"The sun is pure communism everywhere except in cities, where it's private property," said Malcolm De Chazal, a Mauritian writer and painter who died in 1981...
Making the Most of Natural Light
Paris, France
We spend a lot of energy figuring out how to properly light our apartments to make them comfortable and inviting. But during daylight hours, making use of natural light is good for your mood and your electricity bill. The light may fall differently at various times of year, and obviously varies according to the climate and the weather where you live.
Here in the so-called City of Light, it stays light so late in Paris in the summer that on a nice day we don't turn on our lights at all. The rest of the year, we like to make the most of natural light by keeping curtains off windows that aren't exposed to neighboring eyes. Positioning mirrors to reflect and increase natural light. Leaving walls uncluttered so that the light can flood it with unexpected shadows.
What are your tricks for making the most of natural light?
- Kristin Hohenadel blogging from rue Vieille du Temple, Paris, France. She can be reached at kristin @ apartmenttherapy . com
Comments (5)
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I only have two windows in my apartment, but luckily one is a giant casement-style window that's about 8'x6'. However, I am on the ground floor, so there is the continual struggle of privacy vs light. My solution was the age old combination of curtains and sheers on two separate rods. My barely there sheers let in lots of light without putting my entire apartment on display. I'm thinking of taking one more step... using the frosted window vinyls that have been on AT with some frequency on the lower half of my windows... but I worry about those restricting the light more than my sheers.
view kimdog's profile
I love natural light, but without central air, am forced to deal with the unfortunate summer-time side effect of light -- heat. My struggle is between enjoying natural light and preventing the house from becoming an oven in the summer (like today). I've covered my east-facing windows with heavy curtains to keep the rooms dark and cool in the morning, which for all its simplicity, works quite well. Then later in the day, I can pull back the curtains once the sun has passed overhead and enjoy the light. Come winter, though, I open those curtains wide and let the heat in!
view clancy's profile
wow - what a nice tree... what kind of tree is that?
view lalaklass's profile
When you move into a new place get a cat. Within days you will know where and when sunlight reaches your space. Your cat always knows the best spots.
view hrhprincessfiona's profile
Lalaklass,
It's a Japanese pine tree from Hervé Gambs: http://hervegambs.com/
view Kristin Hohenadel's profile