You can improve your mood, save money, and help the environment by adding natural light to your home. Here’s how!
If trees, shrubs, or ivy block your windows from sunlight, trim them to let more natural light in. Also, remove heavy draperies or curtains that absorb light.
Sunlight, especially in the morning, helps reinforce your natural circadian rhythm and promotes healthy sleep habits.
Brighten Your Home
Adding accent windows to your home will naturally brighten your interior and save you money on electricity. Natural light will help reduce energy costs and provide a healthier environment for you and your family.
When working from home, a brightly lit workspace is vital for productivity and focus. A naturally lit room is also beneficial for those with a sleep disorder because it helps regulate the circadian rhythm and promotes a healthy sleeping schedule.
Getting more natural light is easier than you think. If you have heavy drapes or window treatments, remove them during the day to let in more natural sunlight. You can also brighten up a room by painting it with light-colored paint. It will reflect more available light and make your space look bigger and more open.
If you’re looking for a more permanent solution to bring more natural light into your home, consider a sunroom or solarium.
Increase Your Energy Efficiency
Inviting more natural light into your home or workspace is a great way to increase your energy efficiency. It reduces your need to turn on artificial lights, which helps lower your electricity bills. Additionally, sunlight is a source of Vitamin D, which is vital for bone strength and immune system health.
In addition to reducing your energy costs, natural light can also help you feel more alert throughout the day. It is especially beneficial for those who work from home or have difficulty focusing in a traditional office setting.
To maximize the benefits of natural lighting, try to remove any furniture or curiosities blocking the sun’s access to the room. It will make your space feel larger and brighter. Additionally, try to keep your window treatments light in color, as dark curtains and blinds absorb light instead of reflecting it. You can also add plants to your home, which will provide not only a decorative element but also help purify the air and reduce eye strain.
Improve Your Mood
Research has shown that natural light is beneficial to your mood and can help regulate some disorders, including SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). Adding a skylight or a series of accent windows in a sun-washed room will instantly brighten the space. Natural lighting can help decrease the need for internal lighting, leading to a lower energy bill.
During the day, sunlight stimulates your brain to produce endorphins and serotonin, two naturally occurring chemicals that will brighten your mood. It will also increase the amount of vitamin D that your body produces, which has a host of health benefits.
To get the most out of your natural light, choose furnishings and wall colors that are lighter. Dark-colored walls, curtains, and furniture absorb light rather than reflect it, making a room feel darker. To further brighten a room, add mirrors to the walls and use mirrored accessories like side tables or dressers. Also, remove cluttered shelves and knickknacks to make more space for the sun to shine through.
Reduce Stress
Sunlight helps you feel more relaxed and improves mental facilities, including focus. It also promotes healthy plants in your home, which offer their health benefits through air purification.
People are less stressed when they’re exposed to natural light, and that is likely due to the positive impact on the circadian rhythm, which influences mood. Exposure to sunlight can help increase vitamin D levels, which may reduce seasonal affective disorder. Exposure to sunlight can help boost vitamin D levels, which may reduce seasonal affective disorder.
If your furniture or clutter is blocking the light in a room, you should rearrange the layout to make the space feel more open and bright. A room with ample light will appear more extensive than a dimly lit one, and this is particularly true in smaller rooms. For a trendy look that also works with your window installation, consider accents of black – in the form of hardware, accessories, or valances. This color is a hot design trend that looks great in combination with light wood tones.
