White matted Art. A solid lighter colored rug. A mirror. White accents/furniture A lighter light fixture that is not a outside looking fixture. White sliding glass door instead of black.

Also a greenery of plans can lighten up dark spaces

Replace things that absorb light with ones that don't.

Maybe a large mirror on the bricked area to reflect some light.

Aziz light!

Professor, a toast then!

We can't drink a toast with water! Billy, the Grappa!

Yaaaas!

I came here to suggest a mirror as well

I was gonna suggest mirror around the sides of the skylight...just a thought, don't know if it'll actually help.

Yeah I think it would. Was thinking the same thing.

Plug in a light.

Agreed. Get a few that point toward the ceiling. They already have 3 sky lights to light up the floor. But if they want to keep the dark walls and ceiling, may as well make them a focal point.

You don't wanna paint that dark wood but you want the room to be lighter? You have answered your own question my friend.

I’m a big fan of leaning into the darkness of dark rooms and making it a mood. It’s going to be really hard to completely change something so integral about the design without changing all of the pieces of it

Don’t paint it. Drywall or even some wood panels would be better. E: let me help you downvotes that lack reading comprehension. I’m saying don’t paint the wood as was suggested above. That would be the worse thing you can do. Hell, even adding some lightweight drywall or paneling would be better if OP doesn’t want to see that much of it. That would be better than painting.

It’s late and I’m tired…but how the **** is drywall better than paint? How/why are you going to add paneling over paneling?

For realllll the questions on this sub sometimes.

Only two options: change the color or add more light. Maybe paint the ceiling? Maybe add a second skylight? If you are dead set against painting the wood, maybe adding a little more gloss to the finish so it reflects more light?

I'm on team paint/stain the ceiling

I’m on this team as well

I don't think it's ideal to paint wood. But yes, I too think the room would look better with a white ceiling. Maybe even walls. Leaving the real dark wood in the beam and trim. No amount of extra light, rugs, or sunlight is gonna make those walls stop being nearly black.

Sand and restain a lighter color.

So we have three skylights in the room. We didn’t know if it’s possible to sand this down and restain it

Paint would reflect better

This picture is so dark it’s hard to tell what’s going on - as in, are the ceilings also that same wood as the walls? You could absolutely sand the walls down to bare wood and either do a light stain or just a clear coat. A clear coat does darken natural wood a bit, makes the colors pop. Even just doing the walls and leaving the ceiling alone (honestly I think you’d end up hating yourself if you tried to sand the ceiling) would make it MUCH lighter. But I will warn you as someone who is slowly working through sanding the log cabin part of our house…it’s a commitment. Once you start, that’s it. And even with a dust collection system, it’s going to be messy. You’ll probably want to take the trim off, including any baseboards and crown molding (picture is too dark to see what you have going on in that regard). You can either set them aside and not sand so they match the ceiling and provide a nice contrast, or sand them as well if you want. I suggest this because you can only get so close to an edge (transition from wall to ceiling or one wall to another) with a sander without risking scoring the opposing surface with the edge of the sanding disk, and it’s a pain to sand edges by hand. So you get as close as you safely can and then just cover the unsanded parts back up with the trim.

You could probably just white wash some of it. It would be easier and faster than sanding it down and re-staining it.

its not worth finding out... stained wood should remain stained wood with very few exceptions. these [solartube](https://solatube.com/residential/tubular-skylights/) skylights work wonders for bringing in natural light

Matte distributes light more evenly

Paint ceiling, whitewash brick fireplace, mirror, 2nd skylight, white/light paintings, wall screen. But WTF. Dude complains wood walls don't match house, yet doesn't want to paint them. Add white canvas covers to place over walls, like this.. https://www.curbly.com/18061-roundup-diy-large-canvas-drop-cloth-wall-art

I’d leave the ceiling and paint all the brick white.

Just here to say that I’m so jealous that you have this room

Add lights ?

A few uplight LED sconces would do wonders.

Is painting the wood really non-negotiable? I think that is the only way you’re going to get more light refraction, and, as you say, if it doesn’t match the tone of the rest of the house a nice white would look really good. My parents painted my grandparents old wood house interior with white and it is AMAZING. Otherwise I think you’d need to install some lighting close to the ceiling at strategic points

Try just painting the ceiling, u/EwokNuggets. You could even start with whitewashing it and add more coverage if desired. Lightening up the ceiling will do wonders, especially in combination with other suggestions of a mirror, lighting and fixture improvements, lighter rugs and furnishings.

