One of the more often-neglected aspects of interior design is lighting. Lighting can vastly influence the overall color-palette, and mood, of a room. But it can also contribute to that all-important sense of space, which, in larger rooms, is crucial. This is especially the case if you’re renting, and lave limited scope to redecorate. Let’s take a look at a few ways of making any room look larger, with the help of a little bit of lighting.
Spread Light Evenly
If the only sources of light in your room are the fixed ones in the centre, then, almost inevitably, the corners of your room will end up looking darker. This is especially so if you have large items of furniture in the way, like sofas and dining room tables. You can get around this by placing smaller standing lights in the corners of the room, or wall lights on suitable blank spaces. In this way light will be distributed into parts of the room that would otherwise have been dark, and you’ll be left with a greater impression of space.
Use Pendant Lights in Taller Rooms
If you have a relatively small floorspace, but a high ceiling, then you might draw attention to the latter by opting for dangling pendant lamps. These help naturally draw the eye upwards, and accentuate the vertical size of the room while disguising its shortcomings at floor level.
Incorporate Mirrors
Mirrors naturally increase the subjective size of the room. They do this in two ways. First, larger ones might, at a glance, give the impression that the walls are further away than they actually are. Second, mirrors help to naturally disperse light around the room. This is especially advantageous when it comes to natural light, which has just a single source. Another advantage of mirrors is that they’re far cheaper to run than electric lights.
Deal with clutter
Of course, all of the smaller items in your room will prevent light from spreading, and the result will be an impression of a smaller space. Few things make space feel more cramped than an abundance of clutter. Avoid over decorating your walls. Just a single large painting is usually better than several small ones. Similarly, shelves which are covered in smaller decorative items should be kept clear, especially glass shelves which would otherwise allow light to naturally percolate. Clutter can have a negative effect on your mood and mental health, which will only be accentuated if you’re self-isolating for weeks on end – so get rid of the stuff you don’t need!