All homeowners should aim to bring more natural light into the home. Natural light has been proven to boost your health, wellbeing and mood and also makes the space much brighter and inviting for guests. Unfortunately, many older properties weren’t built with the intention of allowing natural light to flood through, so you may need to make a few small changes around the home if this is the case. In this guide, we’re going to list some key options on how to let more natural light into your home. Take a look at a few of the pointers below.
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1. Use mirrors
If your home contains particularly dark rooms, it would be a good idea to strategically place mirrors around the space to allow even the smallest chink of natural light to bounce around the room. Mirrors should be placed next to or opposite windows to achieve the maximum effect.
2. Use neutral color palettes
When it comes to decorating your home, opt for neutral color palettes rather than loud patterns and dark tones, as this will help to reflect natural light around the room and give the illusion of a lighter and brighter space. Tones such as white, cream and light grey would be advisable, however, pastel shades are also effective.
3. Add more windows
If you have enough wall space, aim to incorporate as many windows as possible within your home to increase the amount of natural light entering the space. Some homes lack enough windows or are built with windows that are on the small side and cause rooms to be dark and dingy. Therefore, having new larger windows installed within your home will make the space lighter and brighter. A specialist in the installation of wooden windows will be able to create custom-sized windows to suit your home and allow you to achieve maximum light within each room.
Skylights are also another effective way of achieving more natural light within rooms such as the hallway and kitchen. Due to their facing upward position, sunlight shines directly through without obstacles such as trees and other outdoor items causing shadows.
You don’t, however, need to worry about your home being less energy efficient by installing extra windows. Over the years, double-glazing technology has improved meaning that heat is now better retained and less is spent on energy bills when it’s cold outdoors. Having a large amount of glass within your home doesn’t necessarily mean less privacy, as you could add blinds to shield you away from peering eyes come evening time.
4. Replace solid doors with French doors
Unless you have an open-plan layout, you’ll likely have interior doors leading into each room. However, when shut, solid doors can block out natural light within your home. As an alternative, French doors with glass panels allow sunlight to flow between rooms, while still having the element of privacy and noise reduction.
Getting more natural light into your property isn’t always an easy task, but the above tips should point you in the right direction to achieve maximum natural light within your home.
