Increasing the Natural Light in Your Home
C O U R T N E Y
M O N T G O M E R Y
Natural light is superior. Alth o u g h the advantages of light go on an d o n , not all houses were built with n a t u ral light in mind. If you are o n e o f the unlucky ones with an over l y d a rk house, here are a few proj e c t s y o u can tak e on to increase th e a m o u n t of interior natural ligh t .
Mirrors are Your Best Friend Th e m o r e mirrors you have in the space, t h e m o r e t h e l i g h t w i l l b e disp e r s e d . I recommend hanging a mirror o p p o s i t e a w i n d o w t o real l y m a ximize the amount of natural l i g h t i n a r o o m .
Nix the Heavy Curtains Curt a i n s and drapes are great for privacy b u t s t a y a w a y f r o m h e a v y fabr i c s . F a brics like velvet or brocade wi l l d o n o t h i n g b u t m a k e t h e room f e e l darker and 10x smaller. To ke e p y o u r p r i v a c y a n d y o u r n atu r a l l i g ht, opt fo r linen or cotton cur t a i n s .
Paint With Light Colors For t h e m ost reflective paint colors, you n e e d a c o l o r t h a t h a s a h i g h Ligh t R e f lectance Value (LRV). LRV, ran g e s f r o m 1 0 0 % f o r p u r e whit e a l l t he way do wn to 0% for black. I f y o u a r e n ’ t w i l l i n g t o pain t y o u r walls white opt for light colo r s i n c o o l t o n e s , l i k e g r e y o r eggs h e l l blue. These colors will help boo s t t h e l i g h t i n t h e r o o m .
Add in a Skylight If yo u h o me still seems to be hopelessly d a r k , c o n s i d e r p u t t i n g i n a skyl i g h t . S kylights a re a great way for an e n t i r e r o o m t o b e show e r e d with natural light. Although i t i s a p r i c e r i t e m t o i n s t a l l , it wi l l b e well worth your money. Skylig h t s n o t o n l y l e t l i g h t i n , b u t they c a n help to naturally warm a room d u r i n g c o l d e r d a y s .