In a word: No.

Most of the floor in the first 2 photos is covered by rugs already anyway. And the hallway in the 3rd photo doesn't seem to get much light, so there's little for a lighter floor to reflect.

It might make a small bit of difference in how you perceive the house, but it won't make a dim room bright. Plus, you're going to have to sand the bejeezus out of the floors to get to the bare, natural color wood.

If you want real light, large skylights on a south-facing roof will do it (Solartubes are cool, but they can only collect a small area of light).

I disagree. I think it will. You should get plenty of nature light in the one room (the whole wall is windows)

Thanks for your comments. We’ve been thinking about skylights in the patio to maybe get more light in the great room (unfortunately it faces NE so I don’t know how much sun would actually get in the house.). Skylights are not an option in house, we have 12+ attic to creat the unique roofline from the outide, hence the solar tubes.

If you want more light I would look for ways to get more light........perhaps your covered porch roof can be altered to allow more light in ......in some way............(also you have lots of nice windows but if light is an issue I would try removing the curtains).............the cost and effort of removing ....reducing.....the porch roof may be much less inconvenient and less costly than changing your floors with no real guarantee it will have enough effect.............replacing the porch roof with a pergola that can covered with shade cloth in the summer and removed in the winter ........will provide sun protection and light all year round........most things you cut into the roof to allow light are more effective in areas where there are no windows...and are therefore .....more worth accepting the potential upkeep and maintenance challenges....

As a last resort .....consult a lighting specialist .......lighting is so sophisticated now .....the right fixtures and bulbs and placement may enhance the dark spaces with a much more natural-light feel....call high-end lighting stores for advice or referrals for help.......

I agree about the curtains. Just take them down as they serve no really purpose. Instant extra light.

Hi

I would reduce the amount of fabric -
I do think you will get a bit more of a lighter feel but not the bang for your buck that you are seeking.

I help people with lighting so possibly call in a designer in your area.

Best of luck !

KHB Interiors in New Orleans

Please do me a huge favor and follow us on Houzz!


https://www.houzz.com/khbinteriors
KHB Interiors in New Orleans

Add LED lighting throughout if you haven't already.

Have you tried painting the walls white instead of grey? I think the floors are pretty and not the problem.

I had a very dark house also. I spent a lot of money improving the lighting with a lighting designer and it made a huge difference. As others have indicated they installed LED lights. I also added a conservatory off the back so I could have a room full of light.

The other thing, your paint colors and your fabric colors seem to be competing which I think is adding to the problem. Paint colors can absorb light if not chosen properly

Any thoughts on paint colors? We hired someone who pick these.. gray witha green undertone, but sounds like you don’t think it works. Previous owners had a chocolate brown wall on the window wall that had to go immediately because of how dark it was.

a pale golden yellow..... that suggests a sunny day....always warms up a room ....it is not new or trendy.....but as a fellow light worshipper I have lived with this color in some form in Aspen Colorado to the Northern California mountains for 20years ........without tiring of it....

Hi!

Lovely home.

I think the floors are fine; the wall color-not so good with your natural light and furnishings.

Check Sherwin Williams Marshmallow and Ben Moore's Swiss Coffee... They're light colors but will look much darker in your home.

Hope this is helpful. Good Luck!

Another vote to take down the window treatments. They aren't really doing anything for the space...the tied back sheers look kind of dated, the drapes are too skinny, everything is too short, the rods are dark and chunky, and my goodness, there are a lot of them! If you really feel like you need something for privacy, I'd look into shades you can pull at night but fully raise during the day.

Any chance you'd consider painting the built in cabinets? It seems odd that they don't match the mantel. I'd also entertain painting the back walls above them a lighter color too. I'd like to see a lighter throw on the chair instead of another dark color. Something in a light neutral with an interesting texture. Finally, I would look into re-tiling the fireplace surround. It's small job and the tile does look rather dingy next to your furniture.

Take a look at this photo...still light and bright with darker floors. Raise your overmantel and add trim to your built-ins so that wall is appears to be one unit. Added bonus...the white paint will reflect more light in your room. Notice the lighter tile surround I mentioned earlier. Would your tv fit on one of the cabinets? Interesting art is always better than a black hole of a tv above the fireplace.

I think it would make a difference. Do you know what type of wood it is? Could they sand it and just poly the natural wood? I think in the living room a lighter wood would also look better with those awesome wooden beams.

