon-like space.
PIN IT for reference!
Your turn: How do you add light & color to your home? Leave a comment below!
One Response
Kirsten, these tips are AMAZING….I definitely need to try to “spring-a-fy” my home!