Natural Light Solutions

Natural light is one of our most valuable resources, yet is frequently taken for granted in the home, especially in the sun drenched Southern states. The sun’s natural rays are an important tool for bringing a home interior to life, and just as importantly, it doesn’t cost a dime. A generously-lit room will elevate your mood and is much more conducive to work, study or simply relaxing with a book. In built-up cities and towns, natural light alone is not adequate to fully illuminate a home, but with some consideration and creativity, it can balance and enhance the look of each and every room. Both the quantity and quality of natural light differs with the seasons, so at some times of the year, there will be a need for supplementary artificial light in the home.

Illuminating your home with natural light will work best with good positioning of windows, skylights and doorways and the actual floor plan and ceiling in a room is also important. A floor plan with too many alcoves and hidden recesses will leave parts of it in shadow. It is also beneficial to have a lighter shade for your ceiling so that natural light bounces downward into the room. It should be mentioned that rich, bold colors soak up much of the light, so neutral, pastel shades will help illuminate a room better. The strategic placing of a few mirrors will help draw in extra light and shrink areas of the room left in shadow and house plants can make a surprising difference to the overall brightness of a restricted space.

The placement of furniture and appliances can have a big effect on the amount of sunlight that enters a room. For example, a light and airy home office space is instrumental for comfort and efficiency, but a central desk or work station should be placed away from the direct glare of the noontime sun. Kitchens also need to be as bright as possible and, of course, well-ventilated. These ventilation outlets can often also act as a conduit for incoming natural light. Brightening up traditionally dark spaces can easily be achieved by borrowing light from neighboring rooms. This is best exemplified in long and dark corridors which often receive no natural light. The placement of a glass plate above an adjacent door will shower it with light and also give it a more spacious feel.

Modern technology can also give the home a helping hand. Tubular skylights are becoming more and more fashionable in homes across the country and need no energy. A transparent dome placed on the roof absorbs sunlight, which is then fed into a ceiling diffuser to emit natural light into the home. Models come in many shapes and sizes and can be used to brighten a whole house or just a single room. It filters out harmful UV rays ensuring furniture and fabrics do not lose color and is much less harsh than false light from fluorescent and incandescent bulbs. Dimmer controls can be used to vary the quantity of natural light that enters a room at any given time.