Make Smart Furniture Choices

The material, colour and height of your living room furniture can have a significant impact on the brightness of the room. Pale sofas in shades of cream or beige, or light colours such as mint green or duck egg blue, will appear less bulky than sofas in darker shades of navy or grey, and will therefore make the room feel more spacious. You could also choose minimal, low to ground sofas, as well as coffee tables and other furniture that will open up the empty space above them to light. Alternatively, choose transparent coffee and side tables made from acrylic, that will float almost invisibly in the room.

Keep Walls Light and Empty

Painting your living room walls white is an effective solution to brightening the space. This is because white bounces light around a room, reflecting it back onto other surfaces and making the space look much bigger than it actually is. If all-white feels too boring, you could create a feature wall using coloured paint or wallpaper, but be sure to keep it relatively subtle so as not to jar with the other white walls. When it comes to artwork, walls in dark rooms should be kept as bare as possible. Choose no more than three items out of mirrors, wall hangings or pictures, as too many of these will close in the space.