Lets face it, we all aren’t blessed with the perfect north facing home which is abundant with natural light.  As we are now in Winter in Australia our daylight hours are shortened again making natural light even harder to get.  Here are some tips for getting more light into your home.  They are worth a try.  Studies show that people are happier, less depressed and less anxious on sunny bright days so it makes sense to add as much natural light to our homes as possible.

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Light, bright rooms are essential for lifting our moods and getting us in the right state of mind for the rest of the day.  Here are a few tips for getting a little extra sunshine in our lives.

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1. Prune your trees.  Ensure that any trees that are overhanging and close to windows are pruned right back to let that natural light in.  Trees and hedges do look great but they do block out a lot of natural light.

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2. Go open plan.  If you are planning on renovating or extending your home think about an open plan.  Walls block light and if planning and budget permits add ceiling windows or skylight to add the most natural light all day long.

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3. Open your curtains and blinds.  Don’t leave shutters, blinds and curtains closed during the day, open them up and let that sunshine in.

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4.  Keep things light.  Walls, ceilings and even furniture in light hues will brighten up your home.   Dark furniture can feel heavy whereas light furniture and walls will bounce light around rather than absorb it like darker hues can.

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5. Use mirrors.  Mirrors are great to use in spaces that lack light.  Mirrors bounce light around the room if you place it opposite a window.  Two mirrors on opposite walls will also reflect light off each other.

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6.  Add sheers.  Sheer curtains can help open up a room.  Sheer curtains are very in fashion at the moment and are a great way to make your windows look bigger and brighter.  A good tip is to make sure the sheers reach the all the way to the floor.

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7.  Be creative with lighting.  Add ceiling lights, lamps, low level lighting or lighting under cabinets to set the scene and mood for your room.  Lamps can lighten a dark gloomy corner, opening up your space making it feel bigger.

So I hope these few simple tips will help get some light into your home without completely rebuilding and repositioning it.

Let me know if you try any of these tips.

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