The summer holidays, and all the festivities they bring, are quite suddenly upon us. The summer sun at this time of the year is bright and long lasting, with sunset only commencing around eight in the evening. Maximising the natural light the sun shines into your home is never easier than during the hot summer months.
Maximising natural light in your home helps you run an environmentally responsible house.
With there being quite an emphasis on saving electricity and running an eco-friendly home, using natural light to illuminate your home as much as possible is a sure-fire way to ‘do your bit’. South Africa is also suffering a recent spate of debilitating load-shedding, so there is no better time than now to optimise natural lighting in your home.
There are some quick and easy ways to include more natural light in your home without renovating.
If you are interested in a full-scope remodelling, you could look to installing skylights and bay windows. You might even want to create a more open-plan setting by knocking down interior walls and allowing for the natural light that shines through your current windows to have a wider reach. However, if you are only looking for a few simple tricks that will brighten and illuminate your home, then consider these four tips we have compiled for you.
Here is how to fill your home with natural light and thwart the need for your lights to be switched on until it’s dark outside.
1. Permanently lighten up.
Light colours on walls and large pieces of furniture are far better choices when trying to maximise the natural light in your home. Lighter colours reflect natural light far better than darker ones, so allow your base colours to be light and add colour in the form of exciting vibrant scatter cushions, throws and decorative pieces.
2. Remove the light-blocking obstacles.
Keep your garden neat and your trees trimmed so that they don’t shade your windows. An overgrown garden will block the light and make for a colder interior. Similarly, don’t shade your windows with blinds and curtains but rather treat your windows with film. You could consider a tinted film or a frosted film as offered by Window Art. Frosted vinyl film in particular will address your privacy needs and allow 93% of the natural light through to your interior.
3. Lighten and brighten your ceilings.
Whatever you colour pallet and interior style, make sure to paint your ceilings a lighter colour than your walls. If you have opted for white walls then use Flat White on your ceiling. If your walls are painted in a colour, simply look at a lighter hue for the ceiling. Matte paint is a good choice if you are looking to reflect light.
4. Keep it clean and tidy.
This sounds obvious but keeping your home tidy and clean is a good way of maximising natural light in your home. De-clutter your windowsills and keep your mirrors, windows and other reflective decorative items sparkly clean so that everything can reflect with no hindrance.