Lighting in the home has been a practical and aesthetic tool for as long as people have been living in homes, not only allowing you to see comfortably, but also transforming the look of the home to make it more spacious, bright and inviting.
From the installation of window shutters to using objects that reflect light, find out some ways to enhance the amount of natural light in your home so that you and your family can reap the benefits.
While society has come a long way with technological advancements, offering variations on variations of artificial lighting choices, exposure to natural light has benefits that will always be superior. A good level of exposure to natural light daily is important to improve your mood, your health, increase productivity levels and more.
Spending time in the sun within the first hour after you wake up can also improve your sleep pattern, helping you to feel more awake and alert during the day and tired at night. Additional vitamin D can also assist in maintaining healthy bones and reducing risk of heart disease or weight gain, and is also essential for healthy eye development.
To learn more about the wonderful benefits of natural lighting, visit this blog.
The first step to ensuring your home is getting as much sunlight as possible is to maximise the entrances for sunlight that you already have. It’s a good idea to clean any windows to stop dust, grime or dirt that has accumulated from making it more difficult for light to penetrate. Regular cleaning of the windows and the area around can help to stop light from being obstructed.
Plantation shutters or roller shutters are an excellent way to provide some control of sunlight in the home, giving you the option to enjoy as much or as little light as you’d like. With aluminium shutters you can also experience the peace of mind that your vulnerable windows are secure at night, as well as an amazing night’s sleep with complete blockout of light when you need it.
Natural materials like wood or stone can help to reflect natural light and make the room feel brighter. You can use reflective polishes on hardwood flooring to add to this effect, and bringing in greenery such as the shiny leaves of a plant to help bounce light around is also a useful technique.
Glass, metal or mirrors can also be excellent tools to enhance openness and light in any room. This can help to enhance brightness and a spacious feel.
Any plantation that may be becoming overgrown around the outside of the home could potentially grow to block windows. While this can be useful for keeping the home cool in summer and creating shade, it will also create a darker feel. Trimming these will help to allow natural light into the home.
Light shelves are shelves installed above windows that work to reflect natural light into the room by bouncing natural light off the shelf and onto the ceiling. This has a great impact on the brightness of a room.
If you have the space for it, a solarium or sunroom characterised by large windows or glass walls is a great way to maximise natural light. This can be an ideal space to sit and enjoy some healthy sunlight within the comfort of your own home.
If you are finding it difficult to add more natural light into the home, or if you want to mimic natural light as best as possible with artificial lighting, bulbs with high colour rendering index such as CRI bulbs are the best at mimicking sunlight and creating a brighter feel in the room.
Security Plus shutters are an incredible, practical and stylish window furnishing solution that are custom made for your window frame and built to last. Window roller shutters offer a range of benefits to the home from light control to security and insulation.
Contact our friendly team to find out more about the window furnishing options on offer to transform your home.