A brighter home can help to create a more spacious appearance and potentially contribute to a higher resale value if you should ever put your home on the market. Here are a few easy ways to brighten up your home and let the sun shine in:

  • Keep your windows sparkling. Deep-clean your windows and screens to make sure sunlight is able to find its way in. After removing any dust and debris from the window, spray a mixture of vinegar and water and allow it to soak in. Wipe clean with a sponge and dry using a towel.
  • Use or add white in your color scheme. Even if you prefer not to make white the dominant color, you can still incorporate it to add brightness to a dark room. Add sheer, white curtains. To take full advantage of natural light, try switching to sheer, white curtains to brighten up darker rooms. Also, you can:

    • o Use white shelves, bookcases and picture frames.

    o Paint molding or door frames white.

    o Use white accent lamps with fluorescent bulbs that produce softer, more natural light than incandescent bulbs.

    o Display white ceramic pieces or decorative dishware on shelves or in a china cabinet.

    o Use white tablecloths or placemats in your kitchen or dining room.

    o Use white (or off-white) seat cushions for chairs.

  • Add mirrors to smaller rooms. Mirrors will work in two ways to make your rooms appear bigger and brighter. First, they reflect and distribute light throughout a room. They also create the optical illusion of a larger space. Other good options are crystal photo frames, mirrored coasters and glass collectibles (in groups of three or five). You can use glass, mirrors and crystal in wall art and lighting fixtures, too. If you have the budget for it, glass-topped tables with beveled glass inserts or edges make your other furnishings look lighter, brighter, cleaner and richer.
  • De-clutter. Cramped and cluttered rooms always feel darker, so minimize clutter on surfaces and walls to create order and a sense of a lighter, more open space. Use these ideas to open up and lighten your space:

    • Utilize your out-of-the-way storage spaces to help keep surfaces, bright, clean and open. Use benches and ottomans that open for storage for larger items and decorative trays or containers to keep items like magazines, keys and remotes from cluttering tables and countertops.

    o Avoid cluttering your walls with clusters of art. Keep in mind that one large piece of art on the wall will make the room appear lighter and more spacious than several smaller pieces.

    o Resist the temptation of adding too much furniture in a room, which can make it feel smaller and darker. Furniture in lighter shades also will brighten up a room.

  • Swap your light bulbs. Time to pay closer attention to the coloring of your home’s light bulbs. The difference between a warm white, a cool white, and daylight bulb can greatly change the feel of a room. If your home is anything like mine, you might find that some bulbs work better in some rooms than others; selecting a few and comparing live in your fixtures is the best way to see how it will really look. Those in-store displays situated beneath the fluorescents don’t always do the bulbs justice. Also, this is as good of a time as any to upgrade to LED bulbs for efficiency.

    • Simple tips like these can create a happier, healthier and more valuable home. Thank you for thinking of me for all of your real estate needs, and be sure to share my contact information with anyone you know of looking to buy, sell or invest in a home.