One of the massive benefits of carrying out a home extension is to re-design your home and incorporate design aspects that increase natural light within. As home extension architects we have a huge catalogue of suggestions to help you achieve a brighter home. Here are just some of the methods that our Architects use to create brighter spaces. 

Full width doors

Glass doors are incredibly popular and it’s not difficult to see why. There are a variety of glass door options available. Bi-fold doors are the most popular and they are most effective at giving that indoor / outdoor feel as you can literally remove the boundary between the two, giving that seamless transition between outside and inside. Sliding doors and crittal style doors are also popular choices. We designed this fabulous swing glass door in our Hackney project which really has a ‘wow’ factor. 

Windows 

If full width doors aren’t for you then we would encourage you to consider a window. These are mostly paired with some kind of door, be that bi-fold or a regular door to enable access to the garden. Small windows allow for a more versatile interior setting as you can utilise the wall within the home. Our client in Merton wanted to have a u-shape kitchen and so use of that rear wall was crucial to achieve this. We ensured every opportunity for natural light was still maintained in the design and installed this beautiful window overlooking the garden. 

Windows can be much larger which has been demonstrated in our Croydon project perfectly. This floor to ceiling fixed panel ensures that no corner of this room goes short of natural light. We even installed an internal window inside to help natural light penetrate deeper into the home. 

In a loft conversion bespoke windows are a great way to encourage light within the home. We undertook this 3D render for our client in South West London which shows a beautiful made to measure window overlooking the garden. 

Roof lights 

Roof lights are a great way to help light get into the middle of the property. On a ground floor extension they can be replaced along side-return extensions and on rear extensions. There are a variety of options available including fixed panel skylights, velux windows and all-glass roofs. We love this skylight which was installed in our Pulborough Road project. This extension was a wraparound extension extending the full side return and 4m to the rear. 

In a loft conversion, skylights on the roof also have a great affect and help natural light to penetrate into the landing area of a loft conversion above the staircase. We installed a beautiful skylight in our loft conversion project in Wandsworth. 

In loft conversions it’s most common to extend the rear pitch property as the council don’t like homeowners modifying the front pitch. With that said they don’t mind roof lights being installed so we tend to include 2 or 3 velux windows on the front pitch of the property, while incorporate an ordinary sash window on the rear. This means loft conversion room usually have light entry from both sides which is great for natural light and ventilation as you can get a through breeze when both windows are open. 

Open plan design 

Open plan design has become much more popular over the last decade as families are looking for sociable multifunctional living areas. Extending gives the perfect opportunity to create large spacious rooms. It’s also a great opportunity to reconsider the ground floor as a whole and make the space flow better. We carried out a rear extension on this family home in Worthing. While the extension added some much-needed space for the growing family, the internal reconfiguration made a huge difference to the natural light within the home. We removed internal walls which left this beautiful bright and airy open plan area.  

Interior design

The choices that you make for your interior furnishings will also have a big impact on how light your extension feels. Dark colours and textures will swallow up light and make the space feel smaller. Light colours and textures have a huge influence on the finish of the space. Our Pulborough Road project have a huge room, and natural light penetration was a concern due to the room’s depth into the house. The final fixtures and fittings are light and subtle which helps to open up the room and feel brighter within. 

If you want to discuss your own project in more depth we would love to understand more about what it is you want to do. Call us on 0207 043 2378 or email our friendly team at hello@hometales.co.uk. You can book a call via our live diary too. We look forward to speaking with you!