Hire a professional arborist to evaluate how much the redwood can be trimmed up and thinned safely. The Japanese maple can also be pruned. The arborist will be able to tell you if your trees are far enough from the house to not affect the foundation with their roots.

Think about a couple of Solatubes intermixed with your solar panels. It may be easier than anticipated.

Trim your trees. It makes all the difference in the world. Add a few more reflective surfaces. Also, do you spend a lot of daytime in your living room? I was trying to make my living room brighter and then finally realized I was fine just spending evening time in there when it is dark out anyway.

Skylight or a solartube should be easy enough as well with the vaulted ceiling.

Gee you have a big pine tree shading the house and a big black media cabinet in the living room. What could possibly gobbling up all that light? LOL

Trim or remove the tree. If that is a redwood, it's likely not the correct location for it and as it grows it's only going to get worse or become a fire hazard. Right now it might cost $400 to remove, but as it gets bigger the cost to remove will go up. Nothing sacred about a tree that is in the wrong location.

We don't know the total appearance of the media cabinets, but something more minimal is overdue for this room along with a new sofa and chairs.

Even an IKEA living room would help everything in your room.

That Sequoia or Redwood or whatever it is needs to go. After you have it removed—not trimmed—reassess the light situation. I’d probably remove—possibly relocate—the Japanese Maple, too. Trees just shouldn’t be planted so close to a house. You have what appears to be a very charming home which, with the right plantings, could be absolutely idyllic-looking. But right now it’s slowly being entombed in its own little forest!

Btw: What is the species of that sapling in the photo? That should also probably be removed.

Edited to add that oddly shaped windows such as the triangular one you’re considering are a nightmare to design around.

Agree with Beverly . I would also add that your couches are too big and take away from airiness as welll. The arms should not overlap.

Add a skylight or two, not a solatube. Yes, you can trim the trees anyway, but this will give you the best option for maximizing sunlight. Will make a huge difference, IMO.

I agree with Beverly also. In that forest, I would take out all trees around house for safety.

Get rid of the tree, paint the brick fireplace to white , lose the behemoth black cabinetry. The windows are under an eave/porch. It's never going to be flooded with light. But sludge colored sofas, the black unit, aren't helping. A nice large LIGHT toned rug on the floor would also help quite a bit, along with the rest just mentioned.

Solatube is the best for your space! Cheaper and nicer looking too!