Sometimes just moving a bulky sofa away from the window does wonders...
Totally agree—had a similar “aha” moment last fall. I dragged our old, oversized recliner out of the sun’s path and suddenly it was like, wow, this is the same room? It’s wild how much difference it makes, and it costs nothing. I will say, I tried sheer curtains once but got nervous about privacy since we’re on the ground floor. Ended up layering them with some cheap blackout roller blinds from IKEA—best of both worlds, honestly.
I do love the “one big plant” idea too. Tried crowding a bunch of little ones together and it just looked messy (and I kept forgetting to water half of them). Curious if anyone’s found good ways to brighten up rooms that don’t get much direct sunlight? There’s one corner in my place that always feels gloomy no matter what I try…
Curious if anyone’s found good ways to brighten up rooms that don’t get much direct sunlight? There’s one corner in my place that always feels gloomy no matter what I try…
I totally get this—there’s always that one stubborn spot, right? I used to think paint color didn’t matter much, but after moving into a place with a north-facing living room, I’m convinced it makes a huge difference. Swapped out the old beige for a really light, almost-white green (sounds weird but trust me), and suddenly it felt way less cave-like. Mirrors help too, but only if you can angle them to catch some actual light—otherwise they just reflect the gloom.
Not sure about the “one big plant” thing though. Tried a monstera in my dark corner and it just got sadder by the week. Maybe fake plants are the way to go for those spots? Or is that cheating? Curious if anyone’s had luck with specific colors or materials for furniture in dim corners... does glossy stuff actually help bounce light around, or is that just a myth?
Not sure about the “one big plant” thing though. Tried a monstera in my dark corner and it just got sadder by the week. Maybe fake plants are the way to go for those spots? Or is that cheating?
Fake plants totally count in my book—no shame. Real ones just end up looking miserable in those dead zones, and honestly, who needs more guilt about not keeping something alive? I’ve had better luck using lighter wood furniture in those spaces, like birch or maple. They don’t suck up as much light as darker stuff does. As for glossy finishes, I’ve tried both matte and shiny side tables, and honestly, the glossy ones do bounce a bit of light, but only if there’s *some* light to begin with. Otherwise, they just look kind of smudgy.
Anyone ever mess with sheer curtains to try and milk every bit of daylight? I swapped out some heavy drapes for cheap white sheers and it made a difference, but maybe that’s just in my head...
Sheers are definitely not just in your head—those things are like a daylight cheat code. I swapped out some ancient, heavy brown curtains once and it was like my living room got a vitamin D shot. If you wanna get sneaky, slap a big mirror on the wall opposite your window. It’s basically free light, unless you count the risk of catching your own reflection in pajamas at 2pm. Also, don’t sleep on painting the ceiling a bright white; sounds boring but it really does bounce light around. Fake plants? No shame at all... unless they’re covered in dust, then we’ve got a different problem.
Mirrors are huge, but placement matters—if you’ve got a window that gets direct sun, angle the mirror to catch that light and throw it deeper into the room. And I’d say matte white paint works better than glossy on ceilings; less glare, more even diffusion. Fake plants are fine, just dust ’em now and then... nobody wants a “fuzzy” ficus.
