When renovating your kitchen, there are numerous choices to consider. From cabinetry to paint color to hardware and more, homeowners spend a significant amount of time and energy making choices. No matter the bells and whistles you desire, “natural lighting” should be a priority for everyone. More modern kitchens try to incorporate natural light into the kitchen but many older homes with small, closed-off kitchens may need a little help to open them up.
While the market offers a number of lighting options these days, nothing compares to the warm, inviting light of sunshine. As you and your design team plan out your renovation and make choices about products and items, work to create or maximize natural light as much as possible. Today we offer five reasons to include natural lighting in your kitchen.
5 Reasons Every Kitchen Deserves Natural Lighting
1). Aesthetically pleasing: This benefit is obvious. Walk into a kitchen laden with glorious sunshine or one hidden away in a dark corridor and most would agree the first kitchen is more lovely. Sunlight dancing off kitchen counters, appliances, and surfaces is extraordinarily pleasing to the eye. It’s also the easiest way to bring the outdoors in. Nature is an organic remedy so by offering more natural light in your kitchen, it becomes more of a sanctuary.
2). Energy saving: In today’s world, we’re all looking for ways to save money. Natural light will save energy in a number of ways. During the day, sunlight provides plenty of light so it’s unnecessary to turn on artificial kitchen lights. The warmth of the sun also heats the kitchen so heating energy is saved during colder months. Saving energy leads to saving money. With few lights on and less heat being utilized, you will have more money for household items or on activities your family enjoys.
3). Holistically encouraging: A beautiful, naturally-lit kitchen encourages homeowners more regularly utilize the space and be more adventurous. It motivates them to explore the art of cooking and broaden their culinary horizons. Bags of fast food or boxes of frozen meals are simply discordant with the peace and lovely ambiance of a sunlit space. In contrast, it’s enjoyable and relaxing to chop, prep and cook in a stunning sunlit kitchen.
4). Socially inviting: We all prefer to entertain during warmer months when parties and events can be hosted on patios and lawns, but natural lighting in the kitchen offers this same luxury during cold months and very hot months. Dining, drinking and socializing in a kitchen full of sunlight is more pleasurable than a dreary room with very few windows or skylights. With strategic placement of tables and a bar, the kitchen can be transformed into a sunny space for winter soirees.
5). Mood enhancing: Sipping coffee as the morning sun seeps into the kitchen is much more pleasant than flipping on fluorescent lights to even find the coffee. The healing power of vitamin D is fierce. Vitamin D is beneficial year-round but especially beneficial during cold months when seasonal affective disorder is a true nemesis for many people. Sunlight is naturally soothing to the mind and soul. During frigid months or on rainy days, your family and friends can still benefit from nature’s truest mood remedy.
Ensuring you have enough natural lighting depends on the design and the materials in your kitchen. For some folks, this may mean structural changes such as knocking down a wall or creating new windows. Call the experts at Braemar so we can help you create the kitchen you’ve always envisioned, a kitchen that maximizes the benefits of nature’s glorious sunshine.
