Please help me get more sunlight into my kitchen

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

What kind of window would bring the most natural light into my kitchen? The kitchen is enclosed by a screened in porch/sunroom. Would adding a skylight(s) to the sunroom help? Would a "garden" window or bay window be better? Could we replace the sunroon's rubber roof with a glass roof of some sort, or would you tear down the sunroom altogether?

The house was also extended very awkwardly to the south, so the kitchen is far away from the dining room and doesn't get much light from that area. Eventually we will add skylights to the dining room which might help somewhat. We can't put skylights in the kitchen because a bedroom/bathrooms is right above it. Someday if we remodel those we might be able to do a sun tunnel or two.

In the old kitchen it was so dark you coudn't read without the lights on a cloudless day at noon. Now it isn't a ton better, so I planned for a larger window.

This is the new kitchen at the brightest time of the day. This is the absolute brightest it gets, and it is only this bright because the trees have lost their leaves and the sun is low in the sky. The light comes in for about 30 mins a day... not really optimal.

Here is the current kitchen window from the sunroom:

Featured Answer

Maureen

8 years ago

A large greenhouse window running from cabinet to cabinet + a skylight above the window in the porch and go as large as you can. Our kitchen has two greenhouse windows and a skylight and when snow is covering them up, I know what a dark kitchen feels like..depressing. I'm sure both ideas would help.

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Comments (11)

auntthelma
8 years ago
Under cabinet lights help a lot and are easy to install.
miralina
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks we do have under cabinet lighting, I'm looking to get more natural light into the kitchen though.
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PRO
Sabrina Alfin Interiors
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
You definitely have room for a larger window there; I would get one that goes the full distance between the wall cabinets. It would help but I don't know by how much, given the screened in porch situation. And get yourself some LED under cabinet lighting so you at least have good task lighting when you're preparing meals. P.S. Do you have a photo of what's on the wall near the peninsula? Is there room for a slider or more windows there?
miralina
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
We have plenty of artificial lighting for preparing meals. I'd just be tickled pink if we could get some more sun in there. There is a glass door to the sunroom on the wall near the peninsula. It needs to be replaced, so perhaps it could be slightly larger.
PRO
Sabrina Alfin Interiors
8 years ago
Yes, if you have room for a french door or a slider, that would help a lot, I think.
Judy Mishkin
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
what you need is a bank of windows where your upper cabinets are, to the left of your window. up for a project? remove everything from those uppers, see if you can find another place for those items. then add 2 or 3 more windows along that side. it will be magnificent. you dont even currently have a backsplash to have to deal with!

if you cant remove that storage, than double your current window by enlarging over the dishwasher as well. you'd get about 2x as much light as you do now, and a lot of breeze in the summer.
miralina thanked Judy Mishkin
Jason Mallin
8 years ago
If you can drop those cabinets on the wall and replace with windows across the whole counter and then do shelves in front of the windows.... like these and use that storage for glassware.... Be sure to use heavy glass for the shelving too. Everytime I see this done I like the outcome!
miralina thanked Jason Mallin
miralina
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks Jason, I love that idea. I probably won't be able to sell my husband on the open shelving, but I will show him this and perhaps he will change his mind.
miralina
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks Maureen! It is great to hear from someone who has done what I was envisioning. The greenhouse window/skylight combo HAS to bring in more light. :) I hope we can afford it, haha. Cheaper than moving!
jonio
8 years ago
Research Solatube skylights. My husband put one in our bathroom, and my mom had three installed in her kitchen/great room. They look nice and add quite a bit of light, even at night, if the moon and stars are out.