It is difficult to bring more light into your home when you live in a cottage with low ceilings, or you have too few windows, or your property is surrounded by trees. But it is not impossible to create a lighter, brighter, living space, wherever you are. Increasing illumination in your home makes you feel more energetic and positive. It also brings out the best in your living space.

Here are some simple tricks to let the light in.

1. Add More Windows

The first trick is perhaps the most obvious. Add more windows! Planning permission aside, putting in extra windows brings in the brightness you need to make your rooms more comfortable and attractive. Try adding strips of windows next to external doors. Increase the light in a kitchen by enlarging existing windows. Think about your stairwells or landings – these are ideal places for extra illumination from windows.

2. Install Skylights

If you cannot add windows to the wall, let the light flow in from the ceiling instead. Install skylights or add tubular devices that diffuse outside light into the room. Installing these solar tubes can make a huge difference in how much you can see in your rooms, particularly small and poky rooms or hallways.

3. Brighten the Beams

Many cottages retain the style of black beams with the original oak painted over. Bringing the beams back to their natural shade creates a warm contrast to the ceiling, which makes the room look instantly more welcoming. Beam restoration also makes the rooms look more current.

4. Change Doors to Glass

Favour glass doors over solid wooden doors. The glass panes, particularly in the front door, let welcoming light into the hallway, which spills into the rest of the house. You can also install glass in internal doors. Use opaque glass for privacy and add colour to brighten the décor.

5. Widen Your Doorways and Remove Walls

Do you need to have a partition between your dining room and kitchen? Removing the wall or widening the door brings more light into space. And you have more room to move around. Small doors and lots of walls inside a property contribute to the feeling of darkness and pokiness.

6. Hang Mirrors

As a straightforward trick for bringing more light into even the tiniest room, hanging a mirror is perfect. A large mirror opposite the largest window in the room creates space and light. Or put a series of smaller mirrors on one wall to reflect light back into the room at all angles. Mirrors can be highly decorative so they also create a focal point in your property.

7. Consider Your Colour Scheme

Using light colours on the walls is the standard advice for brightening up a room. This certainly makes sense, and it makes space appear larger. Keep the room brighter by using shades of only one colour and combining this with minimal accessories and decorations. Plain lines and simple hues create space.