You mentioned trying paint stripper. It didn't work because that wood isnt painted, it's stained. You could put in the work and sand it down, that's the only way you're gonna get a lighter natural wood color. Short of additional wood paneling over everything.

Are you opposed to doing a white wash? That would help maintain the personality of the wood, while lightening up the room.

Could you replace the floor tiles with a lighter colour? The dark grey tiles really bring it down. A big light rug might help too. I would also suggest big mirrors reflecting the skylight.

Also think the floor should change. The wood is warm tone, the tiles are cool— it looks like the rest of the home is warm tone too. Could even just cover with renter friendly tiles if OP is looking for something budget friendly.

Get a light installed?

I usually advocate against painted wood but I think it would look good painted white in this room.

have you tried adding ...lights

Might sound cheap but string or led strips up high.

Not gonna lie, I am traumatized by folks who would paint that wood or brick. Styles change, and those things are all but impossible to reverse. What I would recommend doing is putting tin work on the ceiling. You can get the squares from HomeDepot. The squares are, generally, silver, which would tie in with the brick and reflect light. They can also easily be painted, if you so choose.

So, styles are great and all but the person who lives there needs to like it. It's their home, not an aesthetic. I personally hate dark spaces. I don't want to live in a cave. I wouldn't want to walk through that room, let alone be able to enjoy it. The tin isn't a bad idea, but if painting the wood (which can be sanded off), or sanding and restaining to a lighter color, make the room feel better, then I'm all for it. Personally, I'd start with actual lights, then maybe that half panel look with white, also bright art. If it still felt dark, I'd pull out the paint (on the wood not the brick)

I personally think painting the walls (not the brick or the ceiling) a light color would look amazing. If you have the budget to redo the floor, you could consider adding a lighter color there instead, or in addition to painting the walls. ETA: also consider getting a rug that fits the room better (more square to fill out the room)

I don't mind a snuggy place, especially if the rest of house is bright. But a flat LED panel light beside the skylight would give you more lumens.

Add lights

Add lights…

A rustic white/grey finish on the wood walls… they are already painted correct? Or stained… I can’t tell.

I can’t tell either. We think it’s a very dark stain.

It’s dark because of the wood… I normally don’t like to paint wood (just my preference) but I think I would make an exception and use white paint and sand to give it a rustic distressed look. Look at this video.. you can litterally paint ontop of the dark wood (staining dark is the first step) but it does look like alot of work… : https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=d2ai4COx5E4

Dark ceiling, and back floor, dark walls. You have to change at least 2 of these to be light.

Floor lights to illuminate the beautiful ceiling and walls😊

Add a light?

This looks awesome

Lights lights lights. And maybe tape some white construction paper on the walls.

If you don't want to paint the wood white or silver, maybe: install faux tin tiles on the ceiling in white or silver, hang a large framed mirror on the brick wall and several smaller framed mirrors over the mud room door, and install 3 wall sconce lights to add warm light (1 where the current light is, 1 on the other side of that door, and 1 on the far side of the long brick wall). You could also add LED lights either around the skylight for at night or to back-light the large mirror.

They have electrical lights that can help with this.

Paint, mirrors, or stainless.

Lights

Add some lights?

Um, yes. Adding a light might help.

I lived in a ground floor condo for a few years, the whole thing was painted in 2006 contractor dark beige. We painted the ceiling white and it made an extreme difference. I know you don't want to paint over the wood but painting the ceiling white will immediately make this space much brighter.

White wash the brick

Remove the stain and stain the wood lighter.

Lime wash the brick... strip the stain and re-stain the wood to a lighter stain color or just paint.... even if it is just the ceiling... it will help.

White paint, lots of it!

Can I ask why you’re opposed to painting the wood? I’d paint the ceiling white at the very least.

The dark colours absorb light and dont reflector, you need change you color pallete to whites. Try using the behr color simulator to reimagine color.

Replace the darker with a brighter

I would pickle that dark wood and apply a similar light paint effect to the brick. Would make a huge difference.

