It feels like as soon as October hits, the days get short so fast. Before you know it, it’s Daylight Savings time, and then we get pretty used to it being dark most of the time we’re at home – nothing worse than leaving the house and coming back home both in darkness, right?! Luckily, there are plenty of options for making sure your home has lots of light, both natural and artificial, even during the shorter fall and winter days.

Optimize the natural light you do have

If you’re lucky enough to have lots of windows or even a skylight, use them! Make sure your shades are open during the daylight hours, and your curtains aren’t blocking out too much light. Since lighter rooms feel brighter, consider painting rooms in lighter shades to optimize the brightness you get from both natural and artificial light. If you haven’t bought, built or remodeled your home yet, make sure to take this into consideration when buying and designing. Natural light is so important to make a home feel bright and welcoming, and lighter colors make a space feel bigger, too! Think big windows, doors with windows in them, skylights – they all add up!

Make a statement with overhead lighting

We’re big fans of big, bold, beautiful light fixtures in our homes. A chandelier or large light fixture is a great way to add both decor and light to your home. We especially love them in entryways, great rooms and above the dining table!

Use floor and table lamps

Don’t rely solely on overhead lights to get you through the winter. Floor and table lamps are a great option to add to your existing decor and help brighten dark corners of a room. Plus, they give off majorly cozy vibes in the evenings when you want more ambient lighting. Make sure your lamps are cohesive in style – choose styles that match your home decor style, and choose lampshades or metal tones that coordinate as well, to prevent the lamps from looking out of place and mismatched.

Look for sun-imitating lamps and lightbulbs

Winter makes it hard to get enough sunlight, especially here in the Midwest when it’s often so cold outside. Sun lamps or full-spectrum lightbulbs are designed to mimic the natural light we get from the sun, and are a great option for bathrooms, bedrooms and offices where there are fewer windows and where you may spend time in the mornings or evenings when it’s dark outside. You can even buy alarm clocks designed to mimic the sunrise and help gently wake you up. Plus, these lights have even been proven to help with the “winter blues!”

With a little planning and strategy, you can make your house feel warm, bright and welcoming even when there’s a shortage of daylight. So tell us, how do you keep things light and bright in your home through the fall and winter months? Make sure to find us on Instagram @almahomes and share your tips with us!

Photography: Laura Rae Photography, Spacecrafting Photography, Sarah Olfelt Photo, Alma Homes