Everyone’s initial reaction to lighten up a dark room is to fill it with white. But you should STOP. Yes we love white here and it looks amazing in a lot of rooms, but there are so many other options as well if you’re willing to put in a little color here and there.

It could be that you have little natural lighting in your home, you may have dark interiors (floors, walls, trim, etc), or that maybe you really like dark wood and leather furniture but you don’t want your home to look like a dungeon.

Here are 5 tips to help you lighten that room:

 1. Color

Use color, but not bright obnoxious colors. Lime green, bright red, and electric yellow are not a great way to go because you’re desperate to liven up a room, rather use more rich and deeper colors. Here one of our talented designers put together a fabulous presentation room with a deep blue and some ruby red to bring the room to life with the dark furniture.

 2. Mirrors

Mirrors reflect movement, making a room appear more lively. They will pick up any light in the room and help intensify it.

 3. Rugs

Add a lighter color rug to the room. Rugs can make or break a room, but going with a lighter hue in shade is surely to brighten a room as area rugs are the foundation to your room.

 4. De-clutter “stuff”

A dark room should be free from clutter leaving a more open appearance. Junk and packed counters and tables only draws your focus into small corners making it appear darker.

 5. Add bling

Similar to mirrors, reflective pieces in the room again pick up on the light in the room and help bring more light around the room. Chrome, silver, and gold can all be great depending on the theme of your room.

What have been some of your solutions for a dark room in your home?