The daffodils are blooming, the clocks have gone forward, the Easter Bunny is packing up his chocolate eggs and it’s nearly time to take your big coat off… Spring is here! The days are getting longer and lighter, so it’s a great time to think about making some home improvements to let more natural light into your home. Natural light is one of the most desired features for home-buyers, and also provides a natural wellbeing boost.
1. Choose a light colour for your walls
This one may seem obvious, but choosing a lighter colour for your walls makes any room feel brighter. Shades of white will make a space feel brighter as it reflects the natural light entering the room, rather than absorbing it. However, brilliant white can make a room feel cold and uninviting – an off-white shade will create a much warmer effect. Another trick is to paint the ceiling a couple of shades lighter than the walls to create the illusion of height and space. Choosing a paint with a satin finish will help reflect the light more than matt paint.
2. Choose the right flooring
Choosing the right flooring can also reflect more light into your home. Wooden, laminate, ceramic or stone flooring with a polished finish will reflect the light back up into the room.
3. Add mirrors and shiny surfaces
If you are trying to get more natural light into a small room, a large mirror can help to reflect the light and make the room look bigger. Metallic, glass and mirrored accessories can all help to make the most of the light available and add stylish touches throughout the home.
4. Add a skylight or lantern in the ceiling
Adding a skylight to a room can not only increase the amount of natural light in the room, but can also make the room warmer through solar heat and add extra ventilation. At Staywarm Energy, we use Velux skylights, which are the highest quality and most thermally efficient. Velux have a wealth of information on their website, including a Daylight Calculator as well as advice on adding skylights to loft conversions and adding skylights to extensions.
5. Upgrade ordinary windows to patio doors
On some summer mornings, you just want to throw open those curtains and let all the lovely sunshine stream in! A great way to get extra natural light in the room and bring your garden into view is by installing a set of patio doors or windows. We can work with you to custom design the right set of doors or windows to match the look and feel of your home, in a range of materials and styles. Find out more about our patio doors.
6. Choose your light bulbs carefully
Light bulbs do come in different shades of white, and the shade you choose can have an impact on the quality of light in a room, and how close it feels to natural light. More modern homes can suit a brilliant, bright white, while a softer, more yellowish warm white tends to fit better in older homes and period properties. Even if you have installed energy-efficient LED light bulbs, you still have the choice of shades and wattage. There’s even a shade of LED light bulb called “Daylight”, which is aimed to mimic natural sunlight within the room.
7. Clean your windows!
Shiny clean windows let the most natural light stream through! Check out our Tips of the Trade to find out more about cleaning your Staywarm Energy windows to make them last longer.