Living rooms come in all shapes and sizes, and inevitably have different levels of natural light. If you find yourself with a dark living room, whether due to its orientation, layout or window size, we’ve detailed some of our top tips for how to use clever tricks to brighten the space.

Reflect Light with Large Mirrors
One of the most well known pieces of advice about how to increase light in a dark room is to put large mirrors in it. But where exactly you position a mirror will have an impact on how much it boosts the light in the room. It’s best to put a mirror close to a light source, for example by placing a giant floor mirror next to a window or a lamp, as this allows the mirror to reflect more light than if it was further away. Alternatively, you could mount a large mirror on a wall which will give the impression of the room having an extra window.
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.


Use Pale Coloured Window Treatments
Whether you want blackout curtains or soft drapes, choosing a pale colour for your living room window treatments will help keep the space feeling light. White, beige or pale grey works well, and any patterns are best kept subtle. Alternatives to curtains such as blinds or shutters will prevent your window treatment from taking up any space in your living room. Another advantage of using blinds is that when they are pulled right up, they expose the whole window therefore allowing maximum light into the room.
Image credit: delightfull.eu, anthropologie.com, nordicdesign.ca
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