3 Ways to Bring More Natural Light Into a Small Kitchen

If you're renovating a small kitchen, then you may be keen to make the room brighter than it currently is. Small and dark kitchens aren't usually fun to work in.

While you know that you can use artificial light to brighten things up, you may want to get as much natural light into the room first before you decide how to layout your lighting. How can you make a small kitchen lighter?

1. Change the Current Window Layout

While you may be short on exterior wall space in a small kitchen, you may able to change the size or location of the current window to bring more natural light into the room. For example, installing a bigger window will make the room a little lighter.

If your existing window isn't in the best sun-facing position, then relocating the window may help. Moving a window that looks out on to a neighbouring house or a wall may also brighten the room; if you can put the window in a position where it isn't blocked, then the room will be lighter.

Bear in mind that you may have space to add a small additional window somewhere in the room. Even a little extra window space can make a difference.

2. Add a Skylight

If you have a single storey home or if your kitchen doesn't have rooms above it, then installing one or more skylights to the room's ceilings will potentially make things much lighter in the room. The light from the skylight will work with your window light.

Light from above may also spread across the room more effectively than light from a side window. The skylight won't be blocked by other structures, so light can flow through without being blocked. The light will also spread out across the room.

3. Install Sun Tunnels

If it isn't possible to put in a skylight or you don't want to use this kind of solution, then sun tunnels may be a viable alternative. These tunnels are connected to skylights that go in your roof; their tubes carry the light from this area and diffuse it into the room to which they are connected.

So, if you have a couple of tunnels installed in key areas, you can direct natural light down from your roof into your kitchen. While this light may not be as bright as the light from a window, tunnels can feed a soft natural light into a small kitchen.

For more ideas on how to make your small kitchen brighter, talk to your kitchen renovation contractor.

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