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The lighting of a room can make or break the atmosphere. For example, you’d find it hard to focus on an essential task in a room of flickering candlelight! But are you aware of the importance of natural light? The mental and physical benefits of receiving natural light are unparalleled, as is the significance of illuminating your home with it. 84% of homebuyers find natural light the most critical factor when looking to buy a house[i], and 35% of us feel tired or unhealthy if we have low levels of natural light in our homes[ii]. So, with all the benefits it brings, you may be wondering how to create natural light indoors. Well, there are plenty of things you can do to introduce natural light into your home, no matter the interior design styles you favour in your home. Here’s how to create natural light indoors and why you should do it!
What Is Natural Light?
Put simply, natural light is light that is being produced naturally or without the help of electricity. The most common source of natural light is the sun. However, other natural sources of light include:
- Fire
- Stars
- Moon
- Lightning
- Jellyfish
- Fireflies[iii]
We receive the majority of our natural light exposure during daylight hours, and it covers the entire visible light spectrum or the electromagnetic spectrum that our eyes can see. So getting enough natural light during the day is vital to our health and wellbeing, providing Vitamin D, boosting eye health and making us feel happier.
Additionally, natural light is integral in creating a comfortable atmosphere in a room, aiding concentration and creating a calming setting. Hence, why questioning how to create natural light indoors is vital!
What’s The Difference Between Natural Light and Artificial Light?
Natural sources of light are opposed by what is called artificial light, which is generated by electrical appliances, like light bulbs, candles, televisions and mobile phones. Most artificial light sources include LEDs, incandescent bulbs and fluorescent tubes that do not emit the full spectrum of light.
Although artificial light from sources such as candles and light bulbs isn’t damaging in small doses, the blue light emitted by devices like mobiles and TVs can disturb our sleep schedules, leading to side effects including irregular glucose levels and blood pressure.
What Are The Benefits of Natural Light?
The mental and physical benefits of receiving adequate amounts of natural light are unrivalled. In addition, creating natural light in your home and boosting your family’s exposure can drastically improve their everyday lives in several ways you probably haven’t considered. So, before we find out how to create natural light indoors, here are just some of the important benefits of using natural sources of light in your home:
- Increased Vitamin D Production – Vitamin D is key to developing stronger bones and helping to curb health-related issues such as obesity and depression.
- Improved Concentration and Productivity – Natural light has been linked to improved efficiency, focus and concentration. Plus, enough natural light in the workplace has been shown to reduce absences in workers.
- Balanced Circadian Rhythm – The circadian rhythm is your body’s internal clock and coordinates several natural functions of your body, including digestion and sleep cycle. Exposure to natural light during the day and darkness at night helps realign the body with its natural rhythm.
- More Sustainable – Using natural light sources in your home is a highly sustainable option. After all, anything that reduces the number of fossil fuels we burn to produce electricity is beneficial to our environment.
- Economical – By using natural sources of light in your home, you can expect to see a reduction in your energy bills. By installing air-tight glass doors and windows, you can reduce the energy you use on heating and lighting.
- Reduced Production of Harmful Bacteria – Experts recognise the sun’s light as a natural disinfectant. This means that exposing your home to natural sunlight can reduce the production of harmful bacteria and organisms that may grow in any home.
- Sunlight Brings Many Health Benefits – Sunlight exposure has many health benefits for people, including a healthier complexion, improved digestion, boosted immune system, and increased serotonin.
How To Create Natural Light Indoors
Now you understand the benefits of using natural sources of light, it’s time to introduce it into your home! Here’s how to create natural light indoors in a few simple steps.
Paint With Light Colours
Depending on their shade, colours can either reflect or absorb light. So if you’re looking for how to create natural light indoors and illuminate the whole room, you’ll need lighter colours to reflect sunlight. These lighter colours will act like a mirror, bouncing light around the room and keeping it feeling bright.
Some great light colours to boost natural light include:
- Off white
- Light grey
- Taupe
- Beige
- Light tan
Don’t neglect the ceiling if you want to make the room feel larger and more illuminated! By painting your ceiling a shade or two lighter than the walls, you can make the room feel brighter and taller.