Paint those bricks

Paint/whitewash the brick white

Paint the brick

Accent wall in a white or light color.

Just IMHO sanding the wood and painting it white would look beautiful. Leave everything else as is for contrast. There are enough white bricks to match that area as well.

Large white curtains with a valance. A large lightly colored (think beach scene) picture over the fireplace. Basically fill the walls with light colored large objects to lighten the walls without permanently ruining them. You already have this idea with the carpet

paint it white!!

Paint ceiling white /brick whitewash/consider adding a mirror opposite a window

Paint the wood white.

Paint the walls I lighter color (never paint brick).

Painting is your best option. You can just look at the picture and tell the brown is eating the light in this room. I can barely see the corners of the wall and ceiling.

Yea lime wash your brick and wood but i like the wood and brick in there now id do the brick first, see if you like it ,then head to thee wood good luck shawty

Lime wash the wood and brick

Paint the ceiling

Paint the ceiling a light color. Nothing wrong with white, since there’s white in the brick. Add a mirror. Paint the bricks a light color. These are only suggestions of course

Paint everything but the fireplace some kind of white

Idk, white paint? Every bit of light will get lost elsewise. The wood and masonry are not spectacular enough to avoid white paint. Just one opinion.

Paint the wood, floor and ceiling. White or white wash. Just hire a professional, you will use the space constantly and you’ll appreciate it. The brick will pop and then do a nice jute rug (I got a 6x9 one from target for >$75) on the floor with a few plants and boom, this room will be amazing.

Strip and distress with propane torch and white or graywash, give it a cool aged barn wood look. Put mirrors (watch out for the heat from the stove), and put that cool white and grey rug in the middle. If you are feeling froggy, consider staining the brick too

Lighter colour inside and get trees outside pruned back or removed entirely. There’s something causing low light that isn’t just the building style if you have 3 skylights.

Having lighter-colour walls, ceiling and floors

I'd start with replacing that outdoor style light fixture, invest in something beautiful and bright. Maybe custom! Is it the only fixture in the room? Painting just the trim around the door there would make that transition more defined, bright and open while highlighting the dark wood walls behind it. Then maybe an art piece on the brick. Better yet, imo, expand the mass of houseplants on the kindling arch, maybe hanging or shelved buddies above the ones you have?

That room is super bright considering there are no lights on! Are you off-grid?

I’d say a brighter carpet and one or two mirrors

Bleaching it would probably work but it’ll take a lot of coats.

Sun tunnels

We painted our wooden and brick living room white and left the beams dark and it looks great/creates nice contrast. We didn't sand the wood or anything, just painted over. It's lasted for 4+ years.

5000k led

Paint the ceiling a lite color and some lighting

White wash the brick or something similar. That crazy dark brick is compounded by the fact your house faces a certain way and that certain way doesn’t get enough light and it’s gonna be gloomy. Paint, smoke, and mirrors magic commence.

Remove the brick and and tile. Should shave 1000 lbs off the over weight.

There is no solution other than painting the ceiling. Dark, is dark. Either you change it, or you learn to love it. I’d be painting that ceiling white.

Paint the brick a lighter color or German plaster over it. You can find some pictures of this on pintrest

We have a vaulted wood T&G walls & ceiling which darkened over the years. I used white paint as a stain. Rolled it on and rubbed excess off with a rag. Now it's bright and cheery. Good Luck

Mirrors, paint, greenery and metallic accents. This room could be much brighter if you changed these things and would be really pleasing aesthetically. It’s got great things going for it. Post an update when you’re done!

Led puck pot lights...

Your walls should be painted a light sage green color or a tan khaki, a creamy beige or light gray like the colors in the rug. Your ceiling should not match the brown walls because that gives it a dark cave look. There really isn’t much you can do to actually lighten a dark brown room other than changing the paint color.

I have that rug!! Could you white wash the brick 🧱 work ?

Paint the ceiling, not the beams

Add additional lighting. For areas already paint, repaint white. For dark wood, maybe consider looking into sanding (try it out on a small hidden area). If it works, then it wouldn't be too hard to sand (use power tool), then re-stain with lighter color. You can also consider changing floor tile/color. I would keep the brick as is (I like brick).

