How Can I Brighten Up My Dark Attic? -Unfinished Lighting Ideas

It’s not always easy to brighten up a dark room, let alone a secluded attic. But, unfortunately, less attention has been paid to installing a great light source in most homes attic spaces. 

But the challenge mainly lies with the lack of lighting ideas for an unfinished dark attic. Nevertheless, with more innovative lighting solutions emerging in the market today, putting up light in an attic is not as complicated as you’d expect.

Nevertheless, the best way to brighten up a dark attic is to put up LED bulbs or light fixtures that provide increased light output. This way, a single bulb can already illuminate the entire room leaving no dark corners. 

Also, it is suitable for both finished and unfinished attics. You can choose to retain the light bulbs permanently even if you transform your attic into a finished room. 

Although installing a light source in your attic or loft is the most viable option when brightening up the dark room, you can also look into other unfinished attic lighting ideas. Check out some of these ideas as you read on.

 

Does an Attic Need a Light? 

Yes, despite being hidden, attics need good lighting. 

However, illuminating a dark attic seems to be at the bottom of the list, especially as owners use this room primarily for storage. Hence, the need for a permanent light is not generally perceived. Sometimes people would just go to the attic with a strong flashlight or lamp. 

But as modern home designs maximized the use of the attic or loft as a bedroom or a recreational area, lighting the attic became somewhat an interesting subject. 

Anyhow, your attic can benefit from sufficient lighting in the following ways. 

To Prevent Any Accidents

Injuries in the attic can often be due to a lack of lighting. 

Imagine going up to the very top space of your interiors without clear visibility to navigate the ladder or the unfinished floors. Surely, the absence of light causes a hazard as you try to safely step around on the upright 2x6’s and avoid stepping on the drywall ceiling below. 

It would also be tricky transporting items using only a portable light, considering the general structure of the room. 

On the other hand, if you have a reliable light fixture, you can just climb in and out of the attic with ease. 

Plus, if your light source is motion activated, you don’t have to feel around for the switch for a minute or two. Simply get inside the attic and do whatever task you have to complete in the room. 

To Turn Your Attic Into a Multipurpose Room

Attics are often used as storage spaces in many houses. Homeowners would place their unused items without spending too much time in the room. 

Naturally, all these moving actions are done in the day, so there’s really no need for bright light unless, of course, the attic is completely enclosed without windows. 

Nevertheless, most attics nowadays are not just used for storage. In fact, lots of aesthetic designs center around the attic. 

You can turn it into a cozy bedroom, a mini library, or an art workshop. So, if you want to expand the purpose of your attic, you have to ensure that it is properly illuminated. 

How Can I Brighten Up My Dark Attic? 

Clearly, the easiest way to brighten up a dark attic is to install light bulbs that you can turn into permanent light fixtures.

While some homeowners shy away from this solution, considering standard bulbs often emit low light output, many lighting fixtures today are designed to produce bright light with wide angles. 

Moreover, you can improve your attic’s lighting by considering efficient designs and adding elements that maximize illumination. 

So, to make things easier on your end, here are five lighting ideas for an unfinished attic.

• Install a Reliable Light Fixture or Bulb 

If you’re looking for lighting ideas that require less effort but produce surefire results, then simply choose to put up light bulbs or fixtures on your attic ceiling. 

Attics are not the brightest room in any house. It also doesn’t help the windows are typically smaller, so access to natural light is limited. With that, adding a light bulb helps a lot in illuminating the dark room. 

But don’t just put any other light bulb in your attic. Instead, choose LED lights to ensure that even with one or two bulbs, the space is completely illuminated. 

For example, if you install an incandescent bulb, the light intensity may be too low, and the attic will need another light source to attain sufficient illumination. But if you go for LED lights, a single bulb brightens and enhances your entire peripheral vision.

What Bulb Should I Install In My Attic? 

If you’re wondering where to find an innovative LED light bulb or fixture, you better check STKR Concept’s TRiLIGHT. 

This ceiling light is highly efficient with high light output that’s 5x brighter than a standard bulb. Not only that, it’s motion censored, so you don’t need to turn it on or off manually. 

Additionally, you can install it yourself since all you got to do is screw in the Trilight to the a standard bulb socket. If there isn’t a light bulb fixture already installed in the attic, then you could use a light fixture that plugs into a standard outlet. 

Aside from the TriLight Motion Activated Ceiling Light, you can also use the TRiLight Shoplight.

This device is perfect for an unfinished ceiling where light holders are not yet installed. In addition, the TriLight Shoplight provides multifunctional lighting, and you can just hang it on a hook.

If you have an expansive attic, consider using the MPI or Multi-Point Illumination Device. From a single light socket, you get to acquire light from five separate light heads. These five-points of light are spread across the attic ceiling, covering the entire space and eliminating shadows with its 7500 lumens. That’s more than 9x brighter than a standard bulb.

• Add More Glass to the Window Design 

Nothing beats natural light when it comes to proper illumination (during the day at least). However, most attics restrict the entry of light from outside, considering it’s typically enclosed with only a tiny window in place. 

But, if you do add more windows, you can turn your attic into a cozy room where you can relax anytime. 

However, if adding new windows is a tricky project, you can always have your existing windows redesigned. 

Instead of common styles such as wood shutters, why not go for another window design that maximizes the use of glass. It goes without saying, but the transparency of glass ensures more light comes into the attic. 

• Place a Mirror Near the Light Source 

They say it’s an interior designer’s trick, but putting a mirror inside your home significantly increases light output. 

Hence, adding a mirror and placing it strategically near your attic window or on the angle of the ceiling light will increase brightness and illuminate your dark attic. This is because the mirror allows the light to reflect, widening the scope of brightness. 

• Paint the Walls and Floor With a Lighter Color 

If you want to invite more light in your attic, consider painting the walls and the floor with light colors instead of bold or darker ones. 

You can go for white light paint, warm neutrals, beige, light greys, and pastel colors. Not only will it increase the light in your attic, but it also creates the illusion of a bigger space. 

Moreover, try to avoid intense colors like navy blue-black or dark cyan that absorb light. 

• Clean and Declutter the Attic 

It’s a little out there, but cleaning and organizing your attic is an effective way to increase brightness in the room. When your attic is full of clutter, it creates a lot shadows and can obstruct the entry of light from outside.

Likewise, it will make the room appear darker despite adequate light. So, while light installation and interior design play crucial roles in increasing light, basic decluttering remains an essential complementary solution for brightening your dark attic. 

 

 

Summary

Nowadays, your attic is not just a hidden room filled with dusting items. This cozy room has become a multifunctional space that demands good lighting. 

At first, it was all about aesthetics, but more and more people are searching for practical and efficient ways to brighten this room. 

Take the above mentioned tips to enjoy your attic even more. With innovative lighting solutions around you, all you go to do is choose the one that fits your home - and there are a lot of them right here at STKR Concepts.