Your home is your sanctuary — the place where you want to relax after a long day and make memories with your family and friends. That’s why it’s important to decorate your home in a way that makes you feel at ease and reflects your personal style. Making parts of your home feel more welcoming and inviting can lower your stress levels and make you feel more confident about inviting your loved ones over. Here are three practical and proven ways to brighten any living space.

Hang Your Mirrors Near Light Sources

Mirrors instantly make a room look bigger and can brighten a dark room. To make the most of mirrors in your home, place your mirrors near a source of light. Placing your mirror near the floor lamp can make the room appear brighter and bring more attention to the beautiful furniture and accents in the room. It’s best to use ambient lights in the lamp so the light isn’t too bright when it is reflected. You can also position your mirrors near the windows so the glass will reflect the natural sunlight. You can hang the mirror on the wall or lean the mirror in the corner near the light source for maximum effectiveness.

Add Ambient Lighting

If you want to add a little more lighting to the room without making it overly bright, you can decorate with light strings or several large candles. Ambient lights or orb lights also allow you to add warm lighting to the room that adds a soothing feeling to the room. Ambient light can also bring more attention to beautiful furniture pieces or artwork in the room without overwhelming light that can tire the eyes. If you have a rustic or industrial decorating style, ambient lighting can be the perfect finishing touch for any room in your home. You can incorporate ambient light into your home with small accent lights in warm colors or a decorative tray of candles in the middle of the table.

Accent the Room with Plants

Studies have shown that having plants in your home can lower your stress levels. House plants, whether they’re real or synthetic, can make you feel more comfortable and at ease when you walk into a room. Researchers found that people experienced lower blood pressure and heart rate after spending time in a room with plants.

Tending to your indoor plants can also help you keep your stress levels in check. However, if you don’t have a green thumb and/or wish to opt for a lower-maintenance approach to decorating, artificial plants such as faux orchids are a great addition to any living space.

If you’re working from home and need help concentrating or being more productive, including a few plants in your home office could help when it comes to completing tasks and thinking clearly.

There are also several plants that can improve the air quality in your home. This is important if you or a family member have breathing difficulties or allergies. Choose from plants like bamboo, spider plants, Boston ferns, and rubber trees for safe and beautiful plants that can make the air in your home safer.

It’s important to note that some plants are toxic and are not meant to be kept in residential spaces. If you see a plant that features a color or leaf design you like, you should check with the local nursery to make sure the plants you want to include in your home decor are safe for you and your family.

These small touches can make a huge difference in the way your room looks and feels. You can customize these features to fit your decorative style and you don’t have to spend a lot of money to make any room in your home brighter and more appealing.