Windowless rooms like finished basements, home offices and lofts as well as rooms that have windows but don’t get a lot of natural light, can look really dark and dull. If you don’t have the money to get windows put in the space or its simply not an option, but you don’t want it to look so “blah” paint works wonders for these rooms, you simply have to know how to go about it so that you can really brighten up the room and make it feel lighter, brighter and bigger. If you want some tricks and tips on how to go about this, read below for more information.
Light Paint Colors
One of the best ways to go about this is to simply use light colors, rather than dark paint colors in the space. Light paint colors can make a room not only feel and look brighter but also make a small room look and feel bigger too. Light colors create a cheerful look but make sure you stay away from stark white though because this is a very boring color and it looks even worse when you add in artificial light. Instead, think about adding in some neutral colors, warm colors, or even cooler colors to give the room layers ie; a sense of depth. Think about what you want to use that room for and then choose your colors based on that. For example, if it’s a breakfast nook; a place to have your coffee and breakfast in the morning, consider yellows as the base for your paint. On the other hand, if it’s a reading nook; a place to go, sit and relax and unwind while reading a book or two, think about blues and greens because blues and greens are considered to be two of the best colors for relaxing! Also, if you want to make the room appear bigger, think about painting the ceiling a few shades lighter than the walls, this fools the eyes into thinking the room is bigger when it’s really not.
Dark Accents
While you want to stay away from dark paint colors on the walls, this doesn’t mean you can’t have your favorite dark paint color anywhere in the room, but it should be placed instead on the accents in the room. This can either be done with paint, or it can be done with things like pillows that are red, furniture that is orange, a new wooden coffee table painted black, etc. By the way, don’t count black out! Black used as an accent color can really make a piece stand out, black is also good for use on something architectural in the room that you want to make a focal point when you first walk in the room.
Paint Sheen Matters
Paint is one of those things that isn’t sold “as is”, these days it also comes in a lot of different sheens or shines if you want to get technical about it. The sheen is the shine or lack thereof. If you have a small dark room you want to make brighter, think about adding in a glossier paint – this will be perfect for a windowless room, and it adds reflectivity when you add in extra artificial light. Consider semi-gloss and high gloss for the room and as an added benefit, these two paints are super easy to keep clean, they are perfect for moisture ridden rooms and very durable. You can clean these with a wet warm rag and whatever stains or dirt is on the walls will come right off. If you have perfect walls ie; walls with zero blemishes, cracks, pits, holes, etc you can also consider using eggshell paint because this has the ultimate effect when it comes to artificial light and reflectivity and once it’s on the walls it can help hide future blemishes and imperfections. If you are looking to make a dark room brighter your best bet is to consult with a top interior painter in Summit. The Summit NJ painter will be able to give you your top color choices as well as information on sheen…
Adding Artificial Light
You might be surprised at how well artificial light will do in a dark or windowless room. Add in all sorts of lighting, not only for adding brightness but also for ambiance. Think about uprights, lamps, etc. These will help the light bounce off of the walls and ceilings and in turn create more light. When choosing covers and shades for the lamps, choose lighter colors so that the light can come through the shades and covers rather than block it.
Another thing to think about is mirrors. Mirrors, like the gloss paint spoken about above, can reflect light, plus if put in the right spot they can also make the room appear bigger than it really is. It’s a little trick and yet it works really well. Once you are finished with the paint, flooring, furnishings and light, add some colorful displays and accessories like framed art, flower vases, whatever you like.