How should I decorate my home to help reduce SAD symptoms in winter?

Is it worth decorating and brightening your home? Does it have any affect on seasonal affective disorder?

Redecorating your home can make a big difference in the quality of light there and may help contribute to improving the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder. Of course the last thing you would want to do is start a redecoration program as SAD symptoms descend at the end of summer - it would be likely to stay half finished through the winter!

The level of light in a room is not just determined by the amount which enters through windows and skylights but also by how much is reflected by the surface of the walls and ceilings. The percentage of light which reaches a surface and is reflected back from it is called the reflectance. This percentage is higher with a white and cream walls (60 to 70%) and is much lower with darker colours which seem to "absorb" available light rather than reflecting it back into the room.

Pure white can seem cold, stark and clinical but any pale shade will be just about as effective and can give a room a warmer feeling. Choose lighter accessories and furniture too if you can. Add colour if you like by introducing focal points rather than using intense colour on walls, floor and ceilings. Avoid heavy patterns too in wallpaper, carpets and curtains.

If you want to add a few mirrors go ahead, as they are excellent at reflecting light within a room.

Don't go completely against your personal taste to add more light however. You need to feel at peace in your home and colours you like or dislike have an effect on your overall mood. You may to want to try out a few different colour schemes with inexpensive accessories to see how you like them before committing to wholesale redecoration.

See also the section on Environmental changes for SAD for more ideas about increasing the level of light.

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