Whether you love or hate the cold, one thing that depresses a lot of people in winter is the fact that the house gets so dark and gloomy.  After all, who hasn’t exclaimed at one point, “It’s only 2pm, how is it dark already?!”  The trick to banishing the gloom without turning the lights on is to flood your home with natural light and we’ve got a few tricks to help you do so.  For more ideas, have a chat to your local skylight specialist.

Add Skylights

By far, the best way to beat the winter gloom is to install one or more skylights in your home to help flood your rooms with more natural light, up to three times as much as a window can give you. While skylights are traditionally installed in darker areas of the home (bathrooms, hallways, etc), they’re also perfect for kitchens and living areas if you find they’re just not bright enough during the day.  You’ve got several options to choose from including traditional skylights, roof windows, and sun tunnels.  Some skylights can even open and close to provide you with more ventilation as well!

Make Use of Mirrors

Another great way to make your room feel lighter and brighter is to strategically place a large mirror so that it catches the sunlight from a window and then reflects it back into the room.  The mirror can be as simple or as elaborate as you like – just make sure that it fits in with the rest of the room’s decor!  As an added bonus, the mirror reflecting back into the room will also make your space feel larger.

Tweak Your Environment

You don’t necessarily have to do anything fancy to get more natural light into your home.  One easy thing that you can do is to trim away any branches that hang in front of your windows.  Get rid of the branches and you’ll be surprised at how much brighter things get inside!  As well, you can move your armchairs or seating to be nearer to windows, rather than placing them in the dark corners of the room.  Obviously, the closer you are to the windows, the less gloomy the room will feel.  Finally, don’t forget the simple step of throwing open your curtains or blinds as soon as you get up!  Let the light flood in during the day – just don’t forget to close them when it starts cooling down at night.