When I was a woman I had been a tree hugger, and that’s no metaphor. My childhood home was in a clearing surrounded by beautiful woods, which I adored. Had you told youthful me, face pressed against the back of my favourite maple, I’d one day see trees as the enemy, so I wouldn’t have thought it.
Seeing trees since the enemy is what happens when you buy a cave, which my husband and I did, unintentionally. Obviously it was not just the trees which made our house dark. Deep eaves, too-few windows, faux beams, low ceilings and our valley setting surrounded by woods-covered hills all contributed to our home’s lack of lighting. From the day we took ownership of our house until it burnt down, we had been steadily working to increase and optimize its normal light.
Smith & Vansant Architects PC
These windows go wide and as tall to optimize lighting, while matching the home’s character.
I don’t have pictures of my old dark house, however I’d love to tell you exactly what we did, and what you could do, to enhance the lighting.
1. Add Windows
Our family room had wonderful southern exposure, but the only light came from the sliding doors. Even after we added a large Solatube, the area was bright but did not feel right. We added a pair of double-hung windows on both sides of the door, giving us a total of four. We planned to install two more square windows on both sides of the fireplace, like the one shown in the first photograph.
Smith & Vansant Architects PC
In our kitchen, which also faced south there was just one small window over the sink. We left when we remodeled the kitchen but a couple years later when had any other work done, we removed a large double cabinet to enlarge the existing window and add two more, similar to this kitchen layout.
LDa Interiors & Architecture
Kitchens and living rooms are clear places to incorporate windows, however stairwells and landings are excellent places to think about. They are often dark and windowless spots.
Addition Building & Design, Inc..
2. Install Tubular Daylighting Devices (TDDs) or Skylights
The very first thing we did was have tubular daylighting devices set up. These are kind of like mini skylights. To estimate Lindsey M. Roberts from her ideabook specifically on the subject, TDDs “are reflective cylinders or pipes installed between the roof and ceiling, with a transparent plastic dome. The bottoms of these tubes are either glazed to stop glaring beams of light and also to ensure a soft glow.”
We had three set up : one in the living area, another from the kitchen and a third in our entry. They worked superbly, and to say the difference was like night and day for those rooms is not only a figure of speech. We used Solatubes and were quite happy with the quality and functionality.
Here two TDDs light up a windowless hall.
Before Photo
VELUX
Our before photos were even darker compared to the TDD firm’s promotional photo. In the bathroom a need for solitude makes no windows almost an advantage, but in other rooms a lack of windows gives a sense of being closed in, even when the TDDs attract bright and adequate lighting.
Mad About Your Residence
In this London townhouse a large skylight dramatically brightens a windowless kitchen.
With skylights there may be a greater danger of leakage just because of the bigger hole cut in your roof. Another consideration is that the heat they could generate.
Brennan + Company Architects
3. Add Glass Doors
Our original front door had sidelights with amber glass in that bottle-bottom pattern so popular in the ’70s. Our house faced north, so our entry was dark and dim. It led into our windowless dining area, which flowed into the kitchen. Standing in the island in our new kitchen, that shadowy entry was my opinion. Ugh.
We set up a good wood 15-pane glass door with matching five-pane sidelights.
Union Studio, Architecture & Community Design
If privacy is a concern, there are lots of options, such as etched or reeded glass, for preserving privacy while allowing light in.
Sheila Rich Interiors, LLC
4. Replace Interior Solid Floors With French or Glass doors
Interior doors help provide soundproofing, something quite important from the prevalent open programs now. But, French doors provide a way for rooms to talk about light and also to avoid shutting rooms off.
If the door shown here were strong, it might have felt like a dead end when closed. The French doors make the hall feel spacious and lovely.
Colleen Brett
This room is dim, but the French doors with sidelights and transoms make a wall of windows which opens this darker room to get a view of the light-filled kitchen.
House of Locations
5. Widen Doorways and Eliminate Unnecessary Walls If You Can
This is the London townhouse we found above. The windowless kitchen doesn’t feel dim because of the wonderful skylight, in addition to the complete willingness to the dining area and beyond that, the living area with big windows. Imagine it with just a narrow door between — another story entirely.
Once we redid the kitchen we tore down the wall between the kitchen and the living space, which opened things up tremendously. We also increased the large archway that led into the dining area.
On the other wall in the dining area we knocked a hole in our mudroom and set up a single 15-pane glass door for superior circulation with the rest of the house and to benefit from the western lighting.
Searl Lamaster Howe Architects
This open floor plan and plentitude of windows create a pleasing sense in a somewhat dark space.
However, what can you do if all of the aforementioned is out your budget?
Siemasko + Verbridge
If you can not beat ’em, combine ’em.
6. Paint Your Rooms Deep Colors
The inclination with dark rooms would be to paint them light to try and brighten things up, but sometimes the best thing to do would be to embrace the shadows and go for darker, darkened colors which make a darkened room feel cozy.
Engineered green is a perfect color for this space. The black doors and brass hardware increase the sense of richness and warmth. The double French doors open to the light and bright kitchen.
Joanne Palmisano, Salvage Keys
This kitchen is dark, but with the vintage sink, warm hardwood and bank of windows, it’s lovely and tranquil.
Lisa Borgnes Giramonti
Attempting to locate a color for our dining area was hopeless. I bought so many samples and slapped them right on the wall. I strove to go dim, warm and happy. Inspired by The Royal Tannebaums, I kept trying to find a warm pinky coral. The short story is I failed, and it seemed like Martha Stewart and Charles Manson went on a spree.
I dropped on my favorite greeny blues, but many — off the paint processor and on my walls — seemed like battleship gray. I depended on a lovely and pure robin’s egg blue, and it seemed amazing on a single wall, for about three weeks, every summer. Repainting it had been on our list of things to do.
Sarah Greenman
The excellent thing about the current popularity of charcoal and black is that they allow a person to surrender to a darkened space and have it look awesome, as shown here.
Our local paint shop has a color consultant available at quite reasonable rates, and if I could turn back time I would have hired someone at the start. The money I’d have saved on samples could have more than paid for this.
The way to Work With a Color Consultant
greige/Fluegge Interior Design, Inc..
And finally there is something really easy, everyone can do it.
7. Hang a Well-Placed Mirror
In my living room I wrapped a large mirror to reflect light along with the beautiful view of our woods. In the dining room I wrapped a wall of antique ones in various sizes to catch any lighting I could in that area.
Julie Holloway
This beautiful mirror reflects that the light-filled space reverse.
Donna Thomas Vintage Chic Furniture
Here antique mirrors climb the stairs. It’s a beautiful screen that reflects light from the second story.
Inform us What have you found that works to make a darker house comfortable and cozy?
More:
Read the color guides
Get Your Light Right for a Healthy Home
Light-Happy Changes Upgrade a Small Bathroom