Many of us take Singapore’s year-round sunlight for granted, but it’s a resource that can naturally brighten our homes. If you are looking for ways to make full use of natural light, here are 6 renovation ideas that will help you bring more sunlight into your home.
1. Open-concept layout
Image credit: @thebareloft
Adopting an open-concept layout is a surefire way to let more light flow through your home. These layouts create a bright and spacious feel, with wider open spaces for sunlight to shine throughout.
Open-concept layouts can be achieved through hacking non-structural walls to open up the living space, subject to approval from HDB. A common approach to creating an open-space layout is merging the living and dining rooms together, creating a continuous flow where sunlight reaches further into your home.
The example you see above is a 699sqft 3-room Bidabari BTO flat that had most if not almost all of its non-structural walls hacked to create a studio concept.
Sunlight floods through this 3-room open-concept BTO flat.
Image credit: @thebareloft
For those who aren’t ready to commit to a permanent layout change, folding partition doors offer more flexibility in opening up the space and letting in more light when desired. This is also a more convenient option for bigger households, where the rooms are still separated for added privacy.
Image credit: Livspace
2. Glass rooms
Image credit: Lemonfridge Studio
A creative way to let more light into your study area is by creating a glass-enclosed room. This retains a separation between work and play without sacrificing the natural light flow.
Image credit: HelloEmbryo
Sliding glass panels can replace the walls of the outermost room, enabling you to enjoy the sunlight coming in from the living room while working and having the light flow from the rest of the house to the study room.
3. Create glass doorways around the house
Image credit: @ochre.home
Another way to have sunlight stream through different parts of the home is by installing glass doorways. They allow uninterrupted light flow between the rooms, especially ones with large glass panels providing an unobstructed view. These doors help to infuse a natural glow throughout your home, providing a scenic and cosy sight during golden hour.
Image credit: Pinterest – 浩睿 張
For those who prefer indirect sunlight, fluted glass doors also increase light flow while maintaining privacy between rooms. These doors diffuse sunlight gently, creating a warm glow that isn’t too harsh.
4. Add glass block elements throughout the home
Image credit: @persqft.co
A retro detail that is back in trend, glass blocks are a stylish way to naturally diffuse light throughout your home. They are a unique aesthetic feature that adds texture while softening harsh sunlight coming in. Glass blocks are versatile and functional, and can be a design feature that spreads light across a wider area, or even pieced together as a statement wall to brighten darker corners of your home.
Image credit: Mesa Haus
For a more budget-friendly option, glass blocks can also be incorporated into a half-wall. This still maximises the sunlight that filters into the upper part of your windows, while adding an aesthetically pleasing detail to your walls, making your space feel brighter and airier.
5. Installing metallic wall finishings
Image adapted from: Mineral Tiles on Pinterest
Metallic wall finishings are a unique way to reflect sunlight across your home. Though the metallic tones may appear darker at first glance, their glossy and reflective surfaces catch sunlight easily, bouncing light throughout the room.
These wall finishes come in different forms, such as metallic tiles that create a bold feature in your home, or more renter-friendly metallic wall stickers. They provide a wide area to capture natural light, maximising the afternoon sunlight as it shifts throughout the day.
Image credit: @locodivision
Similarly, chrome wall finishes offer a polished and smoother reflective look. Not only do they reflect sunlight well to illuminate the space, they also give a clean and modern feel to your home.
Image credit: @locodivision
Going beyond wall finishings, a chrome door is a novel way of adopting the metallic look. The door will reflect light with every movement, capturing the sunlight with a sleek industrial touch.
6. Optimise window treatments
A drawback of having natural sunlight flood into your home is the inevitable heat and glare, especially in Singapore’s warm climate. Thus, window treatments are important in tempering the heat and harshness of the sun, while still allowing sunlight to pass through.
Sheer curtains or blinds are a simple solution for allowing sunlight to pass through your windows while reducing the glare from the sun. These options also help to protect your privacy from prying neighbours and add a more airy feel to your home.
Window films are another common window treatment that helps reduce glare and block UV rays, while still maximising the benefits of natural light. For a brighter home, consider lower-opacity films that let in more sunlight, handy for rooms exposed to the direct afternoon sun.
Maximising sunlight at home
With these renovation ideas, you can take full advantage of Singapore’s strong sunlight to create a naturally bright and open space. Hopefully, these ideas will inspire you to invite more sunlight into your home, while minimising the heat and glare.
For more home renovation inspiration to brighten and open up your home:
- 7 Best HDB Open-Concept Floor Plans That’ll Make Your Flat Look Bigger Than It Actually Is
- Inside An Open-Concept Condo With Peekaboo Built-Ins & Half-Height Dividers
- This $350K Resort-Style Landed Home In Singapore Will Bring Those Canggu Villa Vibes To You
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