Dark, gloomy rooms not only detract from your home's beauty and makes it far less inviting, but they can actually have a fairly sizeable impact upon your mindset and behavior on a day to day basis too. Just picture the following scenario. You wake up on a Saturday morning after an extremely long week at work and stumble semi-consciously into the kitchen and then the living room, only to be greeted by dimly lit, cold conditions. The first thing, in fact the only thing, that you think at this point is "I want to go back to bed!" A lack of light makes you feel weary, like you don't have even half as much energy as you should. There's good news though, as a drab interior can be transformed relatively easily into one that positively glows with energy, all with the help of a few decor features that we're going to discuss in this article.

How to Get that Feel Good Factor in Your Home

Whether you have acquired a fair amount of interior design knowledge over the years or you're a relative newcomer to decorating interior spaces, you can and will be able to make your home seem brighter without having to make serious structural modifications or spend inhumane amounts of money. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

• To Whiten is to Brighten - You've maybe heard the "use neutral colors" tip a million times before, but it really works. If your walls are currently coated in a depressing, heavy color such as dark browns, grays or mustard, you should seriously consider a switch to white or a very light, neutral color. Not only does the paint itself make the room appear brighter (and larger), but white will also reflect any natural light that filters into the room too. If you want a "light but cozy feel," mix and match white with rich (neutral) colors. Expresso brown, warm rusty colors and copper are extremely effective at achieving this.
• Mirror, Mirror on the Wall... - ...Which is the brightest room of them all? As well as being incredibly elegant decor items, mirrors can help to brighten your interior spaces. How? Well, mirrors act as magnifiers to natural light and increase its reach and presence significantly. Not only can they help in this way, but they are often very easy to integrate into a room's design too. Mirrors can act as centerpieces in showrooms such as the living room or dining room, and can be integrated in a practical way in rooms such as bedrooms and bathrooms by doubling up closet and cabinet doors as mirrors.
• Keep It Simple - Contemporary style interiors aren't for everyone but there's no questioning that they do help an area to feel much more open and brighter. There's absolutely zero clutter (many of us are guilty of being "hoarders"), which does have a tendency to bog you down, dampen spirits and darken the room. Installing glass features and decor items (perhaps a glass door or a glass coffee table) gives the room a transparency it may never have known before and allows more natural light to enter.
• Go Green - No, we don't mean you should buy green paint by the bucket load; we're talking about adding plants to your home. They might not brighten a room dramatically in terms of color, but the presence of plants indoors is somewhat soothing and brings positive energy to the environment. Not only that, but they also help to reduce the concentrations of harmful chemicals such as carbon dioxide, benzene and formaldehyde, so they do actually have a direct impact upon your health (in a positive way!). Pothos, Peace Lilies, Chinese Evergreens and Green Dracaena are a few of our favorites and very easy to keep!
• Pay Attention to the Floor - Too many people ignore the floor totally when making changes to a room. After all, it serves no real purpose; it's just a surface under our feet, right?! Technically yes, but it also happens to be a very BIG surface that has a big visual impact upon the room. One thing that many people have done to brighten up a room is to paint the floor a light color (assuming the floor is wooden) or have a lightly colored carpet fitted. Now, we know what you're thinking - "but I live in a rental, I can't do this!" But there's still something you can do. Add a light colored area rug to achieve the same effect.
• Make Your Windows Bigger - Well, make them seem bigger, as having your existing windows ripped out and replaced wouldn't be the most cost effective thing to do. Instead, choose some light colored, floor length curtains to flank your windows either side. These curtains accent windows beautifully and enhance the window's presence in your room, meaning your attention gets drawn to the natural light as it filters through.

As we creep into winter and the nights draw in, it's also a good idea to think about how you could enhance the artificial lighting options in your home. The main thing here is to use different shapes of lighting and vary the placement (i.e. install at different levels), so light reaches all corners of the room. By following these tips, you'll be better equipped to deal with those dark winter days that lay ahead.