It’s easy to assume that high-rise apartments are a blessing for natural light. After all, your home will literally be closer to the sun this way, while large windows or French patio doors should inevitably leave your rooms shining. Unfortunately, the lived experience of apartment owners doesn’t always reflect that.
Apartments are just as susceptible to darkness as standard homes. But did you know that certain design mistakes can make matters worse? Sometimes, you really are at the mercy of the apartment light Gods. Other times, you’re letting darkness in yourself in the following fatal ways.
1. Assuming Large Windows Are Enough
Sleek modern apartments often utilize natural light benefits like wall-length windows and patio doors. When you were moving, these might have seemed like they’d guarantee you bright rooms. But mistakenly assuming that glass fixtures will do all of the light-based legwork for you is your first mistake.
Why? Because even a whole-wall window fitting won’t necessarily let the sun in if you’re in a north-facing or overlooked apartment. What’s more, windows are very much reliant on the weather, and could leave your apartment fully exposed to every passing cloud or rainstorm.
That’s not to say windows aren’t still valuable (they remain the best source of natural light you’ve got!), but it does highlight the need to do more. For instance, reflective surfaces and bright colors can work wonders for ensuring that light travels well around your rooms regardless of anything else.
2. Over-Crowding Your Rooms
The best apartments tend to be carefully furnished with a limited array of sleek, well-chosen pieces. This is great for achieving that modern apartment vibe. It also ensures that you’re not falling foul of our second light-stealing mistake – overcrowded rooms.
The simple reality is that you’re always going to lose light if you have too many sofas, storage units, or tables in your apartment’s living spaces. While these things don’t necessarily suck light in themselves, they can certainly block windows, and will reduce the reflective surfaces that you need to make your apartment shine.
It’s far better to choose limited pieces that you can arrange well away from your windows, and which leave plenty of space for light to get in.
3. Using Heavy Window Dressings
Remember when we said that large windows weren’t the standalone secret to a well-lit apartment? Well, that may be true, but you still need to give them a fair shot at serving those natural light purposes. Heavy window dressings, which many apartment owners choose for the privacy they provide, can directly prevent windows from letting natural light in.
But what’s your alternative? Well, many apartment owners opt for blinds instead, which provide increased privacy at night, or in the day if you need it, without obstructing windows at all when they’re drawn up. You could even pull blinds halfway if the sun is blaring right in, and enjoy natural light that needn’t overwhelm you as you try to relax at home!
Thanks for stopping by!
Magda
xoxo