7 Clever Ways to Boost Natural Daylight in Your Home
Homeowners are waking up to the benefits of maximising natural light. Here’s how to invite it in
Keen to harness the benefits of natural light at home? You’re not alone. According to our 2025 Emerging Trends Report*, natural light is a top priority among the Houzz community. Searches for “skylight” and “orangery” have risen year on year, along with those for “glass wall partition” and “internal glass door”, as we look for ways to increase daylight sources.
For inspiration, take a look at the ways these rooms have been designed around the flow of natural light and save your favourite photos to an ideabook.
For inspiration, take a look at the ways these rooms have been designed around the flow of natural light and save your favourite photos to an ideabook.
2. Consider an oriel window
An oriel window is one that protrudes from an external wall, but, unlike a bay window, it doesn’t extend to the ground and instead ‘floats’ out from the wall.
These windows can increase daylight as well as offering a place to perch and framing a beautiful view out into the garden. Searches for “oriel window” rose by 89%, indicating a growing awareness of this smart design feature.
This room by James Dale Architects uses an oriel window as a way to connect the room with the garden beyond, bringing natural light and a leafy view into the space, as well as offering an extra seating area.
Got a project in mind? Find the best expert for the job in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
An oriel window is one that protrudes from an external wall, but, unlike a bay window, it doesn’t extend to the ground and instead ‘floats’ out from the wall.
These windows can increase daylight as well as offering a place to perch and framing a beautiful view out into the garden. Searches for “oriel window” rose by 89%, indicating a growing awareness of this smart design feature.
This room by James Dale Architects uses an oriel window as a way to connect the room with the garden beyond, bringing natural light and a leafy view into the space, as well as offering an extra seating area.
Got a project in mind? Find the best expert for the job in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
3. Choose an internal glass door
When an extension is added to the back of a home, sometimes a tricky ‘middle room’ is created that can be dark and cut off from natural light sources. In this situation, internal glass doors (searches up 91%) can help light to travel through from bright, outward-facing rooms into darker internal spaces.
The green-framed doors with brass hardware shown here are a design statement in their own right, and will bring in light whether they’re open or closed. If more privacy is required in the evening, curtains could be pulled across to create a cosy feel in the living room.
Discover why you should hire a professional who uses Houzz Pro software.
When an extension is added to the back of a home, sometimes a tricky ‘middle room’ is created that can be dark and cut off from natural light sources. In this situation, internal glass doors (searches up 91%) can help light to travel through from bright, outward-facing rooms into darker internal spaces.
The green-framed doors with brass hardware shown here are a design statement in their own right, and will bring in light whether they’re open or closed. If more privacy is required in the evening, curtains could be pulled across to create a cosy feel in the living room.
Discover why you should hire a professional who uses Houzz Pro software.
4. Place glazing panels above internal doors
If a glazed wall or door isn’t an option, either for privacy or safety reasons, a glazed panel above an internal door is an alternative way to bring natural light into a room, as shown in this space by Jetton Construction. High enough not to allow anyone to see through from one room to another, it still allows a slice of daylight into the space.
Visually extending sightlines in this way can also help to make a small room feel bigger by offering a connection to the view beyond.
If a glazed wall or door isn’t an option, either for privacy or safety reasons, a glazed panel above an internal door is an alternative way to bring natural light into a room, as shown in this space by Jetton Construction. High enough not to allow anyone to see through from one room to another, it still allows a slice of daylight into the space.
Visually extending sightlines in this way can also help to make a small room feel bigger by offering a connection to the view beyond.
5. Install skylights
Searches for “skylight” were up by 115% and this is a simple and powerful way to draw natural light into a room. A popular feature in modern extensions, overhead windows bring daylight directly into your home more effectively than traditional vertical windows.
A series of individual skylights like these in a project by Adela Rome Interior Design can also be a cost-effective alternative to a large glazed roof panel. Each skylight can be controlled individually, and blinds can be added to carefully adjust the amount of light and heat that flows in during the hot summer months.
Searches for “skylight” were up by 115% and this is a simple and powerful way to draw natural light into a room. A popular feature in modern extensions, overhead windows bring daylight directly into your home more effectively than traditional vertical windows.
A series of individual skylights like these in a project by Adela Rome Interior Design can also be a cost-effective alternative to a large glazed roof panel. Each skylight can be controlled individually, and blinds can be added to carefully adjust the amount of light and heat that flows in during the hot summer months.
6. Maximise external glazing
If you’re installing glazed patio doors, you have the opportunity to increase the amount of daylight you bring into your home by extending the glazing as high up as possible. Rather than just installing regular glazed doors here, Ahrberg Jackson Design has taken the glass panels right up to the sloping ceiling, squeezing in as much glazing as possible.
This is a bespoke solution, but extending your glazing like this could make a big difference to a room that feels dark and disconnected from the outdoors. Talk to your architect or designer to get professional advice.
If you’re installing glazed patio doors, you have the opportunity to increase the amount of daylight you bring into your home by extending the glazing as high up as possible. Rather than just installing regular glazed doors here, Ahrberg Jackson Design has taken the glass panels right up to the sloping ceiling, squeezing in as much glazing as possible.
This is a bespoke solution, but extending your glazing like this could make a big difference to a room that feels dark and disconnected from the outdoors. Talk to your architect or designer to get professional advice.
7. Create an orangery
Unlike a conservatory, which tends to have a fully glazed roof, an orangery is more similar to an extension, with a flat roof and a central glazed ‘lantern’, as shown here in this beautiful example by Westbury Garden Rooms. It can be a very elegant way to bring in daylight and it’s a popular feature among homeowners, with searches for “orangery” up 94%.
If you’re planning an extension and this style appeals to you, talk to a professional to see if something similar would be possible.
*Data reflects year over year growth in UK-based searches on Houzz from January-March 2025 versus January-March 2024.
Tell us…
Which of these ideas would you try? Let us know in the Comments.
Unlike a conservatory, which tends to have a fully glazed roof, an orangery is more similar to an extension, with a flat roof and a central glazed ‘lantern’, as shown here in this beautiful example by Westbury Garden Rooms. It can be a very elegant way to bring in daylight and it’s a popular feature among homeowners, with searches for “orangery” up 94%.
If you’re planning an extension and this style appeals to you, talk to a professional to see if something similar would be possible.
*Data reflects year over year growth in UK-based searches on Houzz from January-March 2025 versus January-March 2024.
Tell us…
Which of these ideas would you try? Let us know in the Comments.
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Replacing an internal wall with a glass partition is an excellent way to bring more light into a space by ‘borrowing’ it from an adjoining room. It also seems to be a popular design choice, with searches for “glass wall partition” up by 202%.
Here, a small home office by Sarahliz Lawson Design has been sectioned off with a glazed wall partition and door. The door can be closed to block out noise during work hours, while still keeping the space visually connected to the rest of the house and allowing natural light to flow through.
This type of room divider is a good way of zoning an open-plan space, as it marks out a clearly defined work area, but without closing it off and creating a dark and boxy room.