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Useful Ideas To Have More Sunshine Inside Your House

Not every household is blessed with the best sunlight exposure, and this is all the more problematic if you live in a house because the lower stories get the least bit of sunshine. While there are some obvious, radical measures to improve the amount of sunshine in your home such as installing bigger windows, they are often impossible to achieve. This is why we’ve come up with other useful ideas to help you bring more sunshine inside your house because it can make life more joyous and certainly more aesthetic.

Mirrors and Shiny Objects

You may have read that adding a mirror to a wall will make the entire room look much bigger, but if you put one across from a window it can also double the amount of sunshine that enters your home. Mirrors and shiny objects, in general, reflect the light into the room so if you’re looking for ways to have more sunlight inside your house, it’s advised to add them as a part of the interior. Items that have been shown to work best are decorative wall mirrors, any type of furniture with chrome, glass, or mirrored accents, metallic faucets and light pictures, metallic finishes on the ceiling, silver photo frames, nickel accent pieces, and other reflective surfaces. These items will help bounce the sunshine around your house and will brighten up any kind of space.

Lighter Wall and Ceiling Colors

Another very useful way to have more sunshine inside your house is to consider the colors of your walls and ceiling. Painting the ceiling and the wall white or any other lighter color is a very easy and smart way to add more light. There is ample explanation behind this. Interior wall color is the best way to reflect natural light into your house. LRV (light reflectance value) is nearly 100% for pure white and associated colors, and 0% for black. This may help you shop for paint more easily. However, nothing is brighter than white and nothing will do a better job of bringing more sunshine in. If you’re not to keep on white, many slightly different shades such as eggshell and beige will do the trick too.

Exterior Fixes

Most of the advice on how to have more sunshine inside your house focuses on adjusting the interior to better suit these needs. However, there is ample work on the exterior of the house that can significantly enhance the amount of sunlight you get. Some obvious ways are to entirely replace your windows with much bigger ones or to install a sunroof. While these are some of the most convenient ways to help, most people don’t have permits, resources, or the knowledge to do so. Not to worry, because there are still some exterior fixes such as washing your windows, clearing overgrown trees, vines, or shrubs that can let more sunshine in. Another great tip is to paint the undersides a light color or a metallic finish if your home has eaves or overhangs above windows.

Window Fixes

As we’ve previously mentioned, adding a bigger window or a new one entirely can completely alter and enhance the amount of light that goes into your house. While this is super efficient, it’s often not possible which is why there are other means for improvement. Firstly, the windows should be spotless to ensure maximum light. Secondly, if your windows have curtains or shutters, they should be light-colored without any exceptions. Light shutters and curtains will have a similar effect as the white walls do. Some shutters such as plantation-style shutters offer a much better light control and can help bring more sunshine inside your house. They are also very adaptable and can be customized to suit your needs – which is in this case to let more sunshine in, so light-colored ones, preferably white might be the best bet.

Minimize Decor

A lesser-known way to have more sunshine inside your house is to create an illusion that this is the case. One means to achieve this is to minimize decor. This is especially important if you want the space to feel less claustrophobic. Having too much furniture and the absence of natural light is a scene from a bad horror movie, and should be avoided at all cost because it offers an eerie and unwelcoming feel. A dark room can be lightened up by simply bringing the amount of furniture you have to a minimum. Simply look up minimalist furniture and you’ll be good to go. As we’ve previously discussed that white walls can add more sunlight, you should try and keep walls a little more bare and also consider limiting the amount of accent furniture and walls.

Last Resort

If you’re still having troubles bringing more sunshine in there is still a last resort option for you to consider – artificial lighting. The brightness of your house can be boosted with artificial light that will enhance, rather than take over any natural light coming in. some specific and particular areas need attention – where light from the windows doesn’t reach. Some good examples of these areas are corridors, alcoves, and awkward corners. One step further would be to install dimmer switches that will allow you to have much better control over how space is lit, and how much it contributes or diminishes to the natural sunshine coming in. There are three main LED bulb choices – daylight, soft/warm white and bright/cool, so be sure to experiment and figure out which one works for you.

These were some of the most useful ideas to bring more sunshine inside your house. From the mirror and shiny objects hack to making simple alterations to the amount of furniture, this article has it all. However, some of the best-advised tips are to use light colors everywhere – on your walls, ceiling, windows, and especially shutters. Shutters can have a huge impact on the amount of light that goes in so be sure to invest in some that are lighter and that can properly control the amount of light that goes in.

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