I would also paint the walls much lighter. Not a stark white, but soft off whites.

No. It isn't the floors dear. It's the porches and lack of window height. Lighten your walls, remove fabric at windows, PAINT THE WOOD BEAMS WHITE. They feel like a lid and heavy as all get out. Too heavy for the room or the wall height...

Use electricity!!!

I see NOT one lamp, all your lighting is from on high. Ditch the wall clutter on the tv wall. Hang two pretty round mirrors and nothing else. Call an electrician and get an outlet in each lower cabinet and a grommet hole. Buy two lamps and turn them on. Do all this after you paint the entire cabinetry trim white, and INCLUDE the wall around it to avoid a stumpy look.. Add a very long console table behind that sofa, run an extension cord from the window wall beneath the sofa and add lamps on the console as well. You don't need permission from the electrical gods, to use lamps, even in full daylight.

Porches darken ANY interior. It wouldn't matter if you faced due south!! Daylight is not penetrating light, a bright sunny house results from multiple exposures and window height. You have what you have. Paint and electricity will help. Leave the flooring alone.

another very small issue are all the dark frames in the hallway. If you were to change them out to white that may add some light into that area.

There are too MANY photos on the photo wall : ) And too many small and same size. Fix the big problems first

Consider a ledge wall for your photos - as suggested.

You have a beautiful home! I think the paint color should be lighter and I agree take down the curtains.

It sounds like you are craving sun, not just light. You have a wall of windows that almost go all the way down to the floor, you’ve added solar tubes, but it’s not enough for you because you need a different quality of light that north facing windows can never give you.

Like you, I crave a bright and sunny interior. I found though (after living in different homes with varying exposures) the only thing that can truly satisfy that need for light, is the correct exposure in the main living areas of the home. Your family room faces northeast. It will never be bright and sunny. That’s just the nature of the beast. All the things Jan and others have suggested can certainly help (and possibly be enough to satisfy you depending on your level of need - though I doubt it). But even if you removed porch overhangs and extended your windows all the way down to the floor, the sad truth is that your main living area is facing the wrong direction, and no matter what you do, it’s not going to be bright and sunny. Removing porch overhangs or lightening up the interior will give you a bit more light, but light and sunshine are two different things and a north facing room will never have the feel of a south facing room (even on an overcast day, southern rooms are brighter). Sorry to be such a Debbie downer. I learned this the hard way by purchasing a home where the rear of the house faced northeast. It had large floor to ceiling windows, but they were only on one wall. Even though there was no porch overhang obscuring the light, I always felt closed in and had such a craving for sunlight (not just light, but sunlight). I felt stuck in a house that just didn’t suit my need for light. When we were ready to move and were looking for land to build a new home, I had learned my lesson....I would only look at parcels that would allow the main living areas (fam rm, kitchen, breakfast room) to face south. I also had my architect design things so that the entire rear section of the house had floor to ceiling windows on three sides. So there was morning sun, mid day sun, and late afternoon sun flooding the entire space. I also decided not to have a screened in porch there. I love a screened porch, but having sun in the house was just more important to me. We do have a covered front porch so there is somewhere to sit and enjoy the outside, but the interior section of that particular area of the house (foyer) is very dark because of the porch overhang and the fact that it faces north/northeast.

Certainly extra lighting can help brighten things up for you, but it will never replace the feel of natural sunlight (nor will LEDs, special full spectrum bulbs or any other artificial lighting). Have I totally ruined your day :(. I’m sorry.

Nidnay, I am chuckling. The back of my house faces SOUTH and I installed a conservatory on the back of the house. Some said it would be too hot. I planted some trees that in 15 years will provide shade in the summer for the conservatory - but I just live with it. Why, because I am in a Northern climate and this time of year is dreadful for me. I use to pay for a week in a tanning booth and just go for less than 10 minutes. Now i spend my mornings eating breakfast in a conservatory. Yes probably a bit of SAD, but gosh do I feel so much better with all that sunlight year round. The front of my house faces NORTH and those rooms never have enough light.

