Winter fiercely takes away the sun from us and turns the interiors into a kind of crypt. We talked to the experts and found out how to prevent it
December 22 is the shortest day of the year. Many Russians on this day feel inspired - because now the day will gradually increase! However, the winter has not even passed for half, and ahead we have a lot of dark winter evenings.
The constant twilight has a negative impact onpsychological state of a person. A lack of natural light inhibits the production of serotonin. With its deficiency there is a melancholy, melancholy and a feeling that everything is meaningless. To avoid this, you should try to get maximum natural sunlight even in winter. Experts from the Urban Group have prepared several practical tips on how to lengthen the light day at home. 
Reconsider the purpose of the rooms
If there are several rooms in your apartment,oriented towards different directions of the world, think - do you use them correctly? In the northern room, the light almost does not hit, and neither in winter nor in summer. A pleasant twilight is the best lighting for a bedroom. The northern room is suitable for the kitchen, but only if you do not have the habit of spending a lot of time here and you use it only for cooking.
In a room oriented to the east, it is bestarrange a nursery: almost all children are "larks", and before dinner the room will be flooded with light, which will please the baby. Of course, closer to the evening the room will turn dark, but the children go to bed early, so it does not really matter. In a room oriented to the east, you can also arrange a kitchen, if for you it is the most comfortable place in the house and you often sit here in the morning with a cup of coffee.
The western and southern rooms are suitable for the living room - in the evenings the light leaves them last, and in fact, in the evening, we like to sit here with family or friends. 
Choose apartments with large windows
If you are only thinking about buying a home,Pay special attention to the apartments with panoramic windows. The larger the window, the higher the illumination factor. According to the Urban Group research, panoramic windows allow to do without artificial lighting up to 15% of the time per day longer. Ideally, the area of windows should be more than 1/8 of the floor area - this is the minimum permissible for residential premises. And do not be afraid of cold weather - modern double-glazed windows keep heat well and in 40-degree frosts, even if the window is from wall to wall and from floor to ceiling. 
Use light colors
When choosing wallpaper or paint for walls, givepreference for light warm tones - sand, peach, cream, pistachio, beige. Large surfaces of dark shades absorb up to 40% of light and visually make the room more gloomy. Light surfaces, on the contrary, reflect light. Especially good with this cope with satin and glossy textures. All this applies not only to walls, but also to furniture. Elegant white wardrobe, beige carpet and light wood table - such furnishings can make the room lighter. 
"Cool the room"
It is not necessary to turn it into a kind ofballroom hall of the time of Marie Antoinette. But a few golden accents "warm" the room and make the temperature of the lighting warmer. Gilded frames for paintings or mirrors, golden tiles on the floor, a few brocade pillows embroidered with gold thread - this will be enough. 
Arrange furniture around the perimeter
A massive table or sofa in the center of the room -A good solution for spacious bright rooms. But if you do not have enough natural light, leave the central part of the room free - the room immediately filled with light and air. When arranging the furniture, make sure that nothing stands in the way of precious sunlight.
When choosing a setting, avoid contrasts. If the walls and the floor are in beige, let the chairs be in tone. Playing with contrasts is dangerous. They, of course, can give the room an individuality, but at the same time make it darker and closer. 
Give up heavy curtains
Dense curtains of dark colors are not the best choice forour latitudes. Replace them with light translucent curtains of light fabric. If you are worried about your privacy and think that when the light is on, your room from the outside will look like a showcase, use cunning - continue along the perimeter of the window aperture tape with light bulbs-LEDs. It will create something like a contrast "light curtain" - from the street no one will be able to see what is happening inside. In addition, this is an original design technique. 
Careful with invoices
Textured plaster, jute rug carpetplaiting, baroque stucco - all these stylish interior solutions should be avoided if you want to make the room lighter. Light, falling at an angle to any textured surface, creates a lot of tiny shadows. The more such a surface, the darker the room will seem. 
Do not clutter up the windowsills
Lovely things, flowers in pots and other small thingsblock the way to sunlight. Perhaps, it seems to you that a couple of ficuses will not significantly change anything. But in fact a few luxuriant pot plants can take half a meter of the total area of the window, and that's quite a lot - especially if you think about the amount of sunlight that we get from October to April. 
Use glass and mirrors
These materials do not reflect the light and shine -what you need for short gray winter days! Glass partitions and decorative blocks in the walls, stained glass, mirrors in the frames and doors of cabinets, crystal chandeliers repeatedly increase the illumination of the room. 
