When you’re selling a house, there are a lot of tricks to the trade…some of which you may have no clue about! For instance, if you are a night owl who enjoys darkness, you probably don’t realize that the majority of house hunters are looking for homes that are light and bright. The amount of time and money you’ve spent on room-darkening blinds likely won’t impress them any, and may just scare them away. The main reason for this is that light, bright rooms appear larger and cleaner than dimly lit ones. (Which also means you have to be sure the rooms really are clean!) People want a crystal clear view of what they are getting, both in photos and during their walk through. It is definitely worth your time and effort to lighten and brighten your house.
Five Ways To Brighten A Dark Room
- Get rid of dark curtains and blinds
- Paint the room a light color
- Hang Mirrors Strategically
- Use Floor Lamps To Reflect Light
- Avoiding hanging lots of prints on the walls
The first one seems rather intuitive, but many people don’t do it. Get rid of heavy, dark drapery. It’s dated and makes the room seem dark. Aim for sheer, airy curtains in a light shade or even just plain Venetian blinds. The new trend for windows is that less is better – and while you’re at it, make sure the windows are extremely clean and shining!
The room should be a light color that reflects light well. Even rooms with little natural light will seem bright and airy if they are painted light yellow or a pale orange. Statement walls are fine for large rooms with a ton of natural light, but with smaller rooms, it’s best to stick to lighter paint colors.
Hang mirrors strategically so that they reflect light and make the room seem larger. Be careful with this – don’t hang so many that the room takes on the appearance of a fun-house! It should be tastefully done and not blatant.
Floor lamps are wonderful creations because they don’t take up a lot of space, can be moved around easily, and they reflect light off of the ceiling. This adds to the depth of any room. Place them in corners that are dark or aren’t getting much natural or artificial light otherwise.
While a couple beautiful prints or paintings on the walls are a terrific idea, too many defeat the purpose of having a room painted a light color, particularly if they are dark-colored paintings or have very dark frames. It’s best to limit pictures to two or three, and make them large prints rather than many little prints, which will detract from the airy flow of the room.
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