The Best Ways To Lighten Up A Dark Bedroom

You can’t always help having a dark bedroom, but you can lighten it with clever tricks that won’t break the bank.

Most bedrooms are dark because they face north, have a small window, or have a tree or another building blocking the sun.

You can’t change the position of your bedroom, but you can invest in dimmable lighting to control the ambience, mirrors to reflect light, paint the walls white to ensure light bounces around and avoid dark furnishings.

We provide more colour below.

Low bed frame

A low bed frame is best for a dark bedroom because your bed can block a lot of light from hitting the walls and reflecting into your bedroom.

Lower beds also encourage lounging and relaxation—there’s just something awesome about climbing onto a mattress positioned barely off the floor.

Check out the Shed Beds Tokyo for the lowest possible sleep experience and the Nordic Mill Shake (pictured above) for something a little taller.

The colour of your bed frame can also affect airiness—white is best, although if you go low, colour is a secondary problem.

 Pictured: Shed Beds Tokyo Bed Frame – Grey. Priced £268. Available from Bedstar.

Stark white walls

They might sound a bit boring, but plain white walls are the best way to brighten up a dark bedroom—they increase the sense of space and reflect maximum light.

Adding a pastel-toned feature wall is fine, but don’t lump for dark colours because these absorb light and make your space even darker.

You can also add colour with exciting artwork, photos, books, wall décor, and soft furnishings like throws and rugs.

Be clever with your window

If you have a roller blind, keep it up during the day. The same goes for Venetian blinds and curtains with tiebacks.

Don’t plop tall photo frames on your windowsill that block light – instead, move them to the wall and use your windowsill for tiny ornaments.

For daytime privacy, white net curtains let in more light than blinds and curtains, providing excellent visibility out of the window but not inside.

Downlights

Downlights are the best ceiling lights for dark bedrooms because they cast no shadow and provide consistent illumination throughout the space.

Some downlights let you change the colour warmth by remote control (ideal for mimicking daylight or homely light).

Add some dimmer switches, and you will have a fantastic ceiling light solution to keep your bedroom bright all the time.

Mirror placement

Pictured: Milan Bed Company Florence 4FT 6 Double Ottoman Bed – Stone. Priced £481 (Save £197). Available from Bedstar.

The best place for a mirror is directly adjacent to your window to reflect light.

Alternatively, place your largest mirror on the wall that gets the most mid-day sun so your bedroom is brightly illuminated at home.

Tall mirrors are a better use of space than wide ones and have the added benefit of making it easy to choose fantastic outfits.

For children’s bedrooms, the Birlea Home (available in white or grey) is perfect. The house-style frame is ripe for dens and playtime, and it takes a standard single mattress on the solid slatted base (open coil and pure foam ones are great).

Pictured: Birlea Home 3FT Single Wooden Bed – White. Priced £301. Available from Bedstar.

Aluminium windows

Replacing your old wooden or UPVC windows with aluminium ones is an admittedly expensive project, but the thinner frames and larger glass panes allow much more natural light to stream into your bedroom.

Aluminium windows have additional benefits, too, like thinner casements, which allow for a triple-glazed panel where only a double UPVC one would fit before, and greater efficiency, thanks to the latest thermal break technologies.

Summing up

There are multiple ways to brighten up a dark bedroom.

The cheapest option is to declutter your space and paint the walls white. Add a low bed frame, and your space should be instantly brighter. Downlights are a terrific investment, and you can add a corner lamp for extra lighting in the evening.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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