Do you have a room dark enough to qualify as a cave? No offence intended but I haven’t found a single sane person who prefers a dark room over a light one. Yes, there was a time when dark rooms were used for developing photographs but those days are long gone and so is the usefulness of dark rooms in this era of digital cameras.

Dark rooms are dull, depressing, strain-to-the-eyes and above all dark! And so it’s natural for people to change it to a bright one or avoid having it altogether. I take it that you also have a dark room you want tweaked for you wouldn’t be reading this blog otherwise.

So here we are bringing to you useful home decoration tips to brighten your cave-like dark room:

1) Brighten the walls:

No, having more light into the room won’t do the job. So don’t even try it. Try brightening the color of the walls, ceiling as well, and you’d notice the remarkable difference it brings along. The thing is that dark color absorbs light while light ones scatter it. So instead of investing in light sources and incurring electricity bills to no avail, just get the walls and ceiling painted and see the difference. You can also consider bringing in other white elements like white furniture, beddings, curtains or frames to increase the brightness. Whatever you do, just make sure you hire a professional – like a qualified painter in the UK  or one of the best home decorators.

2) Update light-bulbs:

Updating light-bulbs are always a good idea – budget wise or look wise. Go for ones with brighter output and a cooler “daylight” color tone. Start out with replacing incandescent bulbs with LED lights. It gives more light and consumes less energy. And when paired with pale blue colored walls, these lights give a pleasing crispness your eyes would definitely enjoy. 

3) Add contrast with black:

It might appear like swimming against the current, but bringing in some shades of black or charcoal add contrast to the overall look making the lighter areas around pop even more. Get decorative fabrics, picture frames, chairs or lamps in dark black to get the desired effect.

4) Use area rugs with lighter tones:

Though using dark laminate or hardwood floors is in vogue and you may be tempted to follow suit, don’t! As it turns out they drain a lot of light from your already dim room and in case you have windowless corridors attached to the room the situation become hopeless. Opt for runner rugs, or any other type of floor rugs, with lighter hues to get the best mix of airiness and richness. There are numerous patterned rugs in the market with different shades of off-white available. Get the one that suits you the best.

5) Introduce a plant or some blond wood to the mix:

Introducing plants and stuff of blond or pale woods can really liven and lighten up the space. Strange it might seem, but having a plant or two in the room make it appear more fresh and sunny even without the sun.

6) Find a right balance of light and shadow:

Too much lightness and your dark cave will turn into a snow cave and this is not a change you had wished for. So it’s vital to have some natural interplay between light and shadow, for the room to look appealing and stylish. The trick is to add lights where it’s needed – like in dark corners – while leaving spaces with sufficient light as it is. Please understand that a room super bright is neither good aesthetically or physically (it troubles your eyes!) and having few shadows in the room provide your space some sense of space, depth and life.