Up on the blog this week it's all about life at home as we approach Daylight Savings Time. I contributed to an article by Emily Huddleston of Redfin regarding Interior Design tips for brightening up your home when darker days arrive. Last week I mentioned my top three tips to to brighten up your interior and this week I am happy to share Emily's article, which includes a pile of tips from other Interior Designers for you!
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 design 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.
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
Photo Cred: Pinterest
Hang mirrors. (one of my tips too!)
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
Photo Cred: Pinterest
Use light to create light.
Keep your interior 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
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
Photo Cred: Pinterest
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
Experiment with wallpaper.
Add an unexpected touch to a ceiling with a bright wallpaper. Ceiling wallpaper works for most rooms because depending on the pattern, you can go very minimalist or luxe, and you can transform a boring interior design into the chicest thing you've ever seen. If that's too much commitment, start with a peel and stick version for easy removal.
When trying the trend, I recommend playing with your existing interior design style and make sure that the wall covering incorporates some of the colors that are introduced in the space below it. You don't have to purchase new accessories to try the trend—simply choose a color or pattern that you enjoy and keep existing pieces of the same color palette. – Delia Designs
Photo Cred: Pinterest
Create a bright home by layering your lighting. (another favorite tip of mine)
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
Photo Cred: Pinterest
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
Photo Cred: Pinterest
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
Photo Cred: Pinterest
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
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
Originally published by Redfin
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In addition to being a Philadelphia Multifamily Interior Designer, I also design boutique hotels, fitness centers, office spaces, residential development projects, other commercial spaces such as office and retail spaces, and the senior living community throughout the tri state area. We work here in Philadelphia, the main line, and even Nationally!
About the Interior Designer
Tina Delia, a native of Ocean County, NJ, current resident of Philadelphia, is the Founder and Principal Interior Designer of Delia Designs. For the past eleven years, Tina has been steadfast in her vision and continues to develop herself personally and professionally. She is dedicated to excellence and insistence on forward thinking design. At the forefront of her designs is the idea that our spaces have the ability to transform our lives. She is looking to move us, inspire us to see, think and create freely. After all, it's not only about creating beautiful spaces.
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