Want to bring more natural light into your home? Natural light can not only brighten and cheer up an otherwise drab room, but it also creates an illusion of more space. Natural light is not so easy to come by, unfortunately. Here are four ways you can use glass and mirrors to harness the power of the natural light you have to work with.
Hang & Place Mirrors Strategically
Mirrors’ reflective properties are a great way to use whatever light you already have in your home without having to do any major work to it. To get the most of the mirrors you have, place them on the same or neighboring walls of windows. Hanging them directly across from windows will actually cause them to reflect the light directly back out those same windows. It’s geometry, really. When you place a mirror on a neighboring wall (to the left or right), the light is reflected at an angle that brightens the room.
Another way to use mirrors to your advantage is to use oversized mirrors. Oversized mirrors have the ability to reflect larger amounts of light when placed correctly (see above). Use them as a wall piece in place of art, hanging above a couch, or lying against a blank wall.
Add Reflective Accessories
Mirrors aren’t the only reflective piece you can use to make the most of the light in your home. Anything reflective helps, such as metallic lamps and furniture accessories, or glass tabletops. These will all reflect any light and disperse it throughout your home, giving the illusion of more natural light. Custom glass tabletops are a great addition to brighten up any room in your home.
Install Glass Doors Internally & Externally
If adding more mirrors and reflective accessories and furniture doesn’t help, you might need to go a step further. Internally, you can switch out opaque wood doors throughout your first floor for glass french doors. This design element will allow light to pass between rooms, creating a more open effect inside your home.
Externally you can replace your solid entrance door with one that has glass panels. You can go even further by adding glass transom lights on top of your door, and sidelights on the sides of your entrance door. Together, these design changes can add a lot more light to the front rooms of your home.
Consider Adding Skylights
Lastly, if you have rooms in your home that you just can’t seem to lighten up no matter what you try, consider adding skylights. This allows natural sunlight to flood into your home from your ceiling. These really do add the most natural light, but they are also one of the most extreme ways to get it.
Janssen Glass & Door can help your dreams of a brighter home become a reality in your Kansas City home. Call us today at (913) 677-5727 today. Janssen Glass can help you create a custom glass, door, window or mirror piece to bring more light into your life.