15 Dec 5 Easy Ways to Maximise Natural Light in Your New Home Design
Nothing makes a house feel bright, spacious, and luxurious like the beautiful radiance of natural light. Not only will loads of sunlight save you hundreds on your utility bills and reduce your carbon footprint, but it’ll also make your rooms look larger and improve the overall mood of your whole environment. As leading Canberra custom home builders, Elliott Hardie creates bespoke homes with an emphasis on innovative design and sustainable solutions. Here’s a few simple design features than can optimise the amount of natural light entering a home.
Open Plan Design
Eliminating walls or barriers between rooms, for example between a kitchen and a living room, means light can filter through to even the darkest corners and make the whole space seem expansive. Seamless connection between rooms means wide open spaces, which is ideal for diffusing natural light through different living areas. Lots of small areas and separated rooms will almost always make a home darker and feel more cramped. Not sure where to start with your home design? The best Canberra builders will be able to help you determine an open plan layout that optimises light flow whilst suiting your available space and your lifestyle perfectly.
Indoor-Outdoor Connection
Creating an easy flow between indoor and outdoor spaces offers an array of benefits. Large sliding or stacking glass doors allows you double your living space and allows light to gush through the whole area. Even when the doors are closed, the large expanse of glass will ensure sunlight can still enter the interior and reach deep into the heart of the home.
Skylights and Sky Windows
Regardless of your roof design, skylights and sky windows are one of the best ways of maximising natural light. Available in a vast array of styles, sizes, and designs, skylights allow for as much as three times more light to drench the space below. Sky windows with the ability to open also have the added benefit of improving ventilation.
Skylight placement tips:
- Installing a skylight above the staircase can draw sunlight deep into the home.
- A skylight over a kitchen island bench can brighten the work area, minimising the need for artificial light.
- Skylights down a long hallway can allow light to filter into neighbouring rooms.
A Lighter Colour Palette
Lighter tones reflect the natural light that enters the space, rather than absorbing it like darker hues can. Choosing lighter shades for your walls and furnishings, along with lighter timber floors will help light to bounce around the home, giving a sense of space and grandeur. Sticking to stark white throughout can have a tendency to feel cold and clinical though, so look into whites that have underlying colour tones and experiment with different textures and finishes.
High-Positioned Windows
When planning out your new home design, make sure you position some windows higher in certain areas as this will allow for extra light to come in. If you’ve got high ceilings or a statement vaulted ceiling in the living zone, take advantage of all the space up high on the walls near the roof by installing an abundance of high windows. High-level windows in bedrooms and bathrooms will also bring light in without compromising on privacy.
Natural light is always better than artificial light! It bathes your home in a brightness that light bulbs simply cannot replicate. Maximising natural light in your home increases serotonin levels, decreases the reliance on ceiling lights and can help to keep your home warmer in winter. Best of all, natural light is free, the more of it that enters you home, the more energy-efficient your home will be.
Are You Planning to Build Soon?
As the residential builders Canberra and surrounding ACT and NSW areas rely on, Elliott Hardie delivers contemporary, custom homes designed and built for the modern family lifestyle. Dedicated to building excellence, we collaborate with every client to achieve a result that far exceeds expectations every time. Reach out to us today and let us bring your vision to life.