Choose Reflective Flooring
In case you hadn’t guessed, increasing natural light in a room is done heavily through reflective furniture and materials. And this doesn’t stop at the flooring! There are plenty of reflective flooring options for you to include in your home. Unfortunately, heavy, dark carpets don’t help when considering how to create natural light indoors. However, if you’d prefer carpets, you can choose a thinner carpet in a light colour.
Some of the best light-friendly reflectors for your flooring include:
- Polished wooden floors
- Laminate floors
- Ceramic floors
- Polished stone floors
- Carpet in light colours
Match Your Furniture
Once you’ve selected a lovely light colour palette and found a reflective floor, you can move straight on to the furniture. If you’re trying to create natural light indoors, you’ll want to match your furniture to your walls and choose lighter-coloured slim pieces. This is particularly important for larger pieces of furniture, like sofas. Bulky pieces of furniture will block light, so go for slim pieces in lighter colours to allow plenty of light.
Offset the neutral colours with some colourful accent pieces, like scatter cushions, throw blankets, rugs and artwork, to compliment the room without reducing the light.
Include Shiny Accessories
Reflective accessories can help to make the most of the available natural light while adding a stylish touch to your home. By choosing mirrored, glass or metallic appurtenances for your home, you can help make it feel brighter and roomier.
When you’re working with reflective accessories, focus on your positioning. The correct positioning will allow the pieces to naturally reflect light and effectively present the illusion of more space. We’d recommend placing your shiny accessories directly opposite windows since this will help reflect more natural light around your room.
Some other reflective accessories you could try are:
- Wall mirrors
- Silver frames for artwork or photographs
- Metallic light fixtures
- Decorative furniture knobs
- Reflective finishes on furniture or worktops
Expand Your Doors and Windows
Of course, how to create natural light indoors has one clear solution: doors and windows. If your budget allows, you can instantly increase natural light in your home by installing larger windows and doors. Bi-folding doors are the perfect option for letting in natural light since they transform almost an entire wall into glass. Install these as an entrance to your patio or garden for fantastic views as well as plenty of natural light.
On the other hand, one of the most popular natural light sources at the moment is skylights. So you install these attractive windows on your roof for natural light and sky views all year round.
Keep Your Glass Clean
Wash your windows may not be what you came here to hear, but it’s surprisingly important! Speckled windows won’t be able to let in as much natural light as sparkly clean ones, and this simple fix can improve natural light in your home drastically. So, ensure to keep your glass doors and windows clean outside and allow plenty of sunlight to filter through.
Don’t Neglect Your Garden
While we’re on the subject of cleaning up outside, you shouldn’t neglect your garden in your quest for natural light. Surprisingly, the greenery you have outside your house can impact the amount of natural light you see inside it. For example, if tall trees or shrubs are blocking daylight outside your home, you’ll have your work cut out working on the interior to improve the amount of natural light it receives.
So, once you’ve cleaned your doors and windows, make sure to trim any shrubs, trees or climbing plants that may be growing around your doors and windows. This way, they won’t be able to block light entering your home.
Choose Enhancing Artificial Light
Yes, artificial light is not as good for you as natural light. However, some synthetic light options will enhance the natural light in your home rather than take it over. For example, if certain corners of your home aren’t getting enough natural light from windows, you can add some dimmer switches or LED bulbs to give you control of how much artificial light these areas contact.
Final Word on How To Create Natural Light Indoors
So, now you know how to create natural light indoors! With our tips on how to make it in your home, you and your family can start reaping the many benefits of natural light in every room.
Do you have any tips on how to create natural light indoors? Please give us your advice below!
Sources
[i] https://www.idealhome.co.uk/news/homebuyers-pay-more-good-natural-light-206195
[ii] https://myglazing.com/top-tips-for-improving-natural-light-levels-in-your-home/
[iii] https://www.universe.wales/lightsources/
Office and marketing manager for Sloane & Sons Stylish Chairs, who sell a range of high-quality tub chairs, accent chairs and more.
