Here in the northern hemisphere, we’re plummeting into the time of year that PNWers call “The Big Dark,”* wherein 3:45pm is basically bedtime-level dark outside. It’s a lot.

*Another nickname for 2020, perhaps?

Luckily, there are things you can do to make your home feel brighter.

1) Get allllll the lights. I’m a big fan of lamps. Especially in corners, which tend to become energy vortex black holes of nothingness and doom. Or at least make it harder to read your book.

Having a light-emitting, cylindrical something in the corner, particularly if it’s furniture-adjacent (such as a couch or comfy chair) will 1) fend off that black-hole thing, and 2) instantly make the room feel cozier and more inviting. Similarly, I love task-specific lighting—whether that’s of the aforementioned reading-enhancing light in the cozy corner, or the sub-cabinet-shine-on-the-kitchen-counter-so-you-don’t-chop-off-your-fingers variety. Task lighting can make whatever it is you’re doing easier on the eyes than Jeff Goldblum.

And don’t be afraid to have multiple lamps in one room—it’s a big ask to have one lamp be the light for all the tasks.

Just do me a favor—unless you live in a dorm room or it is holiday-appropriate, please do not hang up twinkle lights. Just don’t.

2) Check your paint. If you are able/interested, consider painting your walls a light shade, using a non-matte paint. Anything with even a slight sheen to its finish is going to reflect and bounce the light (see below), thus making the room feel brighter.

My family once lived in a 1940s house (read: low ceiling) with no southern exposure so it was the deepest darkest house already AND THEN SOME DINGDONG PAINTED THE WALLS MATTE OLIVE GREEN. I had two nicknames for it 1) “A Piano Teacher from the 1970s Lives Here,” and 2) “We Live at the Bottom of a Bowl of Pea Soup.” Needless to say, I painted the walls a glossy cream color as soon as I could.

3) Be aware of where your tall, dark (and perhaps handsome) furniture is placed—and maybe move it. Room-architecture-dictating-furniture-placement notwithstanding, I would advise you not to put a tall, visually heavy bookshelf or cupboard next to a window. Its dark bulkiness will eat the natural light right up because, as high school physics taught me*, darker colors absorb light.

*One of three things I remember from that class.

Additionally, a tall dark piece of furniture, because of its color, has more visual weight and therefore can feel, let’s say loom-y, like it’s looming over your head. It can also make a room feel subtly more crowded or oppressive. (I’m guessing it’s similar to why, when you’re having a tough moment with a kid who has flipped their lid, parenting experts suggest getting down on their eye level to help calm the freaking-out-lizard part of their brain down—like, nope! No sabertooth bears here today! It’s safe/non-threatening.)

Please note: I’m not throwing out all bookshelves-next-to-windows, just the overly imposing ones. I’m perfectly OK with a bookshelf that has open shelving, wherein you can still see the wall peeking through, because it feels visually lighter. Same goes for any shelving that is lighter in color—(high school physics class memory alert!) because lighter colors reflect the light and also feel visually lighter too.

4) Put up mirrors or larger art pieces with glass frames adjacent to and/or across from windows to amplify natural light. As you can see in this picture below, the light is coming through the large window on the left and reflecting off the mirror—as well as that weird shiny sconce? thing on the wall, the glossy surfaces of the table and chairs, the wine glasses, and the chandelier.

Well played, stylist-person. What a bright room you’ve created!

And, if all else fails, maybe consider getting a seasonal-affective disorder light? Which won’t do anything for your decor, per se but might make you feel better about it.

Combat the Big Dark with simple furniture tweaks