A couple of years ago, a company surveyed homeowners asking what they’d class as ‘must-have’ features in a family home.
More than a quarter of respondents to the survey chose ‘natural light’ as their number one feature. This is a surprising statistic when compared with other, more practical features you’d expect families to require, such as a second downstairs toilet (which only received 15% of votes).
A second survey carried out last year reinforced this finding. On average, homeowners admitted they’d pay an ADDITIONAL £5,000 for a home with good levels of natural light. In fact, you might be astounded to learn that seven per cent of those surveyed admitted they’d be willing to shell out an extra £15,000 to £20,000 just for natural light!
It’s clear that natural light is sought after by homeowners, but why?
The answer is simple, it positively impacts our physical and mental health. In today’s modern world, natural light might be something we subconsciously crave:
“Light is inexorably connected with the human experience and with our physiology. Today, the ubiquity of light, perhaps as a function of our incandescent and “always on” society, may be having a direct impact on health and wellness.
We have evolved with natural light. Until 100 years ago our days were filled with bright sunlight, and our evenings were lit with the soft warm glow of a flame. We are programmed to respond to the daily and seasonal variations of natural light. Unfortunately, most of us don’t get enough natural light during the day and get too much artificial light at night. ”
Selling your house?
In this article, we’re going to help you take advantage of the natural light that streams into your home. Follow our six easy tips and you might find a buyer willing to pay over the asking price too! (Though, we can’t guarantee they’ll offer £20,000 extra like the respondents in the survey!)
The six tips are quick an easy to achieve (so, no remodelling needed) and can be completed in a weekend. Let’s begin!
Tip 1: Clean those grubby windows
A simple yet effective task. Grab your cleaning supplies and head outside to give the windows a real good scrub. Then, look at the water in your bucket, you’ll be amazed by the colour! In fact, you’ll probably wonder how any light entered your home at all!
Tip 3: Landscape your garden
While you’re outside, consider pruning the bushes, hedges and trees that stop natural light from entering your home. Of course, a well-maintained garden will impress any potential buyers too.
Tip 3: Swap curtains for blinds
Heavy curtains take up a lot of space around the window, obscuring light even when they’re pulled open. Consider swapping to blinds, which take up far less room while retracted, allowing sunlight to cascade through the glass. Top tip: Made-to-measure blinds are a great option for non-standard window sizes.
Tip 4: Paint your walls and ceilings white
Whitewash walls for an easy way to take advantage of the natural light that already enters into your home.
Now for a science lesson: white is achromatic, which means it doesn’t absorb any colour. It reflects all visible wavelengths of light back into the room. That’s why white rooms look bright and airy. They’re literally full of bouncing light!
Tip 5: Dress your room with white accessories too
Don’t limit yourself to white walls. Opt for white furniture, furnishings and accessories too.
White doesn’t have to be boring and clinical, mix and match textures for maximum style. For example, a duvet set made from white waffle fabric, layered with a sumptuous white velvet throw and plush scatter-cushions on top.
Tip 6: Add mirrored accessories
Place mirrors on window-facing walls to reflect sunlight back into the room.
Shiny objects (for example, metallic vases or glass light shades) will achieve the same effect too.
