Kitchens are one of the most important rooms in the home, these days – the hub and centre of family life; the focus of everything that goes on. Frequently doubling up as an office, homework station, craft centre, DIY workshop, social hub, not to mention preparing meals too. Which is why bright daylight is so important to make all these activities possible, creating a light, welcoming and comfortable space to work in.

So, what’s the best way to brighten up a dark kitchen? Clearly one of the most obvious things to consider is the decor and design of your kitchen. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realise that dark colours absorb daylight making for a dark kitchen, whereas light colours reflect and bounce light around making for a light kitchen.

5 simple ways to brighten up a dark kitchen:

1. Paint walls a lighter colour or change tiles to lighter, shinier ones; avoid dark cabinets worktops and floors
2. Improve your electric lighting with under cabinet lights or brighter bulbs
3. Introduce a mirror or metallic reflective surfaces to help bounce light around
4. Free up space around the windows; de-clutter to allow more light in, remove curtains and blinds
5. Create some contrast with a splash of bright colour

Get more light with a Solatube tubular skylight

However, if you still need to get more daylight in to your dark kitchen then the original tubular skylight from Solatube remains one of the best. Before we go any further though, you have to understand that this is only going to work for single storey kitchen ‘extensions’, typically added on at the back of the house, or in bungalows. If there are rooms above the kitchen then the chance of fitting a Solatube down through a room above is slim.

You can install a Solatube through the wall

That said, you can always install a Solatube sun pipe straight through the wall, creating a ‘port hole’ style light source. The benefits of installing a Solatube straight through a wall is that planning permission is not usually required. The installation is relatively quick and easy and doesn’t usually require any structural work, although this will depend on the construction of your particular type of wall.

Why might you use a Solatube tubular skylight instead of a window? Well, the planning permission point is a major advantage. Also, a Solatube will take up far less wall space in your kitchen whilst delivering far more light than an equivalent sized window. When you need wall cupboards, this can be a major consideration.

A Solatube sun pipe is incredibly bright

However, if your kitchen is single storey or a bungalow then a Solatube tubular skylight is a very quick, simple and easy way of piping bright daylight inside. Probably the best tubular skylight option out there is the Solatube daylighting system. Most people are staggered by how bright a Solatube is and how much light they actually deliver.

One of the most frequent conversations I have with Solatube customers is explaining that they probably need either fewer Solatube sun pipes, or smaller size systems than they thought they needed. It’s very hard for people to imagine just how bright a Solatube is, however, with 16 years’ of experience I can confidently reassure customers that they can usually save themselves some money.

Has you conservatory stolen the light from your kitchen?

A well-lit kitchen can transform a home and with so many conservatories being added to the back of properties, these often cut out the natural daylight in to the kitchen. This is where a Solatube sun pipe really comes in to its own, comfortably replacing the lost light with daylight piped down the tube from the dome on the roof. Usually a single 35cm / 14” dia Solatube 290DS is more than enough to light up most kitchens on its own.

I hope all the above helps and If you are interested in bringing natural light into your home, why not contact us at info@solatubescotland.co.uk; 07778 283 427 to find out whether a Solatube sun pipe can help you. Typically, a fully installed system might cost anywhere between £900 – £1,200; that’s supplied, professionally installed and includes the VAT.