So You Bought a Cave: 7 Ways to Open Your Home to Light
Make the most of the natural light your house does have — and learn to appreciate some shadows, too
When I was a girl I was a tree hugger, and that's no metaphor. My childhood home was in a clearing surrounded by beautiful woods, which I loved. Had you told young me, face pressed against the trunk of my favorite maple, I would one day see trees as the enemy, I wouldn't have believed it.
Seeing trees as the enemy is what happens when you buy a cave, which my husband and I did, inadvertently. Of course it wasn't only the trees that made our house dark. Deep eaves, too-few windows, faux beams, low ceilings and our valley setting surrounded by woods-covered hills all contributed to our home's lack of light. From the day we took possession of our home until it burned down, we were steadily working to increase and maximize its natural light.
Seeing trees as the enemy is what happens when you buy a cave, which my husband and I did, inadvertently. Of course it wasn't only the trees that made our house dark. Deep eaves, too-few windows, faux beams, low ceilings and our valley setting surrounded by woods-covered hills all contributed to our home's lack of light. From the day we took possession of our home until it burned down, we were steadily working to increase and maximize its natural light.
In our kitchen, which also faced south, there was only one small window above the sink. We left that when we remodeled the kitchen, but a couple years later when had some other work done, we removed a large double cabinet to expand the existing window and add two more, similar to this kitchen’s design.
Shop: Add new pendant lights to your kitchen
Shop: Add new pendant lights to your kitchen
Kitchens and living rooms are obvious places to add windows, but stairwells and landings are great places to consider. They’re frequently dark and windowless spots.
Shop: Incorporate color with new paintings
Shop: Incorporate color with new paintings
2. Install Tubular Daylighting Devices (TDDs) or Skylights
The very first thing we did was have tubular daylighting devices installed. These are sort of like mini skylights. To quote Lindsey M. Roberts from her ideabook specifically on the subject, TDDs “are reflective cylinders or pipes installed between the roof and ceiling, with a clear plastic dome. The bottoms of the tubes are diffused or glazed to prevent glaring beams of light and to ensure a soft glow.”
We had three installed: one in the living room, another in the kitchen and a third in our entry. They worked beautifully, and to say the difference was like night and day for those rooms isn’t just a figure of speech. We used Solatubes and were very pleased with the quality and performance.
Here two TDDs light up a windowless hall.
The very first thing we did was have tubular daylighting devices installed. These are sort of like mini skylights. To quote Lindsey M. Roberts from her ideabook specifically on the subject, TDDs “are reflective cylinders or pipes installed between the roof and ceiling, with a clear plastic dome. The bottoms of the tubes are diffused or glazed to prevent glaring beams of light and to ensure a soft glow.”
We had three installed: one in the living room, another in the kitchen and a third in our entry. They worked beautifully, and to say the difference was like night and day for those rooms isn’t just a figure of speech. We used Solatubes and were very pleased with the quality and performance.
Here two TDDs light up a windowless hall.
Our before photos were even darker than this TDD company's promotional photo. In the bathroom a need for privacy makes no windows almost a benefit, but in other rooms a lack of windows gives a feeling of being shut in, even when the TDDs bring bright and sufficient light.
In this London townhouse a large skylight dramatically brightens a windowless kitchen.
With skylights there can be a greater risk of leakage simply because of the larger hole cut in your roof. Another consideration is the heat they can generate.
With skylights there can be a greater risk of leakage simply because of the larger hole cut in your roof. Another consideration is the heat they can generate.
3. Add Glass Doors
Our original front door had sidelights with amber glass in that bottle-bottom pattern so popular in the ‘70s. Our house faced north, so our entry was dim and dark. It led into our windowless dining room, which flowed into the kitchen. Standing at the island in our brand-new kitchen, that dark entry was my view. Ugh.
We installed a solid wood 15-pane glass door with matching five-pane sidelights.
Find a Pro: Work with a door dealer to find your custom front door
Our original front door had sidelights with amber glass in that bottle-bottom pattern so popular in the ‘70s. Our house faced north, so our entry was dim and dark. It led into our windowless dining room, which flowed into the kitchen. Standing at the island in our brand-new kitchen, that dark entry was my view. Ugh.
We installed a solid wood 15-pane glass door with matching five-pane sidelights.
Find a Pro: Work with a door dealer to find your custom front door
If privacy is a concern, there are many options, such as etched or reeded glass, for maintaining privacy while allowing light in.
4. Replace Interior Solid Doors With Glass or French Doors
Interior doors help provide soundproofing, something very important in the prevalent open plans today. However, French doors provide a way for rooms to share light and to avoid shutting rooms off.
If the door shown here were solid, it would have felt like a dead end when shut. The narrow French doors make the hall feel open and beautiful.
Interior doors help provide soundproofing, something very important in the prevalent open plans today. However, French doors provide a way for rooms to share light and to avoid shutting rooms off.
If the door shown here were solid, it would have felt like a dead end when shut. The narrow French doors make the hall feel open and beautiful.
This room is dark, but the French doors with sidelights and transoms create a wall of windows that opens this darker room for a view of the light-filled kitchen.
