Decorating with Natural Light in Your Home

Light from above adds style while benefiting young and old

The benefits of having abundant daylight in our homes are well documented. Studies show that students learn better, adults suffer less Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), and older Americans have less trouble reading and getting around when rooms are filled with natural light. But aside from documented psychological and physical benefits, it’s obvious that living and working in a naturally brightly lit space just makes life feel better.

Who says? If you had to choose between a gloomy, dark environment and a bright, well-lighted one, which would it be?

Joe Patrick, senior product manager with VELUX America, points out that natural light comes into most homes through “vertical fenestration”- openings including doors and windows. “If there are enough of them, and if they are placed properly, they can do an adequate job of admitting light,” Patrick says. “But if you want to add beauty, style and balanced lighting to your home and lift your spirits as you visually expand your rooms, consider the additional natural light that can be provided by skylights.”

Light from above makes all rooms more functional and livable. Our kitchens become more enjoyable for our family when they are bright, cheerful and free of cooking odors and heat and when moisture is allowed to escape (through venting skylights). In our baths, we can have a degree of privacy impossible to achieve with vertical windows. And we can free an extra wall for storage or decorating (where that window is now that must be kept covered when the bathroom is in use).

While considering the “feel good” reasons for adding light from above throughout our homes, there are also economic considerations. When we’re enjoying the new functionality of rooms filled with natural light, we can know that we’ve made a good decision from an energy efficiency standpoint, as well.

When converting upstairs areas with energy-efficient skylights expensive dormers aren’t necessary, so labor and material costs can be reduced. And finished attics and bonus rooms typically appraise at 100 percent of the value of other living space while basements typically do not.

In smaller areas where traditional skylights may not fit or just aren’t necessary, more light can be easily added with VELUX Sun Tunnel skylights with flexible tunnels that bend around obstructions and are simple for homeowners to install. They work particularly well in entry areas, hallways, inner bathrooms, pantries and closets.

And now is a particularly good time to consider upgrading existing skylights or adding new units to qualify for a tax credit of up to $200 under the Energy Tax Incentives Act of 2005. Details are available at www.energy.gov/taxbreaks.htm.

For more on the benefits of natural light and skylight selection call (800) 283-2831 or visit www.veluxusa.com. For government information on window and skylight energy efficiency visit www.energystar.gov, and for independent agency information visit www.nfrc.org or www.efficientwindows.org.

Courtesy of ARA Content