Nothing compares to the brightness, warmth, and elevating ambiance that natural light brings to a home. If you don’t believe this fact, let’s do a little test right away. Draw up your curtains and switch off the light to create a dark room. How do you feel? Depressing, right?
That’s right. No one enjoys living in a dark space. Unfortunately, the architectural design of many homes doesn’t let ample natural light filter in. Since you practically can’t pick your house to turn it towards the direction of sunlight, you have to find other ways to bring in natural light or learn to live in a dark home.
Tips to Increase Natural Light in Your Home
The good news is that you don’t have to learn to live with it; you can do something about it. From selecting the right paint color to choosing the right custom curtains to heighten the light, there are many things you can do. Follow us on this creative journey as we provide helpful tips to help transform your space.
Let’s Start with the Paint
One of the easiest ways to enhance the natural light in a home is to paint the walls and ceiling in light and bright colors.
For your eaves (that’s the space underneath the extension of your roof), white is the best paint option. This part of the building reflects natural light, sending it to your home through the window. When you paint the eaves white, you boost the inflow of natural light into every room in your home.
For your walls and ceiling, again, white color is a great choice but other light colors would also do the trick if you are not a great fan of white. Since white comes in different tones and shades, you sure will find the perfect one that suits your style if you don’t want to go all white. While you can paint the wall in glossier sheens, stick with a flat white for the ceilings to minimize the glare of the sun.
Opt for Sheer Window Treatments
If your goal is to increase natural light in your home, then you are better off choosing sheer window treatments instead of heavy opaque shades or drapes. Bright and light custom roman shades or sheer curtains will open up your window and let natural light flow in.
When you choose sheer fabrics for your window treatments, you enjoy privacy and also a good amount of the inflow of natural light. If you want more privacy in your bedroom without compromising on natural light, consider layering the window treatments for the best flexibility.
You can also layer your sheers with heavier opaque curtains in the front. When you need more light, simply open the front drapes to reveal the sheer curtains or sheer custom roman shades behind, and when you need privacy, close the opaque curtains shut.
Consider Reflective Tiles
This will work perfectly for your kitchen backsplash and bathrooms. Reflective tiles or glass will help bring natural light into your space and also add an element of elegance and style to the room. For the kitchen, consider pairing light-toned tiles with light-hue countertops.
You can also consider installing a metallic backsplash for maximum light inflow. It is worth mentioning that glass tiles reflect almost 100% of the light that bounces off them. If glass tiles are off your budget, consider ceramic tiles. They offer nearly the same reflective effect at a more affordable budget.
Get the Skylights into the Mix
One other effective way to get natural light into any room is to use skylights. This enhances the brightness of a room and adds aesthetic value to the space. Skylights are roof windows directed upward towards the sunlight and bring loads of natural light into the home.
It is worth mentioning that the brightness you get per time will depend on the time of the day. Early afternoon and late afternoons are the best times to get light inflow from skylights. By evening, the light inflow is reduced significantly. Therefore, consider the part of the how and where you want to install the skylight before the actual installation.
Swap a Part of Your Wall for Glass Blocks
Well, this may not be cheap because it is a relatively major renovation but it is worth it in the end. Glass blocks bring a significant amount of natural light into a home. Now, you should understand that these do not act as a structural replacement for your wall stud system.
You have to install the headers over the block sections just as you would install any door or window unit.
Invest a Little in Reflective Room Accessories
Accessories like shiny cabinet pulls, sconces, and mirrors are reflective and can bring more light to any room. When you add these to your room, they bounce off light and throw more light around.
Additionally, your chandelier can be another great reflector. When light reflects on it, your room will become brighter. The best part is that you don’t have to switch on the chandelier before it reflects light. So, consider adding these accessories to your space for more lights.
Wrapping Up
These are the six ways you can try to increase natural light in your home. Of course, you don’t have to do all of them if you don’t have the budget. You can select a few and see the transformation in your home.
