For a lot of people, increasing their home’s natural light is not high on their list of things to do—but it should be. Read on to find out WHY you should and HOW you can.
Why is it Important to Have Natural Light in Your Home?
Before we dive into the world of Velux skylights and light-reflecting wall colours, it’s important to know why natural light is a must-have for any home.
We’ll be the first to admit that nothing is quite as uninviting as a dark, dingy-feeling room. But for many people, the need for natural light in their homes spans far beyond simple aesthetics.
Here are some of the benefits to having natural light in your home:
- Your mood is improved: Natural light allows you to soak up more vitamin D, all the while helping to ward off the risk of seasonal depression and the Winter Blues.
- It can improve your eyesight: Exposure to natural light can actually increase your eyes’ overall health. Dopamine is stimulated by natural light and helps your eyes to grow and develop properly—this is especially beneficial for households with children.
- Electricity consumption is reduced: When there’s more natural light in your home, you’ll rely less on artificial lighting. Not only does this reduce your electricity bill but it also reduces your carbon footprint.
5 Ways to Increase Your Home’s Natural Light
After reading about the importance of having natural light in a home, we bet you can’t wait to increase the level of natural light found within your own home. There are many tried and tested ways to increase your home’s natural light and here are the best of them.
1. Skylights
A skylight is the most effective way to increase the natural light in your home. It’s also the most permanent option found on our list and can be the most expensive. A skylight is a sure-fire way to increase your home’s natural light while increasing the value of your home at the same time.
From traditional Velux skylights to tubular skylights, there is a range of different skylights to choose from. Choosing the right skylight is dependent on your roof type, personal preference and your area’s typical climate.
If you’re looking for Velux skylights Melbourne has an abundance of trusted suppliers. This is a significant home improvement project so always remember to read online reviews to make sure the company you plan on using deserves your business.
2. Mirrors
Using strategically placed mirrors to increase the natural light found within a home is a trick of the trade that interior designers and decorators alike often employ. While mirrors don’t technically produce any light of their own, they’re one of the best ways of utilising existing natural light.
Mirrors quite literally double the amount of natural light in a room. The best places to hang mirrors include:
- Directly opposite windows
- Stairwells
- Hallways
If you don’t want to fill your home with mirrors, you can also place metallic objects in the areas that get the most natural light. Use metallic flower vases, brass candlesticks or even sequined scatter cushions.
3. Light Colours
It’s a well-established fact that light colours reflect light better than dark colours do. This is because lighter shades reflect the natural light that enters a room through windows, instead of absorbing it.
Consider using light colours such as the following to increase your home’s natural light:
- White
- Eggshell
- Pastels
You aren’t limited to just giving your walls a fresh lick of paint. You can use light colours all over your residence to increase your home’s natural light. Use lightly coloured furniture and accessories & consider re-doing your flooring using light woods or white-toned ceramic tiles.
4. Windows
Before you start ripping up your floors and whipping out your paint brush, make sure that your windows aren’t what’s stopping natural light from entering your home. You can do this in one of two ways.
The first step to making sure your windows are optimising your natural light flow is simple: make sure your windows are clean! You might not think they’re dirty just by looking at them, but a quick wipe with a damp cloth may just reveal dust and dirt that you haven’t noticed.
Once your windows are clean it’s time to take a look at what covering you’re using. Thick curtains are detrimental to letting natural light flow into your home. If you have curtains at the moment, consider replacing them with curtains that are lighter—in both colour and material.
5. Greenery
Perhaps this is this list’s more obvious way to increase your home’s natural light. But it is so often overlooked we thought we’d mention it just in case. Trees and bushes are excellent for producing shade but not so great for helping natural light enter your home.
If you have any trees, bushes or climbing plants that are growing near your doors and windows, trim them down. Another way that natural light and plant life are connected is that indoor plants will flourish when a higher level of natural light is introduced.
Final Thoughts
Don’t ever let yourself feel dark and gloomy simply because your house does. Get all the benefits of increasing your home’s natural light. Use any of these tips to bring more light to your home—and your life.
Which of these ways to increase your home’s natural light will you be trying out for yourself? Let us know in the comments section below.