No one can deny the many benefits of introducing more natural light into your home. Not only can it make your living spaces appear bigger than they are, but it can also ward off seasonal depression and lower your energy consumption. The following are some simple design tips to help you incorporate more natural light into your home:
Consider sliding doors
Sliding doors are made out of large panels of glass to form two doors that you can slide to open or close. This design feature allows natural light to enter freely. You can use them as an entrance to your backyard or your patio.
Select a bright color palette
Dark hues can absorb light, while lighter shades act like mirrors and bounce light around a space. No matter how much natural light enters your home, if you’re designing your interiors with a dark palette in mind, your space will look gloomy and bleak. Opt for satin or semi-gloss paint in neutral shades of light grey, white, or light tan instead.
Choose light-friendly flooring
Reflective, light-friendly wood is great for making a space feel airy and bright. Go for ceramic, wooden, or stone floors with a shiny, polished finish. This kind of flooring is able to reflect incoming light onto all corners of your space.
Maintain trees and shrubs
Sometimes, it’s what’s outside your home that’s preventing light from reaching the inside of it. Make sure to regularly trim any trees or shrubs that are near your window and avoid planting them there in the future.
Opt for light curtains
If you can tolerate being woken up by a bright sunrise, get rid of any heavy, dark drapery and replace them with light, translucent curtains that allow sunlight to stream into your room, while still providing some protection.
Add skylights
Skylights are a fun way to let natural light into your home. They can be installed in any space that allows you to open up a hole in the roof. They look great in bedrooms, bathrooms, and living rooms.
Incorporate shiny surfaces
Make strategic use of reflective surfaces that can bounce light across your interior living spaces. Pepper all corners of your home with lots of mirrors or mirrored surfaces as well as acrylic, and translucent accents or furniture. Glass and reflective tiles are also a great way to brighten up kitchens and bathrooms.
Clean your windows
Cleaning your windows should be a given, but lots of people forget to do it. Make sure you thoroughly wash both the outside and inside of your windows and glass surfaces to allow as much light as possible to penetrate the glass and stream into your home.
Play around with vibrant colors
Too many contrasting loud colors can make your space look cluttered and crowded, stealing attention away from natural light. Rather than stuff your home with the rainbow, place at least one or two colorful accent pieces as a focal point instead. Metallics like silver or gold are great for this purpose since they can reflect light and introduce a bit of sophistication into your home.
These tips and tricks can instantly brighten up an otherwise dark and dreary house. Letting the sunshine into your home can not only make your space look more welcoming and refined, but it can also do wonders for your overall well-being.
