Benefit of Natural Light in a New Home

When you’re designing new homes in Montgomery County, PA, there are a lot of little things to take into consideration. The placement of the master bedroom, laundry room, and color of the carpets are all essential factors that make up the perfect home. However, there’s one element that sometimes gets overlooked: natural light. 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that the average American spends around 90 percent of their time indoors. This is why it’s so important to consider your window options when constructing a new home. Increased light has a wide range of benefits that add value to your home life. Here are just a few of the many reasons to pay close attention to how well the interior of your home is illuminated:

Reduced Energy Costs

 It takes a lot of energy to keep a house well-lit. This especially holds true in the morning and evening hours when the sun is on the horizon. Ask your new home builder for their recommendations on window placement for maximum light throughout those times.

A well-lit home is also a safer home. Natural light provides much better illumination than lightbulbs. If you have older adults or people with disabilities living under your roof, it can help enhance potential obstacles that might otherwise remain obscured.

Chase Away the Grey

Have you ever walked outside on a warm sunny day and felt a little extra spring in your step? The sun can help chase away that “blah” feeling you get on a cloudy, grey day. Many studies have found that natural light may help improve your overall mood.

Even though the sky may be cloudy during the cold winter months, natural light can still filter down to the ground. Your new home in Bucks County can take advantage of every single ray of light by having ample windows where they will maximize illumination.

Improved Productivity

Ample natural light also has a psychological benefit to it. The better you feel psychological, the more mental energy you’ll have to get up off the couch and be productive. Those who work from home might find more motivation to start working when the daylight trickles down onto their home office desk.

Even your pets can benefit from ample natural lighting inside your new home in Bucks County. Some animals, such as cats and dogs, tend to sleep more in the darker, winter months and are less physically active. Mittens and Fido will appreciate the increased daylight that could cause them to be more active.

Improved Aesthetics

A brightly lit home looks much better than one that’s dark or has to rely on electrical light to brighten the interior. Natural light tends to bounce off the walls and add depth. It can also highlight and accentuate your unique design and décor choices.

You can also customize the amount of light that accentuates smaller areas of your home, such as hallways or closets, by strategically placing mirrors throughout the home. Try to position them so that they can reflect the light that’s coming in through the windows. It will help make hallways and smaller rooms feel much bigger.

Adding mirrored closet doors to certain bedrooms and a decorative mirror in the hallway can create a continuous flow of light that will brighten your home even on the darkest of winter days.

How to Add More Light to Your New Home Design

Now that you know the benefits of increased natural light, here are a few things that you can do to add more of it to your new home:

Choose a Floor plan with Ample Windows

When selecting the floor plan of your new home in Montgomery County, there are several custom window options you can choose from. For example, the Jefferson floor plan comes with an optional Wall of Windows that will not only let in abundant natural light, but provide amazing views. The Wilson floor plan also offers ample windows, including four at the very top of the house.

Window Fabrics 

Windows that have heavy fabrics tend to block out and absorb the natural light. By dressing your windows in a lightweight and light color fabric, it will allow some light to pass through, even when it’s partially or fully closed. Tactile silks and fabrics with metallic accents will create a more luxurious look and feel while allowing ample light to come into the room. Two-tone grey upholstered dining room chairs, where the softer shade of color is on top, will also help brighten up the area.

Integrate Natural Light with Design

The interior design of your new home will have a noticeable effect on natural light. For example, if you are considering painting your living spaces in darker colors, they tend to absorb more visible light. Painting your walls in lighter colors such as off-white or beige will reflect and accentuate the natural light coming in through the windows. 

You can also paint your ceiling in a high-gloss color which will further amplify the light coming in through the windows. It will naturally draw the eye from the reflection on the ceiling to the window source. 

The decorative fittings and other accouterments can have a surprising effect on the lighting ambiance of your home. Polished chrome lamps, chandeliers, and other shiny materials will reflect the natural light.

Let There Be Light in Your New Home 

Having ample natural light coming through your home offers a wealth of benefits. Any of the above floor plans will help ensure that the living room, common areas, and bedrooms will have ample light coming through them. 

Hallmark Homes Group provides our buyers with the option to completely customize their new home—including changing the layout or adding additional windows to accommodate your individual lifestyle. 

If you’re ready to buy a new home, give us a call at (215) 416-0036 to learn how we can help you design and build the home of your dreams, but even better, customize it to create an ideal environment filled with natural light.