Having access to natural light in your home comes with many benefits. For one, natural light allows homeowners to save money on energy bills as you’ll have to use less artificial lighting. Using natural light indoors can also prevent eye strain and help you become more productive, happier, and healthier.
When it comes to interior design, natural light can also serve different purposes. Natural light can bring out the natural textures and colors of the décor elements present in your home, making you indoors feel more relaxed. This can also make your space look and feel bigger.
Natural light can benefit your overall wellness and your home’s ambiance, so make sure that you’re getting the most of it by following these tips:
1. Install Skylights
Homeowners are always careful with the renovations they make in their properties. They often take a lot of time to decide what renovations to pay for so they can get returns from their investments. If you have the same mindset, installing skylights is a cost-effective investment that you should consider making as soon as possible.
Working with professionals, such as Johnson Brothers, to install skylights in your roof is an excellent way of letting natural light within your home. This structure is usually made from acrylic and is glazed with Copolyester or Polycarbonate to illuminate natural light.
Aside from letting natural light within your home, skylights also provide the best natural views, increase the value of your property, and improve ventilation indoors.
2. Use Shiny Objects and Mirrors as Decor
The objects you place inside your home can affect its interior design, which is why you should be careful in choosing what to add. Adding the wrong pieces inside your home will prevent you from creating a theme or a positive ambiance indoors.
If you’re looking for a fool-proof solution to design your home while letting natural light indoors, using shiny objects and mirrors as décor is the best way to go. These items can reflect light back into any room of the house and make space look brighter.
These shiny objects can bounce sunlight around your home, so make sure to look for and add these pieces in your home right away:
- Decorative wall mirrors
- Metallic faucets and light fixtures
- Pieces of furniture with mirror or glass accents
- Silver photo frames
By taking advantage of this décor, you can take full advantage of the natural light that comes into your home.
Pick Light Color Palettes
The color palette you choose to follow for your home’s interior design can affect the amount of natural light you’ll get indoors. Darker shades might make your home look sophisticated, but they can actually make your interiors feel dreary and dull. On the other hand, lighter shades act similarly to mirrors in that they can effectively bounce light around the room, which is why you should pick light colors for your home’s interiors.
Some of the best light colors you can choose for your home’s interiors are bright white, off-white, light grays, and warm neutrals, such as tan, blush, and light lavender. You can use these shades in painting the walls or ceilings in your home to allow more natural light.
Aside from picking the right colors for your home, using a satin or semi-gloss coat can also help. These enhance the reflective properties of your chosen paint colors and make your surfaces glossier.
3. Upgrade with Bigger Doors or Windows
No home will be complete without doors and windows. Doors serve as entryways to the entire household, while windows influence the ventilation indoors. Both of these are must-haves in every home, but did you know that certain doors and windows can also help natural light within your home?
If you have a larger budget, upgrade to bigger doors and windows. Nowadays, it’s very easy to find large doors and windows with minimal frameworks and more exposed glass. Installing these will allow plenty of light and ventilation inside your home. You can even take it up a notch by adding some radius windows above your windows.
When choosing doors and windows, the suitability of the pieces to your home’s architectural style should be a deciding factor. Your home will look polished both from the inside and out if it has windows and doors that match your home’s architectural style.
4. Regularly Clean Your Windows
Installing bigger windows can increase the natural light in your home, but you can only enjoy this benefit for a short period if you neglect cleaning them. Windows can eventually get dirty because of their exposure to steam, grease, pets, and handprints. Even with a large window, you won’t be able to get as much natural light inside your home if your windows are always dirty.
One of the easiest yet most effective ways of letting natural light inside your home is to regularly clean your windows. Regardless of whether you’re using old or new windows, cleaning them should be part of your home maintenance checklist.
For you to easily clean your windows, follow these steps:
- Start by wiping the glass surface with a lint-free microfiber cloth or paper towel to remove any dust.
- Once done, spray a cleaning solution made from ten parts of warm water and one part distilled vinegar. You can use more of the solution to the same microfiber cloth or paper towel to clean the corners of your window frames.
- To avoid streaks from forming, wipe your windows with a second clean cloth. Make sure to do this process as quickly as possible because leaving the solution too long in your windows will cause streaks to form.
If your windows are high up or you’re having a difficult time cleaning the exterior windows of your home, you can also contract a window cleaning service to help clean your windows.
5. Trim Shrubs and Trees Outside of Your House
Planting different kinds of shrubs and trees on your property can bring many benefits. For one, these plants can boost the curb appeal of your property, making your home more unique and attractive. Trees can also provide shade that can encourage you and your family members to spend more time outdoors.
However, shrubs and trees can grow over time and block natural light from entering your home. This is especially true if these shrubs and trees are growing in locations adjacent to your doors and windows.
Trimming shrubs and trees regularly is essential if you want to let more natural light enter your home. It’s best if you hire professionals to trim your plants on your behalf to ensure your safety and high-quality work for the first time. This is especially true if the shrubs and trees have been on your property for decades.
Moreover, if you don’t want to exert too much time and effort in maintaining shrubs and trees, consider replacing them with low-lying perennials, such as black mondo grass, lily of the valley, creeping phlox, or blue star creeper. These will make your landscaping look good all year long and keep natural light pouring in.
6. Choose the Right Flooring
The material you’ll use for your floors can also affect the amount of natural light that enters your home. Your flooring is one of the largest components in your home as it cuts across all of your living areas.
Choosing the right flooring can increase the amount of natural light that enters your home. Wooden and ceramic floorings are great options as these function as light-friendly reflectors. You can also install these materials with a polished finish to get more natural light indoors.
To ensure that your flooring continues to shine for years, find the time to wipe up spills immediately, remove dirt daily and use a dampened microfiber mop in cleaning it. Avoid using a sopping-wet mop as this will only cause your floors to buckle and lose their shine.
7. Minimize the Decor
It’s common for homeowners to invest in many different décors in an attempt to make their properties more unique. This is one of the reasons why homeowners spend money in buying unique artworks that can stand alone or can be hung on the walls or ceiling.
And while this décor can improve the appearance and ambiance of your interiors, having too much in one area will only negatively impact your space. Aside from making the area look cluttered, using too many colors can also prevent natural light from entering your home. This is especially true if your fond of using big décor or pieces that are visually heavy.
If you want to spruce up your space with décor without decreasing the amount of natural light that enters your home, keep your actions to a minimum. Instead of using large antique cabinets as your storage, opt for open shelving. Instead of using too many small pieces, such as pictures in a grid form on the walls, place a huge piece of artwork to create a statement.
Moreover, it’s also important to limit the accent furniture you have in your room and the number of décors you hang on the walls. Keeping your décor to a bare minimum will allow more natural light to enter your home and make your space look brighter.
8. Choose Carefully
There are many ways on how you can let natural light inside your home. Depending on your preferences, you can choose to follow one or two tips from this article or opt to implement them all. Just make sure that you’re choosing strategies that suit your budget and are easy to maintain.
Learn more:-
