The holiday season brings plenty of light and brightness. The joy and cheer that come with the holidays make it easy to forget that the long summer days are long gone. But now that the holidays are behind us, we’re left with no distraction from the dark days of winter.
Post-Christmas blues, also known as the January blues, can have a big impact on mood and health. Combined with shortened daylight hours and cold winter weather, it’s difficult not to feel a little down, even though the days are slowly getting lighter.
Exposure to natural light is a natural mood booster and is a great way to combat these effects, but it can be difficult to get enough of it when there’s so little daylight to enjoy. However, there are plenty of ways to bring natural light directly to you by using your home decor to lighten and brighten up your home.
If you’re tired of the darkness and in the mood to brighten things up, follow these tips to get more light into your house.
How shorter days can affect health
A lot of people feel more fatigued, and lethargic, and have a lower mood during the winter months. For many, these are symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. The most common symptoms of SAD are low mood, lethargy, excessive tiredness, and weight gain. It’s believed that a drop in serotonin levels is related to the development of SAD.
While there are no established cures for SAD, getting more exposure to natural light, in the home and outside of it can be a significant help.
How to use your home decor to make your home brighter
You might think that the light you have in your home is all the light you’re going to get, but that’s not the case. Just take a look at Port Perry real estate listings and see how brightly lit all the homes are. Lighting plays a huge role in staging a home to make it more appealing to buyers, and these tactics can be used to brighten up your home even if you intend to stay put.
Wash those Windows
It’s so simple that many people don’t even think of it, but washing your windows is an easy and effective way to boost the natural light that filters through them. While your windows might not look like they’re covered in dirt, wash both the interior and exterior (if you can do so safely) and just see how much grime and dirt is on them, blocking out the light.
All you need is a mild cleanser of water and vinegar, and the next thing you know, the sun will be shining in through your sparkling windows. Add this task to your home main in fall and spring to keep the effect coming.
Place mirrors strategically
Once your windows are sparkling and clean, boost the enhanced sunlight using mirrors. By hanging them opposite any light-gathering window, it will reflect the light all around your home. In addition to the design value of the mirrors, this strategy also makes your home appear bigger, which also helps it appear brighter. It’s a win-win-win solution.
If you have particularly dark areas in your home, mirrors can be effective here with or without a nearby window. Place mirrors at the end of a dark hallway or in a dark corner to make the areas seem bigger and more spacious for a brightening effect.
Ensure your windows are clear
When you think of how much brighter your home is just by removing dirt and grime from your windows, just think what an effect anything that is physically blocking your windows can have. Whether you have furniture placed in front of or near your windows or your window coverings are doing too good a job, ensuring your windows are free and clear from obstructions will allow the sunlight to get inside where you want it.
If you can rearrange some furniture or even remove any unnecessary items, it will let more light in and also make the space feel lighter and airier.
Consider lighter window treatments like solar or Roman shades to retain a finished appearance while still maximizing light.
Light bulb moment
While not directly related to natural light, it’s wise to consider the impact of your lightbulbs. The brightness of a lightbulb can impact the feel of your home, but so can the color. If you’re surprised that light bulbs have colors, you’re not alone. But they are now required to put information about the brightness and the color on the package, and it makes a difference in how the light appears.
Lighten up
If you’ve ever been caught wearing dark colors on a bright summer day, you’ll likely get a quick reminder of the fact that dark colors absorb heat. There’s a reason why wearing white is so popular in the summer. White and light colors are reflective, so having light-colored walls and furniture can make a space seem dramatically bigger and brighter than if it’s darker tones.
Final words
Try some of these tips to brighten up your home and boost your mood until the sunny days of summer return.