Thanks all for the suggestions and feedback. I agree we bought the wrong house, it faces the wrong direction for a light lover like me. Just hoping for some quick fixes until the time is right to sell the house... housing market is tight in Denver area. We won't make the same mistake again, you live and learn. I did not realize the windows were dated, the window treatments came with the house, so I appreciate the feedback. We also hired a pro to pick the paint colors and they sound like they are all wrong. I love photo galleries in entry ways so even if there are too many those are there to stay, but changing out the frames to light the area was some great feedback. However, it sounds like the majority of people don't think lightening the floor will make that big of difference, so sounds like we avoided another costly mistake. Thanks again, keep the suggestions coming. I'll have to post after photos.

bellburgmaggie....I remember seening numerous posts by someone who added lots of lighting to their interior spaces...is that you? Maybe it was someone else....can’t remember.

Someone suggested painting the cabinets - especially with young ones - pick a slightly muted gold [ok with grey?]...

possibly same color on opposite wall, that seems a mural.

Any way for another room with more sun to be connected to this one?

Or go yellow -- and add lighter rug.

[https://www.houzz.com/photos/cb-upholstered-collection-transitional-living-room-charlotte-phvw-vp~9075703[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/cb-upholstered-collection-transitional-living-room-charlotte-phvw-vp~9075703)

Good thoughts. I'm definitely not a yellow person, which is unfortunate for times like now.

Nidnay offered up a great tutorial on the "emotion" of light. So often it is overlooked; exposures ignored as people are caught up in exteriors and kitchens and baths. It can not be emphasized enough. Cave dwellers should skip the soaring window walls and expenses involved in covering them , and those who go to the bright light like moths to a flame, will never be truly happy in dim, and shaded surroundings.

Twelve years ago in February, I stood out in a field in a bitter wind, in 10 degree temps. I talked my client out of a lot which had a "view", and into one with a full southern exposure, eastern exposure. ....... all day sun. She never regretted the decision. Know thyself. The same applies to open and closed environments. If you love a cave, get one. If you need the sky and open space , ditto.

Do you like other warm color for the room - there are several... :)

and found a unified wall :

https://www.houzz.com/photos/appartement-96m2-paris-17-contemporary-living-room-paris-phvw-vp~20211906

I agree that the location of the sun does matter. We used to have an apartment where all the windows faced west. I found it dreary. When it was time for a new one, I made sure all the lights were off during the walk through ( real estate agents always put on all the lights when showing homes here), and then used the compass on my phone to make sure that the main living area wouldn't point west again.

If you actually need drapes, let them hang straight; otherwise, leave the windows uncovered. The TV is too high where it is. Put it on a swing arm in the lower half of the right hand niche. This will allow easy reflection-free viewing. Paint out the heavy beams to match the ceiling: they’re utilitarian rather than beautiful.

Thanks TV is on swing arm. Feed back on windows appreciated, I didn’t know they were so awful. Easy fix to get rid of them. My neighbor with same model house loves them, so I can just give them to her.

I am reading the comments and think that the window treatment is nice and simple, as well as liking the wood beam, instead of painting it white.

I'd just start with the walls.

As for me, I would go into light yellow wall color what brighten the space itself. The wall with the windows can be pure white. I´d replace the rug for creme one - being laid on the floor it would bring the light by reflecting the sun light. Then I would instal the flat curtains only the way to hide window rims/edges in order to enable more sunlight to pass through. Then I= d replace all dark "moments" for a light ones e.g. pelmets and also the brown chair...

It sort of looks like the beams are decorative only?.......if so they sort of detract rather than add to the beauty of the home.........the wood is not precious...it doesn’t tie in with the more elegant features In the room .........and has a dark and ceiling lowering effect ......if removing them is a possibility it would really lighten up and add an airy feel needed here...if not....the other suggestions to paint them a lighter color would at least diminish the effect.......the fact that the present situation .......sort of a depressing lack of light .......effects the use and comfort of the room....this sort of warrants a change more than some of the other minor changes that may or may not help enough to justify the expense and time.......

Noooooo! No, no! Hold on on giving away your window curtains to the neighbor! They are beautiful! Just open them all the way (letting them hang straight) for a more updated look. They do help soften up the windows. Keep them, you might change your mind after you give them away. Beautiful room, btw!

Lightening the floors will make a huge difference. Dark finishes . whether it's paint, flooring or cabinets absorb the light versus reflect it.

This is a big undertaking, but it will have tremendous results.

