Lighting

Architect's Toolbox: Wash the Wall With Sunlight

Enrich your home's spaces and surfaces with a natural light show

My name is Bud Dietrich and I am an architect located in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. I am licensed to practice architecture in Illinois, Florida, New Jersey & Wisconsin and I am a certificate holder from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). Since 1996 I have worked from my home office and provide full architectural services exclusively to the single family residential market. My passion is to transform my clients' houses into their homes. I strive to have the "new" home accommodate my clients' lives without fighting them at every junction. I look to add curb appeal to encourage a beautiful streetscape. And I design any addition to look and feel like it has always been there. Our projects have won numerous design awards as well as having been featured on television...

My name is Bud Dietrich and I am an architect located in the Tampa Bay... More »

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Architects and designers relish the opportunity to explore ways to bring natural light inside. Whether it comes through a side window, skylight or indirectly, natural light enlivens a space.

One of the wondrous aspects of this design element is how the light changes with the time of day and the seasons. Capturing, molding and shaping this light will enrich your home and your life in the most basic and profound ways.

by Aleck Wilson Architects

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Light from above and the side washes across a surface to change how we see and understand that surface. Every variation in texture, joint line and piece of the surface is highlighted dramatically. We get a sense of how the wall was built and gives structure to the spaces.

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by Andrea Swan - Swan Architecture

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Natural light washing across the surface from top to bottom makes this stairway a place to be, not just a place to walk through. In fact, placing a window or skylight at the top of the stairs is one of the most enriching ways to bring natural light inside. Think about what's more enjoyable — a stair that is bathed in light or one that's closed in by walls.

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by Bruce Wright

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With the source of the natural light from the sides and above, the play of light and shadow across the wall is all the art work needed here.

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by Hanrahan Meyers Architects

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The source of the light doesn't have to be visible. In fact, there are times when seeing the skylight is akin to the magician revealing the secret. It only takes away from the magic.

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by Eisner Design LLC

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A brick wall is a natural to be washed in light. The texture and overall feel that these bricks were stacked by hand comes out when lit this way.

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by Concreteworks

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Certainly washing a tiled wall in light is an effective way to add beauty to a bathroom. Providing a slot of light that allows the tile to run up past the ceiling line gives an incomparable sense of spaciousness.

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by Charles DeLisle

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Rather than a soft, overall wash, a skylight can provide a strong focused shaft of light. The important point is that the shaft of light will change position throughout the day. It can almost be to mark time.

More: The High Light: Clerestory Windows

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Comments

Adam says:

Unfortunately these nice room pictures only last for a short period time during sunny days. Besides most of us are at work or out running errands on the weekend when this happen.

4 months ago · Like

jenson says:

Lovely ideabook!

4 months ago · Like

CAROLE MEYER says:

Beautiful photos. I love the sun washing down the walls in our outdoor living room here in Mexico.

4 months ago · Like

Bud Dietrich, AIA says:

Thanks jenson and Carole, your house in Mexico looks really lovely.

4 months ago · Like

saya85 says:

heres a question though.... if you have a room that has a northfacing window and therefore not very sunny.... do you keep the colours light and bright? or go darker for a more intimate dramatic look?

4 months ago · Like

etherial says:

Just absolutely beautiful!

4 months ago · Like

Cindy Strobel says:

By using a domed barrel sky light in my small bathroom, with 8ft ceilings, a western faced stained glass window and a re- purposed mirror that I refurbished my self with driftwood and a concrete mermaid, made this bath seem larger than it really is! I also added the chandelier for a mood effect.

4 months ago · Like

thirdstone inc. [^] says:

Great topic and examples. I did the same on one of my own projects - LG House. In this example we placed the skylight on the north side of the house. It provides plenty of indirect light without the heat gain. Also, an operable skylight at the top of stair creates a stack effect allowing hot air to escape.