5. Widen Doorways and Take Down Unnecessary Walls if You Can
This is the London townhouse we saw above. The windowless kitchen doesn’t feel dark because of the wonderful skylight, as well as the complete openness to the dining room and beyond that, the living room with large windows. Imagine it with only a narrow doorway between — a different story entirely.
When we redid the kitchen, we tore down the wall between the kitchen and the living room, which opened things up tremendously. We also raised the large archway that led into the dining room.
On another wall in the dining room we knocked a hole in our mudroom and installed a single 15-pane glass door for better flow with the rest of the house and to take advantage of the western light.
Find a Pro: Discover an architect to help with your remodel
This is the London townhouse we saw above. The windowless kitchen doesn’t feel dark because of the wonderful skylight, as well as the complete openness to the dining room and beyond that, the living room with large windows. Imagine it with only a narrow doorway between — a different story entirely.
When we redid the kitchen, we tore down the wall between the kitchen and the living room, which opened things up tremendously. We also raised the large archway that led into the dining room.
On another wall in the dining room we knocked a hole in our mudroom and installed a single 15-pane glass door for better flow with the rest of the house and to take advantage of the western light.
Find a Pro: Discover an architect to help with your remodel
Here the open floor plan and plentitude of windows create a pleasing feel in a rather dark space.
But what do you do if all of the above is outside your budget?
But what do you do if all of the above is outside your budget?
If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.
6. Paint Your Rooms Deep Colors
The inclination with dark rooms is to paint them light to try and brighten things up, but sometimes the best thing to do is to embrace the shadows and go for deeper, moody colors that make a dark room feel cozy.
Warm green is a perfect color for this space. The black doors and brass hardware add to the feeling of richness and warmth. The double French doors open to the light and bright kitchen.
6. Paint Your Rooms Deep Colors
The inclination with dark rooms is to paint them light to try and brighten things up, but sometimes the best thing to do is to embrace the shadows and go for deeper, moody colors that make a dark room feel cozy.
Warm green is a perfect color for this space. The black doors and brass hardware add to the feeling of richness and warmth. The double French doors open to the light and bright kitchen.
This kitchen is dark, but with the vintage sink, warm wood and bank of windows, it's lovely and peaceful.
Trying to find a color for our dining room was impossible. I bought so many samples and slapped them right on the wall. I tried to go dark, warm and happy. Inspired by The Royal Tannebaums, I kept trying to find a warm pinky coral. The short story is that I failed, and it looked like Martha Stewart and Charles Manson went on a spree.
I fell back on my favorite greeny blues, but so many — off the paint chip and on my walls — looked like battleship gray. I settled on a lovely and pure robin’s egg blue, and it looked amazing on one wall, for about three weeks, every summer. Repainting it was on our list of things to do.
Hire a Pro: Freshen up your walls by hiring a professional painter
I fell back on my favorite greeny blues, but so many — off the paint chip and on my walls — looked like battleship gray. I settled on a lovely and pure robin’s egg blue, and it looked amazing on one wall, for about three weeks, every summer. Repainting it was on our list of things to do.
Hire a Pro: Freshen up your walls by hiring a professional painter
The great thing about the current popularity of charcoal and black is they allow a person to surrender to a dark room and have it look awesome, as shown here.
Our local paint store has a color consultant available at very reasonable rates, and if I could turn back time I would have hired someone at the start. The money I would have saved on samples could have more than paid for it.
How to Work With a Color Consultant
Our local paint store has a color consultant available at very reasonable rates, and if I could turn back time I would have hired someone at the start. The money I would have saved on samples could have more than paid for it.
How to Work With a Color Consultant
And finally there’s something so simple, anyone can do it.
7. Hang a Well-Placed Mirror
In my living room I hung a large mirror to reflect light and the beautiful view of our woods. In the dining room I hung a wall of antique ones in various sizes to catch any light I could in that room.
Shop: Make a statement with a floor-length mirror
7. Hang a Well-Placed Mirror
In my living room I hung a large mirror to reflect light and the beautiful view of our woods. In the dining room I hung a wall of antique ones in various sizes to catch any light I could in that room.
Shop: Make a statement with a floor-length mirror
This beautiful mirror reflects the light-filled room opposite.
Here antique mirrors climb the stairs. It's a beautiful display that reflects light from the second story.
Tell us: What have you found that works to make a darker home comfortable and cozy?
More:
Browse the Houzz color guides
Get Your Light Right for a Healthy Home
Light-Happy Changes Upgrade a Small Bathroom
Tell us: What have you found that works to make a darker home comfortable and cozy?
More:
Browse the Houzz color guides
Get Your Light Right for a Healthy Home
Light-Happy Changes Upgrade a Small Bathroom
I don’t have pictures of my old dark house, but I’d like to tell you what we did, and what you can do, to improve the light.
1. Add Windows
Our family room had wonderful southern exposure, but the only light came from the sliding doors. Even after we added a large Solatube, the room was bright but didn’t feel right. We added a pair of double-hung windows on either side of the door, giving us a total of four. We planned to install two more square windows on either side of the fireplace, like the one shown in the first photo.
Find a Pro: Hire a specialist to install new windows