north facing livingroom

[user1471554919]

Hi everyone
This is my first post .
we have a north facing living room here goes ,
this room drives me mad ,there is no sun in this room due to me making my hubby invest in a orangery ,which by the way he was totally against .
We have to put main lights on all day long rain or shine .
This is really getting me down and im starting to argue with my hubby .He doesn't see a problem with the lack of light issue,
THB we have lived in this bungalow for 10 years and i have hated it from day 1 but hubby loves it .
street full of bungalows and all retired people ,no noise ,what more can you ask for .
We were going to sale it but couldn't find anything we liked in price range and i refuse to increase the mortgage .
hubby said we just keep wasting money on this house ,
help !!! . I feel like i have dark cloud sitting on my shoulders ,

I don't understand the bit about the orangery. Can you explain that? My family room is north facing and it is plenty bright enough during the day.

hi
the living room is at back of bungalow with only set of patio doors for light . the orangery is joined to this room

Is there another outside wall you could put a window in?

Well if you wanted the orangery and it's blocking the light that is your fault. I am not sure I know what and orangery is tbh. Can you sit in the orangery? Is it like some sort of sunroom or conservatory?

no the bungalow is a semi with bedroom to front which get full sun .
bathroom and dinning room to side .kitchen & living room on back

Just sell.

Why did you get the orangery then? Sounds like a fancy and expensive addition to a small house. I would have been inclined to make the sitting room at the back my bedroom and used the sunny bedroom at the front as the sitting room. But I guess that might not be possible with the addition of the orangery.

Can you post a picture of the sitting room and orangery so we can maybe give you some ideas of how to use the space or make it brighter?

its like an extension with glass lantern roof . i do sit in there but when i look though the room .the living room is so dark

Can you make the living room cosy and for winter/after dark when you need light and then sit in the orangery during the day?

We have a very dark back room and I hate it so I feel your pain.

i will post pic later .when it gets lighter outside

Redecorate the living room in and install lots of good lighting. Make it cosy with colourful fabrics and go for luxury touches (Homesense, Sainsbury's or Asda Home are good if you're on a budget).

There are some ideas here:
www.realhomes.com/design/how-to-make-a-dark-room-brighter

(I wouldn't go for white though, that feels too cold and with a dark room you can get away with very bright colours).

Could you swap the rooms around. Have your sunny bedroom as the lounge and move your bedroom into the north facing lounge?

In dark rooms options are
warm - so rich colours (red/orange/ green - a yellower tone not blue green) , nice textures, mirrors candles, snug space...the farrow and ball vardo is a teal which could look very glamourous
www.farrow-ball.com/the-chromologist/inspiration/top-tricks-for-tricky-light

pastel/pretty - pale n interesting - pastel pink/yellow/pale blue. maybe pretty wallpaper

www.realhomes.com/design/how-to-make-a-dark-room-brighter

shiny- light reflective so maybe a metallic pattern in wallpaper with a pale rest of rooms - lots around - geometric and flower/fancy..

thb i was thinking this too . 2 issues i see with this .we had log burner installed in lounge 2 years ago and new fitted wardrobes in main bedroom last yr
other bedroom to small for living room 12ft x 9.9 ft .
hubby did suggest getting good sofa-bed for this room .
so i could use in the day .
all my family think im just bored with the house because it was total wreck and now nothing to do

In think you should stop trying to make the living room "bright" and make it cosy and relaxing instead.

I also think that if you're sitting in the bright orangery and getting distracted by looking at the dark living room it might be that your need to change your mindset too and stop being so negative about the house. (I don't mean to sound harsh - I know what it's like when you've got it into your head that you really don't like something and it's very difficult to shift!)

I totally agree with you about my mindset .when i go on holiday i cant wait to get home .walking in the house all smelling lovely and clean .
After few days i am back to my normal self having a love , hate relationship with house

We once had a gorgeous yellow sitting room. It felt sunny. You could try that.

What about sun pipes? When we were house hunting we saw a dark house made bright with sun pipes. They are like windows in the ceiling (mostly) which go though the loft to the roof and out-they magnify the light into the house.

And we found eggier yellows sit better than "greener" ones.

Taken now.

The heavy, dark furniture is the first thing to change.

Is that one with lights on and one with lights off? What about small lamps rather than having the big light on all the time? Also some of your furniture is very dark. Could you put light coloured throws over them?

I have taken some pictures of my north facing room. I will try to post them. My furniture is very light and I have quite a big window which helps.

I have two small side lights on as it is very dull outside today.

A more expensive option but could you consider a rooflight?

A sun tunnel (tube allowing outside light into room through roof) would honestly make a huge difference. We live in a bungalow, and, after building an extension, ended up with a bathroom with no windows. A sun tunnel was installed and it's now light all through the day.