I’ve always cherished abundant natural light and open spaces in a home. I can envision living in a loft-like setting, though I’m truly happy with our current house. A key advantage here is the ample opportunity to introduce even more daylight. Our living room already benefits from windows on three sides, creating a bright and inviting atmosphere. I suspect my love for light-filled, expansive areas stems from my mother, a fellow enthusiast for daylight.
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These principles guide all our renovation projects: linking rooms by removing walls to allow light to flow freely throughout the house. For instance, during our office renovation, we installed two large windows at the front, flooding the space with natural light—even on overcast days, it remains bright and welcoming. Our plants thrive here too.
We also removed a small ground-floor bedroom, opening up the wall to connect the office seamlessly to our relaxation area. This fluid transition will look even more striking with the new continuous flooring, enhancing the sense of spaciousness. Breaking through that wall brought additional daylight from the opposite side.
There are many effective ways to boost natural light in your home. Here are some proven examples from our work.
In our ongoing kitchen renovation, we’re replacing the hall-to-kitchen wooden door—with its small upper windows—with a larger steel-framed glass door (93x231.5 cm). We’ve already enlarged the opening and removed the old door; soon, the plasterer will finish it, and the new door will dramatically brighten the hall.
For the extension planned in a few years, we’ll incorporate skylights into the flat roof alongside a large sliding door. Skylights provide that essential overhead light. I prefer sleek, flat models over domes for a modern aesthetic and maximum illumination.
If extending your home, consider a glass roof like the examples shown. It’s stunning but requires regular cleaning—our previous veranda’s glass roof taught us that lesson. Shorter spans are more practical than deeper ones, like 4 meters.
Indoor patios once seemed unusual to me, but now I’m a fan. Imagine lush greenery beside your bath and bedroom—who wouldn’t love that? Though not feasible in our current home, this second-floor design from Britta’s renovation (of The Perfect Renovation) transforms a typical skylight spot into something extraordinary. Just note the morning light intensity.
Traditional heavy curtains are giving way to blinds or pleated shades. Opt for top-down/bottom-up styles to keep upper windows open for more light.
If you prefer fabric, sheer inbetweens allow soft light to filter through while maintaining privacy.
