Top tips to brighten up your home

Summer has nearly arrived, and it is the perfect time to finish off the spring clean and brighten up your home interior. As you become older, it’s important to adapt your home to be more accessible, such as installing a curved stairlift, but it’s also great to spend time transforming your home décor to create an uplifting environment. Read on to discover our top tips for how you can get create a fresh and bright interior in your home.

Keep things clean and tidy

One of the best ways to brighten up your home is to clean and tidy each room. The saying ‘tidy home, tidy mind’ rings true, as a clutter-free home will help you feel more relaxed and calm. Tidying your whole home at once can be too big a task, so focus on small sections each day, and you’ll slowly see the results pay off. To make things easier, invest in some simple gadgets that help older people clean their homes.

Add houseplants and flowers

A great way to brighten up your home is to add houseplants and flowers into each room. Not only does adding a bit of nature into your home make rooms look brighter, but they also have added benefits such as removing toxins and cleaning the air. Our tip is to choose easy care houseplants that don’t require much attention.

We spoke to Sarah from Dream of Home, a budget home interior that showcases renovation advice and inspiration, to find out her top tip for brightening a home: “I absolutely love using plants as decor in the bathroom. Not only can they brighten and freshen up the space, but they're actually really beneficial. I've got a Boston Fern in my bathroom that adds some needed greenery and purifies the air, helping to reduce the chances of mould growing around the sealant and grouting.”

Using plants around the home is a popular method to brighten up a room. Fiona from Dolly Dowsie, a family lifestyle and adventure blog, agrees: “I love to have fresh flowers in as many rooms as I can and I think they really help to make the place feel that bit cheerier and brighter, even on a dull day! Having some potted plants, succulents, etc., all give the feel of bringing the outside in and I think having a bit of greenery in a room really helps to brighten it up.”

Change the bedding and furnishings

Just in time for summer, invest in some new bedding and furnishings that have a brighter colour scheme. Fiona from Dolly Dowsie continues: “If you don't have the funds to do a major makeover on your home, simple things such as changing up your bedding or soft furnishings to suit the seasons - think florals and pastel colours for spring and tartans and berry colours for winter, can make a huge difference to the overall feel of a room."

“If you can't afford to buy brand-new furniture, getting some thrifted pieces and giving them a little upcycle is a great thing to do (especially with summer coming up and having the weather for painting!). A new piece of furniture can really make a room and some pieces can even be used as features around the room, such as Welsh dressers for displaying things.”

Add colourful artwork

Get creative and brighten up the walls of your home with some framed artwork or colourful canvases. You can find prints easily online, or you can visit the local markets and pick out something in person. Sarah from Dream of Home shares another top tip for interior decorating: “People also tend to forget about putting artwork in the bathroom, but bathrooms tend to have lots of blank wall space. I've seen some really quirky bathroom prints and think they're a fun way of adding decor to the space.”

Over time, you can build on your artwork and create a mixture of prints and colours. Fiona from Dolly Dowsie says: “Create a feature wall out of prints. These can be bought, or even printed out yourself, quite cheaply and look great framed on a wall to create a lovely feature in a room.”

Keep decorations simple

Room decorations play an important role in creating the mood of the room. Our tip is to use a neutral colour palette for the walls and carpet of the room then use add small pops of colour with items such as candles and cushions.

We spoke to Ashley from Joyfully Growing, a blog for DIY tutorials and simple home décor tips, to find out her top tips to decorate: “Less is more - choose items you love and display them on open shelves or hung up on the walls. White walls provide a neutral backdrop that really let your decor be the star of the show.”

Martha from Simple Cozy Charm, a blog for home inspiration and decorating ideas, tells us her secrets for decorating a home: “My favourite way to decorate our home is by layering items to provide depth and interest. I also like to add texture. A great tip to follow when decorating is to arrange pieces in groups of 3 or 5. I also feel you only need 5 items to instantly create a cosy space. Those items being: at least 2 neutral throw pillows, a cosy throw, foliage (fresh or faux) a decorative tray, and a candle.”

Make the most of natural Lighting

Of course, one of the most effective ways to brighten up your home is to master your lighting. Energy efficient bulbs are best for brightening up your room with artificial lighting, however, our top tip is to make to most of your home’s natural light. Mirrors are an excellent way to open small spaces and brighten your rooms. You could even create a feature wall out of different shaped mirrors or opt for one large mirror placed in a position that reflects the natural light perfectly. Ashley from Joyfully Growing comments on the importance of lighting: “Capitalize the available natural light by choosing furniture layout and window coverings that let the light in!”

Quick tips:

• Declutter and clean each room
• Focus on a light colour scheme
• Add houseplants and flowers around your home
• Invest in bright bedding
• Upcycle old furniture
• Add colourful artwork to your walls
• Keep decorating simple and arrange items neatly
• Use energy efficient light bulbs
• Make the most of natural lighting with mirror and window coverings