5 Ways to Add Natural Light to Your Space

Maximizing natural light in your living space is undoubtedly something worth striving for. After all, who doesn’t love the warm presence of sunshine in their home after a cold night or a long winter? Besides enhancing one’s mood, natural light in homes also cuts energy costs and enhances your health.

Homeowners are beginning to recognize the benefits of incorporating natural light into their homes. It is now a crucial consideration for individuals and families acquiring or building a new home. The countless benefits of natural light make incorporating it into your remodel or custom home well worthwhile.

Let’s look at five ways to add natural light to your home.

Incorporate large windows and glass doors

Incorporating large windows and glass doors allows light to fill a space naturally. Whether building a custom home or remodeling, we often incorporate expansive and oftentimes floor-to-ceiling windows and doors to bring the outdoors in. Adding additional windows in the right places helps maximize the light flow throughout the home.

When you install new windows or doors, take the opportunity to expand openings for enhanced illumination. Window manufacturers now use advanced technology that caters to custom, minimalist frameworks, allowing for additional glass surface area.

Blend operable windows with fixed units. We’re big fans of fixed-pane picture windows. You may also try stacking radius or transom windows on top of French doors or old standard windows. Some homeowners prefer sidelight counterparts flanking the door sides. Another great option is clerestory windows installed above sightlines, high on the walls: they don’t compromise privacy and allow tons of light to penetrate the room.

Be intentional with color palette

In areas where you’re craving more light, banish statement wallpaper and dark colors. Softer, lighter color choices, such as whites and lighter neutrals, will make a space feel brighter as they reflect the natural light entering the room rather than absorbing it. White reflects the most light, but it’s not always the best color choice for the design. And lighter color tones that are not white can still achieve great results to brighten up a room.

Along with the paint on your walls, choose furniture and décor that is lighter in color to help capture more light in a room. Remove dark furniture and accessories wherever you can, particularly if they are blocking light from windows and doors. Also, pay attention to blinds and curtains, as heavy, dark window treatments can block light from entering.

Mix in mirrors and reflective surfaces

When it comes to paint, gloss determines the light reflectance—the glossier the paint, the more light it reflects. In simpler terms, paint with a reasonable gloss level will reflect more light in that room achieving a mirror-like effect.

Furniture and accessories can also help lighten up a space.  Choosing materials with a reflective surface such as light fixtures, accent mirrors, metallic cabinet pulls, brass or silver accessories, etc. can all help to make the most of the light available and add a stylish touch throughout your home.

Utilize principles of Vaastu Shastra

In order to get the best flow of natural light from sunrise to sunset, we utilize the principles of Vaastu Shastra to orient custom homes. If the home is positioned appropriately on the lot, natural light is easier to capture and utilize. Vaastu Shastra is important in the planning stages, and working with someone familiar with this Eastern design principle will allow a custom home to be positioned at its best. Our design team utilizes both Feng Shui and Vaastu Shastra principles to help design more harmonious homes, and we apply these principles to various architectural styles and layout practices to suit our client’s unique needs.

Keep it clean

Above all, washing your windows and glass doors regularly, inside and out, will maximize the natural light in your home. It may seem simple, but you want the maximum amount of sunlight to filter through these panes. You’d be shocked to see how quickly they can become dirty and block out those warm rays you’re craving.

Having a home with an abundance of natural light is every homeowner’s dream and you only need to make strategic architectural and design choices for your custom home or remodel project in order to achieve this dream.

Kasia Karska is the owner of the boutique design-build firm, Kasia Karska Design, located in Vail Valley, Colorado. Kasia’s ultimate passion is creating custom homes for her clients from the ground up. This design-build firm believes in not just building a home, but in creating a sanctuary unique to each individual client. View their profile or contact Kasia and her team at 970.688.5748.

Content for this article is provided by Kasia Karska Design.