Like it or not, winter is just around the corner, but that doesn’t mean you have to give up the bright sunny feel of summer in your apartment! These five simple tricks will keep your space cheerful and full of light the whole winter through.
1. Trade out your dull, dim light bulbs for brighter, whiter options
Most of us grew up with the low wattage, yellow or warm white bulbs, and that’s what we’re used to having in our rooms. But today’s lightbulbs offer a full range of different bulb styles, from incandescent to LED, and can even be better for the environment than your current lighting. Visit your local hardware store to pick up a few and try them in different rooms of your apartment to see what you like better. Another option? Trade the use of your standard overhead light for a variety of fun lamps with fantastic shades to create a bright landscape of color and light perfect for your design style!
2. Go pro with color
Whether you pick up a few new, bright prints that pop with color to create focal points in your space, add some bold throw pillows, rugs or blankets, or paint the walls (if your apartment community allows), color is one of the most sure-fire ways you can choose to brighten your space. Don’t want the permanence of paint, even if your apartment allows you to change your wall colors? Consider today’s wildly popular peel and stick removable wallpaper in whatever patterns and shades speak to you. A quick afternoon’s work can completely transform a drab, boring room into a show-stopping space…and one you can easily convert whenever the mood to renovate strikes again!
3. Lose the clutter
Nothing lightens a room as much as the visual peace that comes from an area that is clean and tidy, without piles of stuff sitting around. Decluttering your home takes focus and sustained commitment (it’s all too easy for those stacks to return!) but once you’ve walked into a fully tidy room, you’ll appreciate how much better you feel. Make it a goal to keep clutter to a minimum throughout the winter season. Regular cleaning serves the same purpose. By leveling up your cleaning game, you’ll keep your whole apartment looking fresh and sunny.
4. Try out your green thumb
Even if your history with keeping plants alive is sketchy, this is a great time to try bringing a few plants home. Set them near your windows and make them a part of your daily or weekly home maintenance routine! They can bring unexpected vitality to nearly every space.
5. Make your windows work for you
Windows let the sun shine in, but are yours working as hard as they could to keep your space bright? If you can remove the screens from your windows (which you won’t need during the winter months anyway), consider doing so. Or, simply lighten up your window treatments, trading heavy shades for lighter, gauzier curtains. You can always revert to heavy shades at night, when you are trying to keep the cold air out, and the warm air in!
These are just a few ways to turn your home into a bright and cheerful space, no matter how dark and dreary it is outside. Here’s to a winter that keeps you smiling, the whole season through!