Not every room is blessed with good light. In fact, some rooms are dark caves that make you wonder what the architect/builder was even thinking. Sometimes a badly placed window (or none at all) is to blame. Other times, it’s a properly placed window with a badly placed tree that blocks all the sunlight. If you struggle with a poorly lit bedroom (or living room for that matter), there’s a simple hack you can try that’ll multiply the brightness of your space.

The trick? Placing a lamp in front of a mirror! The simple solution is one I’ve used myself in numerous rooms as my own place has plenty of windows but too many overhangs that block that sweet sweet sun from gracing my home. The idea is that the mirror will bounce back any of the light the lamp gives off, effectively growing your light source (i.e. making your room brighter).

One of my favorite applications is in the bedroom—particularly on a nightstand or dresser. Take a look at some of these lovely examples to borrow inspiration for your own space.

Above: If you’re bedroom isn’t dark in terms of sunlight, but dark in terms of decor (like this moody space from Lonny ), the lamp-in-front-of-mirror trick also works well to liven up the space.

There are many things to love about this bedroom from Hunted Interior : the desk and chair combo in place of a traditional nightstand, that wild-yet-neutral wallpaper and, of course, the round mirror layered with a table lamp. This room doesn’t seem to have any issues with sunlight, but if it did, this would certainly help make the darkness better.

While a traditional mirror (i.e. not an antiqued mirror) works best for this concept, I do love this patinated version in a bedroom from House Beautiful for the drama. I’d imagine the light that glows through the white lamp shade would create a rather nice ambience.

Apart from being a smart way to spread light in a darker space, symmetrical mirrors, lamps and nightstands just look uber chic. Darker shades (or ones made of a thicker material than linen like I suspect the ones in this room from Lonny are) force light up and down from the lamp, so placing the mirror in a way that catches both angles is key.

What other tricks do you use at home to help bring some much-needed brightness to a dark room? Share your tips below!