Terra Sol Interiors featured on Redfin Blog: Design Tips for a Bright Home When Darker Days Arrive

Published on October 21, 2020 by Emily Huddleston in collaboration with Terra Sol Interiors

Whether you’re ready or not, the temperatures are dropping, the leaves are changing colors, and soon you’ll be preparing your home for winter. Unfortunately, this also means shorter, darker days are ahead, which can wreak havoc on your sleep schedule and mood. The good news is – you can still keep your spirits up and enjoy your time inside by trying to make your home as bright and cheery as possible.

To help you know where to start, we asked some of the top interior design experts from across the country to share their best advice on easy decor changes that will brighten up any room. Check out what they had to say so you can still have a bright home when shorter, darker days arrive. 

A bright and cheery master bedroom.
Design // @terrasolinteriors + Photography // @mirellecarmichaelphoto

Focus on your window treatments. The easiest way to create a bright home is to let as much daylight in as possible. To balance natural light and lofty drafts, use a light-colored sheer as your base layer. Sheers will filter in sunlight on a cloudy day, livening-up an entire room. Pair with a heavier curtain, in a neutral color, to provide an uplifting warmth. Hang curtain rods as high as possible to make your ceilings look taller, which in turn will make your space feel more open and bright. To further maximize daylighting, try high gloss paint on walls, ceilings and other reflective materials to further bounce around the light. – Studio SHK

Hang mirrors. Mirrors are my go-to decorative accessory. Put them across from windows to reflect the natural light and really brighten up the room. Move furniture away from windows so that you’re not blocking any natural light. – AW Design Studio

Use light to create light. Keep your space bright and cheery during the winter months using light to create more light, crazy right? Painting your room a bright white (we love Dunn Edwards Igloo) is a great place to start but you can also play with the light by adding a mirror or metal (something reflective) near a window or even a lamp. This will give the illusion of more light and help keep your energy levels up even as the sun goes down earlier in the day. – Terra Sol Interiors

Light and breezy.

Design // @terrasolinteriors + Photography // @mirellecarmichaelphoto

Incorporate biophilic design. As the amount of daylight hours lessens, some of us will feel a little down. Biophilic design can help lift one’s spirit by adding houseplants and increasing your artificial light levels for their (and your) best health. Employing Mother Nature in patterns, materials, and plants (artificial work too, for those without a green thumb), in addition to increasing your artificial light levels, will add loads to your cozy, warm, nurturing winter cocoon. – Marc t Nielsen Interiors

Brighten your home by adding soft textiles. These can include area rugs, pillows, and window treatments that have a lighter background color. The added contrast will brighten against dark wood floors, sofas, and walls. – Florida Living Quarters

Invest in some candles. When combating the cooler temperatures and darker days our best advice is to invest in some candles you really love. Instead of trying to fight the darkness, we say lean into it. Through a combination of scent and ambiance, you can really brighten up what might otherwise feel like a dark and dreary space. – Scout Modern

Create a bright home by layering your lighting. As these darker, chilly evenings settle in, soak your senses with warm, layered ambient lighting in various styles that suit your home’s design aesthetic. Be it chandeliers, pendants, sconces, floor or table lamps – the layers of light add depth and can encompass (or combine) a variety of any home’s style from transitional to classic, boho, traditional, modern, or eclectic. – Kalen’s Place

Buy a home with a fireplace and use it. It not only brightens your home and adds warmth, but it is also comforting, meditative, and mesmerizing. – Hilary Bailes Design

Cozy up your outdoor space. For my family (especially during covid), we spend the end of our workday in the backyard with a glass of wine and the pets. As the temps get cooler I prepped for our outdoor time in the backyard with a heat lamp and some new outdoor blankets. These have been essential to continuing our nightly outdoor time, especially if we’ve been stuck in the house working remotely all day. – Britney Melisse Design

Try a light therapy lamp on your desk. With more of us working from home these days, one way to brighten your home and your mood is by positioning a light therapy lamp on your desk. When you first sit down to work, turn on your light for your recommended daily dose and feel energized, happier, and more productive. – Susan Rains, CAPS certified Interior Designer at Susan Rains Design

Switch out your light bulbs. Change out your 3000+ kelvin bulbs and replace them with 2700 for a still bright but warmer light. – Elles Designs

Let in as much natural light as possible. Natural light is the most important element in brightening your home when darker days set in. We recommend keeping shades open or installing sheers to filter light and provide privacy, wherever possible. If nighttime privacy is a concern, consider adding layered window treatments to fit multiple needs like double drapery treatments that can be pulled at night for privacy, light control, and warmth. – Lotus + Lilac Design Studio

Approach the lighting in your home at three levels. From the top-down, bottom-up, and incandescent lighting at eye level. Top-down lights, such as recessed lighting, illuminate countertop surfaces, and corners of the room. Eye-level lighting includes fixtures such as table lamps or hanging pendants that create ambient lighting to help our home feel cozy, and allow us to utilize spaces such as end tables and desktops. For extra drama, you can use up-lighting (which are inexpensive and can be purchased at any big box store) and are great dropped in corners behind plants or a floor vase to create depth, shadow, and drama in your home. – Principal Interior Designer, Mikaelah Seifrits, Southern Grace Interiors

Lighten up a room with fresh flowers. We love adding decorative vases to tables in the main rooms of a home so you can add some fresh flowers especially ones with color. Tulips, roses, or whatever is available. A little color goes a long way to brightening up your home and the smell is so good too. – Bridget Beari Designs

Get rid of shutters & blinds. Switch them out for neutral and light drapery. – Kaytee Design Co.

Brighten up your home with accent lighting. Adding a floor lamp, table lamp, or sconce adds additional brightness to a room. Not only does it add light and functionality to a space, but it can add aesthetically as well, playing with the many shades and finish options available these days. – KSDesigns

Experiment with wallpaper. Add an unexpected touch to a ceiling with bright wallpaper. If that’s too much commitment, start with a peel and stick version for easy removal. – Delia Designs

Amplify the interior ambiance. I love taking advantage of these darker days by amplifying the interior ambiance by installing multiple levels of lighting. Thing pendants, wall sconces, and floor lamps all on dimmers allowing some of the vintage Edison bulbs filaments to be visible. Incorporating mildly-distressed and aged timbers like a reclaimed mantle, planked ceiling, and accent walls will cast a soft, warm glow highlighting the aged characteristics of the wood creating a cozy, natural organic atmosphere. – Virginia DesRoches Design