Unless your name is Nosferatu, filling your house with natural light is a lovely feeling. While fluorescent bulbs do a fine job at lighting up a home, they simply don’t compare to having the sun shine directly into your living room. That being said, some areas of the house are harder to light than others due to a lack of windows. This creates a few dreary spaces that could benefit from more natural light. Thankfully, there’s a way to fix this problem. Here’s how to bring more natural light into those darker rooms.

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Hang Mirrors

Mirrors are fantastic means of reflecting natural light into darker corners of the room. Hang a mirror directly across from a large window to capture the light and help disperse it around the room. Also, consider hanging a big mirror on a wall perpendicular to the window, which will reflect light at a sharper angle to bypass obstructions. Keep in mind that the bigger the mirror and the bigger the window, the more well-lit you can make a room.

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Remove Art

The perfect piece of art can reflect your personality, but it can also inhibit a room from being as bright as possible. Paintings and other wall-hanging objects absorb light and prevent it from bouncing around the room, especially if the art is painted a darker color. Bare walls, however, do a much better job of reflecting light, particularly walls of a lighter color. Consider relocating art from those darker rooms and even giving the walls a new, brighter paint job if necessary.

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Buy Sheer Curtains

Privacy is important, but those blackout shades and wooden slats obstruct light. Consider purchasing a set of sheer curtains instead, which allow plenty of light to permeate through the fabric and brighten up a room. The thinner material doesn’t mean sacrificing quality, either, as the right set of sheer curtains will last for as long as those made of more durable fabric.

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Clean Your Windows

Think of the last time you cleaned your windows—is it longer ago than you’d care to admit? Unfortunately, many homeowners and apartment renters neglect to wipe down their windows on a regular basis. All of that built-up grime and dirt may prevent light from shining through as vibrantly as it could. Contact a professional window cleaner to get the job done right, or bust out those DIY supplies and get to work yourself. Either way, you should notice brighter rooms in no time at all.

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Trim Trees

Bushy trees outside your windows may be blocking light from entering the home. While you can remove the trees altogether, that will drastically reduce your home’s curb appeal. Instead, contact a professional tree maintenance crew to trim down those dense leaves. Removing a couple of branches could make a huge difference in the light your home receives.

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Apply a Matte Finish

Matte finishes are far better than glossy finishes in terms of reflecting light. While glossy finishes are shiny, they also produce tons of glare. Lighter matte finishes reflect light far better without producing any glare. Consider applying a matte finish to the walls and decorating the room with some lighter-colored matte furniture. Both of these will go a long way towards brightening those darker rooms.

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Paint the Ceiling and Floors

If you’re looking to boost a room’s brightness, don’t neglect painting the ceiling and floors in addition to the walls. Painting the ceiling a bright color can really help to reflect light into every corner of the room. If your floors are made of a paintable material like wood or concrete, consider applying a coat of lighter-toned paint to those as well.

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Add a Skylight

Skylights are a luxury, but they may not be as expensive as you think. The average skylight installation cost is around $1,750, though that price can dip as low as $1,000 in certain places. If you can afford a skylight, it can totally transform a darker room and make it brighter than you could’ve ever imagined.

Bennett Kleinman Staff Writer

Bennett Kleinman is a New York City-based staff writer for Optimism Media. He is also a freelance comedy writer, devoted New York Yankees and New Jersey Devils fan, and thinks plain seltzer is the best drink ever invented.

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