Winter may be filled with delights – cold, crisp mornings, the fiery hues of the last autumn leaves hanging on the trees, and the warmth and merriment of the approaching Christmas season – but it certainly has its shortcomings too. Chilly, dark, and dank, it can leave you feeling down in the dumps, especially when you have to go home to a house wreathed in shadows.
With little natural light to rely on, rooms can seem rather gloomy, but there is plenty you can do to lighten them up and create a warm and cosy glow. If you’re looking for some interior inspiration to help you achieve this, here’s what we suggest…
1. Add a Lick of Paint
Few things feel as uplifting as redecorating your home and bringing it more in line with your current tastes, and encroaching winter is the perfect excuse to freshen things up. The darker your rooms are, the smaller and dingier they will seem, so consider going back to basics and brightening your interiors with a lick of white or cream paint, or even some slightly more adventurous pastel shades. These should reflect the light back to perfection, helping to enlarge your spaces and make them feel much airier.
2. Create a new Colour Scheme
As we said before, winter is a perfect time to make some small changes to better suit the season, and one simple step you can take is to add an injection of colour. Keep the shades you use light and bright, like pale duck egg blue, marigold yellow, and pastel pink. Cream and white will also work well and will help to enhance the feeling of space and create a more uplifting aesthetic. It doesn’t need to be a complete overhaul: the addition of a few new accessories, like cushions and throws, will suffice.
3. Invest in some Mirrors
The likelihood is that you already have some light sources in your home, so another clever trick that you can use is to enhance the effect of these with the addition of a mirror or two. This doesn’t need to be a big investment, so it’s a great option for those working on a budget. The most effective way of achieving the desired illusion is to hang these opposite existing light sources, such as lamps or fairy lights. By doing so, their illuminating effect will be vastly exaggerated and your rooms will appear far brighter.
4. Hang Fairy Lights
There are lots of innovative and economical ways to brighten up your home in winter, and hanging fairy lights is one of our favourites, especially because there are so many of them on sale during the Christmas season. Luckily, they look great strung up all year round, which is why we suggest buying some and using them to outline your mirrors. You can just as easily hang them around your bedposts or above your mantelpiece, but our idea has the added benefit of increasing the illumination they give off.
5. Add a Touch of Neon
Hanging fairy lights will not only brighten your home but also alter its aesthetic, making it seem cosier and more welcoming. A neon sign can have the same sort of effect, adding a cool and quirky touch to your interior decorating. That’s why we suggest investing in one.
Available in a range of eye-catching colours and some fantastic designs, they can help you to personalise your home while also making it look gorgeously light and bright.
Easy to do even on a budget, the five top tips we’ve shared above could help to transform your home this winter, making it a much brighter and happier place to be. Which of them will you choose to try?