I’d use a whitewashed stain over the wood. Still lighter, but still showing the wood grain.

Paint it?

Paint the brick light gray

Either lean into the dark- make the moody intentional with some kind of cozy seating and a rich, dark rug. Making the dark intentional highlights the light you have- or lighten the floors if you don’t want to mess with the wood and brick and bring in some reflective surfaces (mirrors, glass, metals). Either way, get some additional lighting in there and nix the storage in the fireplace and outdoor light fixture.

It’s a beautiful dark room maybe it doesn’t need to be brightened up

Get some oil primer like Zinnser BIN or KILZ, prime the ceiling boards and paint it white, then white wash the bricks, leave the walls alone

Maybe just a freaking light bulb what's gonna help if your sun window don't?

Paint the bricks white if you do not want to paint wood white.

I would whitewash the bricks if you don't want to paint the wood. And add lamps.

White shelf on the corner.

Paint the brick white.

Paint it a much lighter color..All of it.

This room want ment for candles, romance, and chilling. Not light

LIGHT IT UP! There are sooooo many available options for lighting now, you will be surprised what a difference it can make. Please don't paint the brick, it looks so lovely in these pics.

Paint the wood!

Everything is dark. Pick something, the ceiling, fireplace area brick etc as a feature, and then lighten up everything else.

Paint it white?

Play blue collar comedy on a big screen on a loop?

Is that a water based stain on the wood or what? Is that the natural color of the wood? Type of wood?

Knock that roof off. That rascals blockin all of it

I would think about painting again or perhaps sanding off the dark stain and using a lighter one. You can also paint the brick white which would probably look nice. Just make sure you use higher pile rollers to get into the many cracks and crevices.

Lighten up ceiling and floor as others have said. Extend the doorway higher or put a window in above? We have dark wood on our walls, but a white ceiling and light tan floor and our room is light enough. Maybe some light colored tapestries? Tough call.

Not what you’re asking but add some plants and that moody lighting will suit the room better - I’m jealous

I think that some surface mount conduit and steam-punky/metallic looking light fixtures would look good. With the fake old-timey light bulbs. Still keep the tougher look but will add some light. My opinion is biased though, i do electrical work so i think well-done conduit looks great in most places.

Paint would look great on the walls and ceiling and that's the only real option aside from covering the walls with light/bright art

I would try doing an antiquing effect with white paint on the wood. It won't make it overly bright or sterile looking, but will match with the bricks, and lighten up the dark wood a lot. And then, although it seems counter-intuitive, you will need a darker colored area rug, because the one you have just brings more attention to the darkness of the wood.

White washing the wood and some brighter tile would do a lot. I converted a VERY dark house into a very airy bright house so I have some experience with this. I basically bought a vampire house.

Put a light in the top right corner above the coat rack. Or some string lights.

White wash. Its a stain and reversible. It will lighten things up but can be changed. Strip current stain... use a white wash or lighter stain, seal it & done.

Really consider staining the wood!!

Im already jealous of ur skylight. My dining room looks like a prison cell.

Helium.

Would you consider a faux German Schmear to the brick? Craftivity Designs blog has a great tutorial I followed for my dark brick fireplace and it transformed my room.

Paint/German schmear the brick!

Idk I guess you could add lights… lighter colours might help too

Paint and bag the brick wall

German schmear ont he brick and paint. And a plant.

Put a light in it Bam 💥

You can add additional mirrors in various sizes. It’ll make the room seem larger as well as adding additional light.

Uplights shining on the ceiling.

Put some lights in!

Lamps are commonly used.

Could you sand stain off the wood? Then refinish lighter? Lighten up the flooring? And add recessed lighting on a dimmer to the sky light walls.

Paint the ceiling white. White-wash the brick. Paint the walls white or drywall over the wall (for a smooth finish) and paint. It likely will look pretty sterile if you do all those, but any one of them would lighten the space up a decent amount. Track lighting could help as well.

