June 18, 2020

How to brighten up a dark corridor

Featured image: Pinterest

Your Design Questions Answered: How can I brighten up my dark corridor?

Paint job

The most obvious quick fix is to make sure you are using the right paint colours for the space. If you are looking to brighten everything up, then look to the cool whites, or indeed the much loved ‘brilliant white’. These are the designer go to shades when trying to maximise on light in small spaces. If white’s not your thing, then certainly stick to paler and cooler colours rather than rich, dark colours which will only further exaggerate the cocooning effect you are trying to get away from.

Also make sure your ceiling and wall are painted in the same colour. This decorating trick will give you the illusion of space, rather than draw the eye to any breaks in continuity.

Upcyclist.co.uk

Summer Adams Designs

Pinterest

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

Another fool proof way of ensuring you are maximising on all the available light is by introducing mirrors into the space. These serve to bounce the light around the area giving you the illusion of more space than you actually have. Don’t worry about them being particularly functional for looking at yourself in. Rather think of them as decorative pieces that are there to serve a purpose. You could even make a really striking feature of an otherwise boring space by creating a whole mirror gallery wall.

Ballard Designs

Gordon Duff Linton

Hallstrom Home

Go for Glass

Installing doors with glass panels in place of a solid front door or any internal doors will borrow light from the outside, or indeed other rooms which run off the corridor, helping to flood this narrow space with light. You might even look to installing glass panels up the stairs instead of wooden balustrades to open up the space. And if you don’t use the internal doors running off the corridor, get rid of them and just keep the archway. This will again, open up the space and ensure the most amount of light possible is getting to the darkest corners.

Wayfair.co.uk

Directdoors.com

Cari Washington

Lighten up!

Warm white bulbs are lovely and give a soft glow to a space, but won’t be helping at all to brighten it up. Instead opt for the ‘cool white’ alternatives, which will give you a crisper or indeed ‘lighter’ light in the space. Dark lampshades over bulbs should also be replaced with lighter options or you could install glass chandeliers which are brilliant at bouncing all the available light around a space.

www.horchow.com

CoxandCox.co.uk

Ebay.com

White wash the wood

The darker the wood, the more it will be absorbing the available light and making the space feel darker. Think about painting floorboards, internal doors or indeed the balustrade white. If you love the wood, then opt for a light coloured carpet or runner to break up the run of it.

Fibreflooring.com

carolineondesign.com

decorpad.com

De-clutter

Finally, make sure you haven’t filled the space with nick-nicks or clutter. Remove unnecessary furniture or shelving, tuck all the shoes away in a storage rack, and only hang up the coats you use on a regular basis. Streamlining the space will only help to brighten things up.