Be Inspired to Bring Light Into Spring at Carpet Court

Darren Palmer has a broad portfolio, having studied fine art & graphic design, originally working in advertising and owning his own graphic design company. After succumbing to his true passion, Darren now operates his own interior design studio and has been a judge on numerous seasons of The Block.

Natural light is beautiful – it brings warmth, brightness, and glow to a home. For homes that don’t have the opportunity to have a light-flooded home, how do you create that feeling when working with the available light that you have?

As we head into spring, brightening your home will make it feel fresh, vibrant, and fun.

HOW TO BRIGHTEN A DARK ROOM

To help you brighten a dark room, there are a few hacks that will help you make the most of what light you have available.

Brighten your walls

When it comes to walls, the brighter the better! Working with light-coloured walls allows the light in a room to bounce off the walls and illuminate your home. The more of the light spectrum that the walls absorb, the less light it will provide, making your room darker. The best place to start when brightening your room is to focus on the colours of the materials, wall finishes, soft furnishings, window coverings and flooring and ensure that they are as close to white as possible.

Brighten your floors

One of the most effective ways to brighten a dark room is through flooring. Many light flooring finishes can be found in hard flooring options, such as Carpet Court’s Laneway in Natural Oak or White Oak. The Precinct Oak in Loire or even Indus have natural features that can add a depth of colour and character to each room.

Use reflective surfaces and window coverings

Another great hack is to bounce light into your home by using reflective finishes or surfaces. Though reflective paint can be problematic, using smooth surfaces such as mirrors is a great way to increase the visual size of a room by bouncing as much available light into your home as possible.

Another great way to bounce light into a room is by reflecting off the blades of venetian blinds or plantation shutters, such as Carpet Court’s Indoor Plantation Shutters. You can angle the blades to capture the light and adjust the angle throughout the day as the sun moves.

HOW TO LIGHTEN A DARK ROOM WITH NO NATURAL LIGHT

Use manufactured light

If you’re unable to access natural light, then you’ll need to get creative with manmade light sources. Think about lighting as a way to create different levels of interest – it’s not just about the brightness, but also for drama, focus, depth, shapes and layers.

Manufactured light sources can take multiple forms. Whether you’re using downlights, perimeter lights, pendant lights or step lights, each add depth and interest to a room. Pendant lights help to create sculptural interest and step lights are a great way to spray light where you walk. Spotlights, lamps and library lights also have a place in creating the brightest home possible. You can even cheat the look of a skylight with a ceiling inset faux skylight from Illume.

HOW TO BRIGHTEN A DARK ROOM -
BEFORE AND AFTER

Here is a perfect example of how you can brighten a tight, dark space. Even with the bedroom door open at the end of the hallway and the big glass door to the garden, it was still very dark.

Now, with the addition of brighter walls and manufactured lights, let there be light!

HOW TO BRIGHTEN A ROOM WITH DARK CARPET

If you have dark floors, whether they’re carpet or floorboards, you need to use all of the tricks and tips to brighten your home. When you’re combining some, or all, of these tips you can end up with a very bright space, so the contrast of a darker floor is just what the doctor ordered.

Carpet Court has some great options for darker coloured carpets, such as Focus in Nightfall or Expanse in River. However, if you want to break up a slab of dark flooring, why not try a light, natural fibre rug such as Carpet Court’s Bondi range in White.