5 rooms you can brighten with a skylight

Adding a skylight can enhance any space, making it lighter, brighter and more cheerful. But beyond adding a dose of beauty and style, there are many other benefits of a skylight.

The effect that natural light has on you physically, emotionally and psychologically is well documented. We spend 90% of our time indoors and the indoor air quality is three to fives times worse than outdoors. Getting the right amount of daylight is essential for our health and well-being; it improves our mood and can even fight Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). The benefits of natural light can have a profound impact on you and your family, but outfitting your home with a skylight also has advantages for the planet. 

High quality, energy-efficient skylights are an important part of building today’s environmentally friendly green homes and buildings. Skylights can deliver two times the amount of daylight as vertical windows, greatly reducing the need for artificial light and lowering electricity costs. Their energy efficiency can be enhanced by adding blinds to keep heat in on chilly winter nights and out in summer.

Skylights and Sun Tunnels are a perfect solution to getting the right amount of natural light into your home. Here are five rooms that would be even better with one of these light solutions. 

1. Bathroom: 

The bathroom is the top room that Canadians are renovating.  While we are focused on upgrading our fixtures to low flow faucets, dual flush toilets and walk-in rain fall showers many of us forget it’s the perfect time to add more natural light.  With our bathroom window looking onto our neighbours house most of us cover the window with a blind for privacy.  Or we have an interior ensuite bathroom with no windows.  By adding a venting skylight, you can allow in an abundance of natural daylight while also letting the steam out after a hot bath or shower. Plus, did you know that the best lighting for make-up application is natural light? A skylight can let you enjoy privacy, an unobstructed view and a sophisticated design touch in your bathroom. 

2. Kitchen: 

The kitchen is the natural hub of any home, bringing together family for everyday meal prep, and friends and relatives when hosting more lavish get-togethers and entertaining. But all this activity can pull a lot of electricity when you turn on every light to cook and bring unwanted food odours to the rest of your home. VELUX programmable skylights not only let in natural light, they give you the control to properly air out your home and keep your kitchen fresh during and after cooking. By opening your skylight, gases like hot air, cooking odours and toxins escape through the roof creating a healthier indoor environment. Perfect for the unpredictable Canadian weather, these sophisticated programmable models come with an integrated rain sensor to close during inclement weather.

3. Living room: 

Much of our time at home is spent in the living room, where we catch up on work, bingewatch our favourite shows, play with the kids and even eat a meal or snack in front of the television. That’s why it’s so important to pay special attention to the indoor climate in this space. In fact, children’s learning abilities increase up to 15% if they are in a good indoor climate.  Good indoor air quality can also help you sleep better at night. Make this popular space feel bigger with a skylight — you can even combine multiple units to create an architectural statement. Add a solar-powered blind to reduce the glare on your television and other screens. Remember, two to four airings of your home per day with a  programmable skylight helps to achieve optimum indoor air quality. 

4. Home office:

Whether you have a small business as your side hustle, work from home regularly or occasionally bring home work from your day job, having a well-designed home office can work wonders for your motivation and success. Adding natural light to your home office or studio would increase productivity, minimize mistakes and improve your mood. Working in natural light will also lessen eyestrain, which can help reduce headaches. Consider adding a solar-powered blind to control the amount of light in the room and reduce glare. 

5. Attic/loft conversion:

This versatile space is trending in home renovations. By converting your attic into a functional loft, you can add more usable square footage, increasing the value of your home. Keep the space bright, airy and open by including a skylight in your new design, leaving you with views of the sky and not your neighbour's roof, exterior side wall or bathroom. This will allow you to transform your dark attic space into a practical bright space that is flooded with natural light. Add a bedroom, studio, games room or study to your home, or keep the space multi-functional by creating different zones and using furniture that does double duty, like a sofa bed or computer secretary. If you want to use your attic as a bedroom, a great way to sleep more naturally is with solar-powered room-darkening blinds. They will let you get a good night’s rest and still wake up with natural light when you want.