It's amazing how sunlight can change and enhance the look and feel of a room. We love notyourgoddess's photo of the afternoon sunlight. It's easy to see why she snapped it and uploaded it the ATLA Flickr pool. If you are looking to make the most of your natural light, keeping reading for a few tips on how to do this.
One of the reasons why we picked our own small rental apartment is the morning sunlight that floods through our floor-to-ceiling windows. The natural light gives us daily energy, encourages up to take on the day and warms up our small space so we don't have to foot the bill. These 5 tips can help you make the most of the positive power of sunlight.
Install blinds. This is an easy and very economical way to maximize natural light in your home. Blinds allow you to control the amount of light that comes indoors. Although not the most popular as far as style, blinds now come in nice textures and materials.
Use sheer curtains instead of heavy draperies. Sheers will allow light through even when closed.
Install skylights if you are a homeowner. When choosing a location for installation, try to pick the side of your house that receives the most daytime sunlight and rooms that are used the most.
Remove obstacles from the outsides of windows. Trim overgrown hedges or shrubs. Cut back tree branches that are blocking the glass. Move patio furniture that might be in the way.
Keep windows clean. It's easy to forget to clean your windows and sometimes a simple cleaning can improve a window's transparency by ten to twenty percent. This can make significant difference in the amount of natural light that will be able to get through.
[Tips by Jenny Schweyer]
Check out more lighting tips from Apartment Therapy here:
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
i love sunrays.
view dM's profile
Tip #6: Place mirrors near your windows to reflect natural light throughout your space.
view Vanessa in New York's profile
Didn't know cleaning windows could have such a significant effect. Thank you for the tip! The 20-percent end of the range must be if the window is atrociously dirty, though.
view sarahisaghost's profile
I just installed privacy film on my windows as my apartment windows all look into my neighbors house. Did I mention that house is the home to about 20 college boys? Needless to say my blinds were always closed. The privacy film lets me keep my blinds open and not worry about the state of my house and what people will see when they look at it. Its done wonders for the lighting in my place (and my mood). Now I'm just going to clean the outside this weekend and I'll be set :)
view girlonthem00n's profile