Wednesday, March 14, 2018

How to Create a Living Space That Is Both Bright and Airy


The condition of interior spaces can have a significant impact on our wellbeing. Rooms that are kept dark and stuffy all the time don’t only look sad and dreary, they can actually be bad for your health as well. Indoor pollutants like tobacco smoke, household pesticides, radon, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and lead can circulate around your indoor air with you being none the wiser. Exposure to such pollutants can manifest in what is known as sick building syndrome, which is a medical condition that causes people to feel unwell for no apparent reasons.
If you would like to have a home that is light, bright, and airy, it’s time to make some changes. Here are a few tips that you might want to consider.

De-Clutter the Space
One of the easiest ways to make your living room feel less stuffy is to minimize the amount of clutter within that space. Make an inventory of the things that you can throw or give away, and keep only the things that actually bring you happiness and add value to your life. Trust us, minimalism can make a huge difference in the way indoor spaces look and feel.

Install Sheer Curtains Instead of Heavy Drapes
If your living room is already dark because your windows are not large enough or because the room’s configuration itself can’t take full advantage of natural lighting, don’t make it even darker by choosing the wrong window treatments. Consider buying sheer curtains instead so you can make the most of whatever amount of daylight streams in from the outside. Of course, you can still layer the sheer curtains with heavy drapes, but only use them in the evening to enhance your privacy.
The best thing about sheer curtains is that they come in a variety of styles. Whether patterned, embroidered, or solid-colored, sheer curtains are a great compromise for when you need both daylight and privacy during the day.

Build Large Openings
If you have the budget to remodel your home, it would be best to build large openings that will optimize the amount of light and air that enter your home. Large windows and floor-to-ceiling sliding doors maximize the amount of light while also allowing air to circulate in your living room when they are opened. If your living room doesn’t have an upper floor above, you might also want to consider building a skylight, which should let more daylight into your home.

Repaint Your Walls in Cheerful Colors
Sometimes, simply giving your living room a new coat of paint can already make a huge difference. Choose bright, cheerful colors that enhance the glow of daylight indoors. All-white is always a great choice, although pastel colors and bright colors like sunny yellow, turquoise, lavender, and light pink also work wonders.

Choose Furnishings and Accessories Made of Light Materials
Choosing the right materials for your living room’s furnishings and accessories can also have a big impact on the overall feel of the room. Consider wicker furniture made from natural materials like rattan, reed, bamboo, willow, seagrass, or those constructed from synthetics like vinyl. If you have existing furniture that is upholstered in heavy materials like leather, you can purchase furniture covers made from cotton or linen to make them feel a little airier.

Minimize Your Accessories
One of the basic tenets of minimalism—to keep only items that bring value to your life—can also be applied to the way you choose accessories for your living room. Keeping your knickknacks to a minimum can make any indoor space feel brighter and roomier, so choose only items that you want to see on a daily basis or those that you would be proud to show your guests and visitors. Consider hanging framed art pieces that you really love, or displaying small cultural items that you have collected from your travels around the world. Great accessories can also be as simple as a few pieces of pottery or beautiful candelabras with bright-colored candles.   

You don’t have to feel limited by the current architecture of your home if you want to make your living space look and feel lighter and more cheerful. Simply follow the steps above, and you’ll be well on your way to creating a light, bright, and airy living space.

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