How to maximise natural light in a building

Natural light flooding the home helps give rooms a fresh and spacious feel, increase feelings of wellbeing and save on ever-increasing electricity bills. 

Here, we explain how to get more natural light in your home and discuss changes you can make - from opting for glazed doors to making simple interior design tweaks.

Pay attention to your exterior

We advise working from the outside in - checking the garden space for any obstacles to light entering the home can be conducive to a bright and airy space. Perhaps there’s a looming tree that requires some care or an overgrown hedge that would benefit from attention. Trim back any unruly greenery outside and you may be surprised at the difference it can make to natural light levels.

Choose front doors with glazing

Your front door can be a point of entry for natural light. Glazed panels allow sunlight to stream into your entranceway, creating a spacious, airy feel and setting the tone for the rest of your home. Our bespoke entrance doors allow you to get creative, with choices of laterals or overhead transoms in clear, opaque or reflective glazing options. 

Opt for glazed internal doors

Working out how to get light into an internal room can be challenging, but a made-to-measure internal door with a glazed surround facilitates the movement of natural light between rooms and living spaces. To enable light flow as far as possible throughout your home, fully glazed internal doors such as Vetro offer a modern aesthetic with maximum impact. 

Consider bi-folding doors

Similarly, glazed internal bi-folding doors create beautiful division between spaces while facilitating light flow. When open, they allow for seamless continuation between rooms, providing more space in which light can play. 

Refresh with clever colour schemes

While there’s truth in the fact that light, neutral colours are often the best bet for brightening up rooms, that doesn’t necessarily mean colour is out of the question. While pale colours in cool tones should be widely used to bounce light around the room, sunny hues such as light yellow or terracotta can be used as accent colours to bring warmth to darker spaces.

Get inventive with reflective surfaces

It’s not always about how to get light into a dark room, but how to make the most of it. The effectiveness of simple changes - such as being strategic with accessories - shouldn’t be underestimated. Observe where light enters a room and add glass or mirrored accessories to that spot to rebound this light around the room. A large feature mirror placed in a hallway makes a bold design statement as soon as you enter the home and is an effective way to brighten up this traditionally dark space.

Similarly, if you’re considering a new bathroom or kitchen, opting for reflective or glossy tiles can have a huge impact on light levels. Glass options, as opposed to matt ceramic ones, can have a huge impact on ensuring light is reflected around the room.

Now you know how to get more natural light in a room or your wider home, it’s time to bring your vision to life. Whether getting adventurous with glazed doors or making simple yet effective interior design changes, the brightness of a room can have a huge impact on the feel of a space. Want to delve deeper into inspiration? View our product gallery.