At their best, kitchens are light, airy, and welcoming environments for everyday meals and late-night snacks. But sometimes a kitchen is the byproduct of an old building or a dated house in need of a renovation, making it a far cry from a space worth spending much time in.,If the latter sounds like your kitchen, good news! These five simple, designer-approved tricks can brighten up your kitchen — sans renovating! — so that it can be much more inviting. Check out this list of remedies below.,Perhaps the easiest way to bring a bit of light into a kitchen is by adding reflective surfaces like mirrors and metallic accent pieces, especially if they face windows that bring in natural light. These items can be hung on the wall like art or put on display on your shelving or counters, if you invest in shiny wares like vases or serving pieces. “Using reflective surfaces can bounce light around and help a space feel larger and brighter,” says Amber Dunford, style director at Overstock.,Want to double-down here? “If your budget allows, you can add a backsplash that is reflective, such as glass tile or a tile with a glossy finish,” adds designer Jenna Randolph David, director of interiors at Grossmueller’s Design. “Whether your style is classic and you want a glossy white subway, or you love color and want to do a bright glass mosaic as your backsplash, this will bring additional reflective texture to your kitchen.” For an “installed” budget solution, you could consider shiny hardware for your cabinets or cut mirror as a backsplash option, as seen over the range in the apartment above.,If you’re lacking natural light all together, you can imitate sunlight in your space to trick the mind into thinking that your kitchen is akin to the great outdoors. How, you ask? “Humans prefer to be under dappled lighting, which is the same light you might experience when the sun shines through leaves on a tree,” says Dunford. “Incorporating elements that replicate this into your home, such as basketweave light pendants or lamps, can create the same glow as the dappled lighting you’d find in nature.” According to Dunford, this kind of lighting choice will also add some faux architectural interest to your space by creating soft shapes and organic patterned shadows on your surfaces when “on.”,