Tired of your home being so gloomy? Whilst you can always wire in extra lighting, nothing beats a bit of vitamin-D-rich natural light to cheer up your home. Here are just a few ways to let more sunlight into your property.
Add more windows
Adding extra windows is costly, but could help to provide the extra natural light you need. It could be a case of expanding a window if your current windows are small and poky. Alternatively, you could add in a skylight if the room has an outside ceiling. This will cause natural light to flood in from above just like an overhead light. At night, you’ll also be able to stare up and watch the stars.
Go open plan
Switching to an open plan arrangement could allow sunlight to flow through your house more freely. This could be particularly worthwhile if you have rooms in the middle of the house with no windows – going open plan could help to make these rooms feel less claustrophobic, as you’ll always have a window looking out.
Build a conservatory
No room lets in the light quite like a conservatory – such a space could make up for the gloominess found throughout the rest of your home. Whilst such an extension can be expensive, there are discounted conservatory designs out there such as these Joedan conservatories. This could be reserved as a study or an extra living space or even a dining room.
Remove obstructions
The sun may not be entering your home due to obstructions in the way. These could be exterior obstructions such as tall hedges or trees – cutting these back could allow more sunlight into your home. Alternatively, there may interior obstructions blocking the window such as houseplants or furniture. Moving these obstructions elsewhere could let more light into your home.
Use reflective surfaces
Reflective surfaces will help to catch the light and brighten up your home. An obvious example is mirrors – these can be placed opposite a window in a bedroom or living room to create the illusion of an extra window. Mirrors could also be placed on furniture such as a mirrored wardrobe or a mirrored bathroom cabinet. You could also use shiny flooring such as laminated wood or polish ceramic to help reflect light into the room. Even a polished countertop or chrome steel sink could help to let more natural light into a gloomy kitchen.
Use lighter coloursBright colours reflect more light than darker shades. Painting the walls of your home white could help to make the place brighter. Glossy paints such as Dulux high gloss paint can reflect more light than average paints. You may also want to consider using brighter furniture. Black leather couches and mahogany tables won’t reflect much light – you’re better off with cream upholstery and beech wooden furniture.
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