My two cents:

You did not buy the wrong house. Your space is beautiful and those windows are terrific! Cosmetic changes do make a difference. A lighter floor would make a huge difference, but if cost is an issue (it looks to me from the pictures that you would be redoing your entire house for floors), think lighter accessories and paint and keep the dark floors. Here is my list of options to consider:

-Go with an area rug that is lighter, has a paler colour to it OR in it (spelling of the word colour...yes I am Canadian)

-Accent pillows on your sofa also need to be a lighter colour and contrast with your sofa

-Hang your existing curtains so that they fall straight, keep them fully open so that they frame the window pane

-Oh! Nothing wrong with your picture frames....the asymmetric look of their assembly is terrific! Just hang them so that the edges align and the spaces in between them are all even. That being said, because you want more light, the dark and thick is a heavy combination. If you wish, you could always opt for dark but thinner frames OR change the wall colour so that it is lighter.

-Your two recesses by the fireplace...paint your lower cabinets the same colour (the cream colour) as the fireplace surround as well as the drywall that frames on the insides (keep the current colour you have on the back wall ONLY, the rest should be the colour of the fireplace surround). You might also consider adding a floating shelf in each recess. Same colour as the fireplace surround.

-You need to paint your rafters out. Keep only the wood if you have the same colour wood elsewhere in that space, which I do not see. Your rafters should be the same colour as the walls. Keep the white ceiling colour you currently have for light contrast and interest. If you do change your wall colour, adjust the rafter colour accordingly.

-Some suggestions for paint colour , I do not know if you like neutrals only or colour, but seeing as your space is mostly neutrals consider these: Grey Owl, Moon shine, Stonington Grey (all are by Benjamin Moore).

P.S. Because you want to maximize light in your space, consider alternatives to an all neutral colour scheme.

-Lastly, accent lighting is really important. I see you have little room for an accent table next to the sofa, so consider a slim table (sofa height) to flank the back of your sofa and place a table lamp on it. You could even use it as a work table and have a chair with it. It should not be the entire width of your sofa but rather cover the middle section PLUS 6" to 1'-0" on left and right sides. Be sure to keep this piece of furniture thinner than thicker; you want it to feel light as opposed to heavy.

Have an excellent week!

Good lighting comes in various directions. While the sun is not coming into your space the way you hoped, lighting can be created. I love your beams maybe paint them a bright glossy white which will brighten the space up. And use some mirrors in the built -ins. An electrician could put some super bright lights in those built ins and even spotlights on those beams to create more lights. And I agree using a floor lamp or table lamp could help. When using a mirror have it on the shelf facing up to the sky so that it reflects the light coming down. (this of course after you have had lighting put into the built in)

https://cabindiy.com/how-to/paint-paneling/

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/use-mirrors-bring-light-room-53719.html

https://www.houzz.com/magazine/so-you-bought-a-cave-7-ways-to-open-your-home-to-light-stsetivw-vs~8791544

Here are some visual ideas too...

See this mirror above in the built in.. Maybe you can add a large mirror too

Rather than restain your floors what about contacting an electrician and put lighitng above the beams that light upwards to visually lift your eye

Love the look of the beams above with the accent lights

They have a HUGE ceiling but the lights are the idea

They kept the dark beams but added light

More mirrors in the built ins

Good luck and I hope you fall in love with your space again because it is so pretty.

Please don't judge the attached photos. I'm not an expert photographer or decorator but I hope they give at least some idea of what can be done in a room with northeast exposure.

I know your decor differs. For what it's worth, I'd paint or stain those dark beams..

Our very light and bright family room is on the north side of the house, windows all on east wall. it is often glaringly bright by day - and even early evening if we feel the need - but that wasn't always the case.

Here's some sample photos and a description of what we did, including some small details . I think It's amazing how even simple tweaking can help. :

1. No window coverings and all trees with large leafy limbs which limited light were carefully trimmed back ( none were hurt or damaged)

2. Light wood was already there ( have no idea if it's in style.) It helps maintain a sunny, happy feel .. We're going for function.

3. Lots of bright and reflective surfaces, from glassware near the bar to bright shiny plates and books on display shelves. There's even a round mirror on the shelves, above eye level, aimed at reflecting light back into the room.

Again, these are taste specific examples only, not exact decor recommendations for you. .

4. Light flooring

5. Lighting at varied levels ( wirh controls to adjust light intensity) For example, lights in the ceiling. Also, floor lamps and table lamps to add more brightness as desired.

6. We balance what would be too much pa,needs with pops of bright yellow, red, and orange colored pillows, accessories, etc.

7. A neutral light colored sofa, not white, but not dark.

Glassware: wall is lighter and brighter than in photo.