Lighten up

Carol O’Callaghan looks at some of the best ways to turn a dark, cluttered room into an organised beacon of light

JUST a few years ago, a dark, pokey room was enough to stimulate the notion of putting the house up for sale. Now stiff mortgage terms, job insecurity, and children either not moving out or moving back in with parents are making homeowners stay put and channel funds into improving what they already have.

Maybe the budget doesn’t stretch to architect-driven renovation projects where walls are knocked down to create open-plan spaces and roofs pierced to accommodate windows, but there are ways to lighten the appearance of a room to give the illusion of space and a lightsome feel.