You could spend thousands on interior design in your home, but unless you can access natural light in the right places, your living spaces may fail to deliver. Natural light makes a room feel bigger, lighter and airier — all of which enhance moods and showcase furniture, fixtures and fittings.
If you’re worried that your home isn’t making the best possible use of natural light, you don’t need to hire an architect to improve the situation. There are seven very simple ways to harness natural light in your home, and you won’t need to call in the professionals for any of them.
1. Gloss things up
Particularly in your kitchen, try to go glossy wherever possible. Choose glossy kitchen cabinets, worktops and wall coverings, as glossy coatings tend to reflect light around a room. The use of glossy furniture, fixtures and fittings can also add to the effect. If you’re still concerned, consider installing laminate flooring, which is great for reflecting light upwards.
2. Maintain your garden
While a garden filled with plants, trees and shrubbery may look fantastic, it could be blocking the flow of natural light into your home. Try to work out the path sunlight takes at different times of the day, and trim your plants, trees and bushes accordingly. Also, think carefully about where you place items such as gazebos and garden sheds.
3. Remove dark furniture
Depending on how much sunlight your room gets, the presence of dark woods such as mahogany can drain a space of natural light — or give that impression. Choose light woods such as pine and beech wherever possible. White and cream furniture should also help to harness light in deprived rooms. It’s also a good idea to stick to light shades for your blinds, curtains and drapes.
4. Decorate with light shades
Perhaps the best way to harness natural light once it’s in your home is to introduce light shades in the paints and wallpapers you choose. While you don’t need to stick to arctic white, lighter cream shades and pastel colours work brilliantly, as they all reflect more light than darker shades do. If you want to create the illusion of more space and height in the room, paint the ceiling a shade or two brighter than the walls. Finally, stick to silk paints, and matt isn’t as reflective.
5. Choose the best flooring
While carpets offer comfort and warmth, hard surfaces are best for reflecting light. As well as real wood floors, consider high quality laminates, vinyls and linoleum. Ceramic tiles and stone can work well, but one of the best surfaces for kitchens is polished concrete, which offers insulation, aesthetic appeal and reflective properties in equal measures.
6. The careful placement of artificial light
When used correctly and in the right location, artificial light can actually boost the effects of natural light. Take a close look at your room when the sun is flooding in. Are there any corners or recesses where the light continually fails to reach? If so, the addition of halogen lighting on those areas could fully open up your room. Install dimmer switches to gradually turn the lighting up or down according to the amount of natural light entering your home.
7. Keep windows clear
It should go without saying that you should be keeping your windows clear of obstructions. However, it’s important to check that there aren’t any glass treatments that might be hampering the flow of light. Also, cleaning your windows regularly will allow natural light to flow into your home unimpeded.
Natural light can transform a home into a warm, spacious and positive space — but you need to give it a helping hand from time to time.
