Alternatives to natural light

Natural light is essential for any living space. However, even if your home is lacking in the window department, there are still alternatives to natural light that can make it feel brighter and more inviting. Besides using lamps to set the mood in your home, you can also use them to illuminate your home the same way sunlight would. Not just that, there are a handful of ways to improve the brightness in your home, and we’re about to reveal them to you in this article.

Lighting fixtures as alternatives to natural light

When establishing an aesthetic in a room, lighting is the key. Even if you don’t have sunny windows, there are ways to brighten up your living space. The best way to achieve this is by installing different lighting fixtures. After all, they are great alternatives to natural light.

If you live in a place that feels dark and uninviting, consider updating your old lighting fixtures. This is not a major investment, and it can make all the difference in your home. So, go have fun shopping for beautiful new lamps. Not only will your living space look aesthetically nicer, but good lighting can increase cognitive performance and reduce depression, as well. 

On the other hand, if you are about to move to a new home that lacks sunny windows, it’s essential to find lighting solutions that work best with the space. Many people make a mistake and skip this part due to being overwhelmed by handling various aspects of their relocation. To avoid this, simply let the team from fairfaxtransfer.com deal with your move while you focus on creating the living space you can truly enjoy.

Types of artificial lighting

Here are some types of artificial lighting you can consider adding to your home:

• Overhead lighting – When lighting up any space, this is the first element to consider. Overhead lamps create a downlighting effect that washes the walls and sets the mood for the entire room. Try using frosted or soft white light bulbs as they don’t create harsh tones. Choose a crystal chandelier or an interesting lighting fixture to make the best impression, depending on your style and preferences. 
• Recessed lighting – This is a good choice because it doesn’t take much space but has enough capacity to light up the entire room.  
• Accent lighting – Accent lights are used for setting a specific mood. For example, to create a romantic atmosphere in your dining room or light up a reading nook in your home office. Consider adding bedside lamps or wall sconces to your bedroom, or use a table lamp or striking floor lamp for your reading nook. 

Also, have in mind that regular cleaning of your light fixtures is a must. This is the only way to ensure that the lightbulbs are putting out the number of lumens they should, thus keeping the ambiance bright.

Don’t forget to go green

Nowadays, it’s more important than ever to focus on preserving nature and finding ways to live more sustainably. By making your everyday activities greener, you can make a significant change. For example, consider recycling or green packing solutions for your move and find different ways to be environmentally friendly.

Changing your lighting fixtures is another great way to start living green. There are many energy-saving lighting choices to choose from. For instance, simply by switching to LED lightbulbs, you’ll use 75% less energy. Also, they last up to 25 times longer than traditional incandescent lighting. Consider choosing a color that mimics daylight to get the best effect.

Boost the light in your home

Besides choosing good lighting fixtures, you can use other simple decorative tips to boost their performance and make your living space more illuminated. Here are the simplest yet the most effective ways to achieve this.

Choose colors wisely

Those stylish hand-blown glass lamps or gorgeous crystal chandeliers won’t have the same effect if your walls are the wrong color. This can really ruin all of your efforts. As you want to brighten up your living space, you need to focus on using a color that will accent the artificial light you’ve installed. That means you should stay away from dark tones as they’ll only accentuate the lack of light. To be on the safe side, choose bright pastel colors.

Add reflective surfaces

You probably already know that mirrors can visually enlarge any room, but they are also great for increasing light. Basically, mirrors help by bouncing the light around the room. Not only mirrors but any reflective surfaces such as metallic light fixtures or silver photo frames will create the same effect. Even though they work best in natural light, the light coming from your lighting fixtures will also be spread this way. Plus, they are great decorative pieces, too. 

Add wall art

Lastly, adding wall art is another great way to boost the lighting in your home. To create this effect, make sure to frame it to add another semi-reflective surface to your walls. The brighter the art, the better, as it will help you fake natural light. When it comes to frames, the best option is white, but you won’t go wrong if you pick silver.

The bottom line

We hope you found our advice helpful and that we were able to inspire you to create the perfect ambient in your home by using different alternatives to natural light. A lack of natural light can be a challenge. However, with our simple tricks, you can make your home seem brighter, more spacious, and inviting.

Author bio:

Although Maryanne Baker majored in accounting, she has always been passionate about interior design. After graduation, she worked as an accountant in a successful international company, but she didn’t find this job fulfilling, so she quit after less than a year. She decided to pursue her dream and is now trying to establish herself in the design industry. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking and reading crime novels. She is always in the mood to share her expertise and experience, so she occasionally writes blog posts, too.