With the days getting shorter and shorter, winter is the best time of year to make the most of natural light in your home. After a busy day running around for your family, sometimes you just need to relax in a space that feels welcoming and relieves the mind of your own clutter. Natural light may just be the remedy for your home. The changes below can be applied to any room in your home, so the only limit is your creativity.
Maximise Glass Fittings
The first step to allowing more light into your home is to make sure it can get in. Design your furniture around any big beautiful windows you have, or see if there’s space to add more. Choosing glass for back or balcony doors allows extra light to flood in, making your space feel more airy and open, ideal for kitchens or living rooms. Find out more about glass doors and the different grades available, as colored glass can create some gorgeous effects on sunny days, while different grades of frosted glass are available if you need privacy, such as on a shower cubicle.
Glass doors may have multiple advantages to them– they could make your room brighter, and more sophisticated looking, keep your room warm during cold days by refracting sunlight, and many more. These pros may come with cons such as security issues, and big ones at that. The biggest one would be the lack of privacy. However, you could find out more on how to install security measures for glass doors from websites such as https://www.riotglass.com/protecting-herculite-frameless-glass-door/ as well as many other websites. With appropriate additions, a glass door could become just as, if not more secure than a wooden door.
Add Strategic Mirrors
One of the oldest tricks in the book, placing mirrors in strategic ways not only makes the room feel bigger but reflects natural light around the room, making the most of it. Big and small mirrors can be used to achieve this, working with decor to shine a light on it. Small vintage framed mirrors dotted around a room or placed in clusters looks incredibly effective, while not looking too obvious. Another subtle way to use this effect is to use lots of reflective surfaces including shiny photo frames and metallic art pieces – in small rooms such as bathrooms, this works a treat.
Use Lighter Colours
It’s worth noting that lighter colours should be used sparingly to avoid making your home look to institutionalised. Cream, or light yellow walls create a warm light, and these can be contrasted nicely with dark greens or blues in decor to make them stand out. Wooden furnishings always look good, and the darker shades contrast with lighter furnishings to make them stand out, while also absorbing heat which is ideal in the winter.
Change Window Treatments
Finally, one of the easiest changes you can make to illuminate your home more effectively is changing your curtains. Darker colours and heavier fabrics will just absorb all the light; while white and light fabrics maximise light while maintaining privacy. For the ultimate compromise, shutters are easily adjustable and the angle can be changed at different times of day to direct light precisely where you want it, so you can work in a light room without the sun in your eyes.
Even by trying just a couple of these points, your home should start to see the benefits. It’s amazing how a living area can transform after just a few minor strategic adjustments. Feel free to leave any of your own tips in the replies below, it would be great to hear some more!