When buying or renovating a property, natural light is often high on many homeowners wishlists. Unfortunately, this is often at odds with what you’ll find in traditional Victorian terrace houses in London. Narrow hallways and dark rooms can create a claustrophobic atmosphere that many dislike in older properties. There are however many ways to increase natural light with clever home design and renovation advice.

When extending a property you can explore a variety of options to maximise light. There is the possibility to go big with a design involving structural glazing. This could range from a glass ceiling, wrap-around corner glazing, or full-height glass walls. Features such as a glass roof can be quite costly depending on the size, shape, and material – they are often made to measure and you may need to factor that into your build schedule. It’s important to understand what your limitations are beforehand to help inform the type of glass roof you can install – this may also include possible restrictions from your local planning authority. It’s also important to consider orientation to make sure you are benefitting from the feature.

On a smaller scale skylights are popular in many renovation projects as they can be installed in all types of roof and offer more direct sunlight compared to windows providing side light. This project in Croydon showcases a brilliant combination of a skylight, full length feature window and large Crittall style doors. Whilst windows can be a costly expensive, we do have advice on how you can make savings on both windows and doors when renovating.

Although there are many types of windows available to suit your style, the positioning is key when designing your home to make sure you are maximising light and maintaining your privacy. There may be adjustments needed to meet planning requirements, this could limit the size or placement of certain windows or dictate the need for obscuring glass. This is something our design and planning experts will make you aware of, and of course are a key part of your floorplans. (You can find out more about floorplans and what to expect for them here!).

Whilst windows are an obvious way to increase light flow, the layout of your property can greatly impact brightness. Terrace properties may be hindered by rooms without natural light sources, in which case an open plan layout can be ideal.  The ‘middle room conundrum’ is something we discuss here!

If you’d like to keep some sense of partition, ‘broken plan living’ is a great concept to explore – with creative ways to add subtle division between rooms that still allow light to travel but maintain an element of separation in your living spaces.

Darker colours and larger furniture are notorious for absorbing light, not only making a room seem darker but also smaller. Light décor, reflective surfaces and open space can often make a room appear lighter and more spacious.   

Our team are always interested in hearing the specific needs of your renovation and offering solutions to problems from creating space to maximising light. To speak to us about your home you can get in touch with our team on 0207 043 2378 or email us at hello@hometales.co.uk. Alternatively, our live diary enables you to book a consult instantly.