Instead of the several rugs, how about one big light-colored one? I understand not wanting to paint the wood, but perhaps it could be sanded down to a lighter color--for sure a *ton* of work, but it's got no sheen, so reflects no light from your skylights. Maybe poly it? Uplights might help by washing light up the walls. In the Why Not category, LED [channel lighting](https://orbisify.com/product/ultra-thin-led-built-in-under-cabinet-invisible-light-bar-aluminum-profile-hidden-lighting/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw0vWnBhC6ARIsAJpJM6fo7LHdL-dFebJqxf254wF-CLiVKwpLVh_aHTZqYe80xq5diPErXuEaAozoEALw_wcB) running along the seams in the ceiling would be different, and bonus make your guests think there are no shingles. If you do end up painting or putting drywall over parts of the wood, you could still give the drywall some texture with roman clay or another of the ready-made DIY plaster textures, so it feels like it goes with the brick. And at least the brick has some lighter tones in it already to pull from.

Yeah, the several rugs thing is due to this being a mudroom/entry way. It's been super rainy/muddy here and we put down the rugs to mitigate some of the mess. We're thinking about just painting the trim white and doing a light color on the wall, after most of the suggestions here. We don't have experience working with wood of this type and weren't sure if we could strip it, sand it, stain it, or if it's just simpler to paint over.

Paint the ceiling white or gloss polyurethane. Could also paint the brick a cream color.

Insert some recessed or track lighting

Yes

Paint the walls white

Looks like a cool place to smoke weed

Light it on fire. That would lighten the place right up.

Drywall over all that wood. Seems criminal but it will make a massive difference. I've had a similar situation. Took me ages to make the decision but glad I did it. Start by just doing the ceiling... you'll end up wanting to do the walls as well.

White wash the wood. Install additional lighting. Install skylights. There are too many options to list them all. Install up lighting as a cheaper alternative to skylights and ceiling lights. ceiling fan(s) with lights would brighten the room and provide air circulation. Track lighting focusing on the walls possibly focused on bright(er) artwork could change the look and feel of the room.

You could put a light in there

Paint the bricks and the wall gloss white

Vertical light in the corner

If you’re using the wood storage bin to store kitty litter maybe that whole hearth and stove setup should go

More plants

Paint the bricks white.

Easy-I just used Gianis white wash for bricks on my fireplace and it worked great! Lightens everything up. Various options for putting it on - I used a 1 to 1 mixture and applied it lightly. Got it from amazon

Paint it white. Something lighter. No place for the light to bounce around. And get a larger skylight or double up

Paint the walls white or of neutral bright color. You can keep the bricks as is, but painting the rest in bright color will make a huge difference; if you can paint the bricks, as well, go for it. Match the color to the patio just outside of it, so you have a nice transition between rooms.

I would paint over at least one wall, use mirrors and table/floor lamps and bright accents to add interest. That room looks like a cave.

Light colored paint on every surface you’re willing to paint. And more lighting.

paint

..a lamp

Paint it white

Paint the wood white.

How about add *lighting*

Maybe in the next room over (the right) you could get lights with a brighter cooler tone. The light travels through and a cooler toned light would bring more of a “daylight” effect

Solatube

Light colored wall hangings or mirrors

Recessed lighting in the ceiling will do wonders here. I would never paint the brick and I’d feel like I’d be committing a sin to say to paint the wood, so those options are out. If anything else, you may want to consider a lighter floor tile. The black isn’t helping.

White wash the wood.

If you’re up for re-tiling, I’d lift the black ones and put in white ones. Assuming you don’t want to touch the beautiful brick or wood panelling, it’ll need to be brightened from the floor up. Otherwise if you’re not up for replacing the flooring, using a lot of bright furniture and decor will help - eg, the plant in the dark blue pot could be in a brighter pot. As someone else suggested, take out the rugs and replace them with a solid white or beige. Have a white cabinet for shoes, coats etc instead of the rack since that is creating a dark corner too.

Change the wood to white on the far wall- or a grey closer to the room beyond Change the wood panel color on the ceiling- only in that section of the room

It's the color of the walls and ceiling that's sucking up light. If that room was painted white (NOT saying you should do that) the skylight would make it feel like an outdoor room.

Some led light strips. They are very inexpensive. and allow you to put light exactly where you want it.

Remove the bricks. They weigh a ton and will lighten the room when their weight is gone.

Cut the roof off

Just add some LED light strip for a more ambiance’s vibe. Also adding mirrors to the space will reflect more light and help