Architecture, Interior Design
Designing for Natural Light in Your Home
Living through dark Seattle winters makes you appreciate every hour of daylight. From light tubes and transom windows to north light, skylights, and smart landscaping, here are the design strategies I rely on to bring natural light into your home and make it feel bright and welcoming all year.
November 3, 2026
Living in Seattle, with our dark winters, has made me a little obsessed with good lighting. Those months when you wake up in the dark and head home in the dark are a real reminder of how much light affects your mood. Artificial light does a lot of the work that time of year, but making the most of the natural light we do get matters just as much.
Whenever we start designing a space, I look for ways to capture daylight and bring it deeper into the room. Even on tight urban lots, with neighbors just a few feet away, it’s possible to design spaces that feel full of light, even if that’s only the eight or so hours we get in the middle of winter.
Here are a few of the ways I like to work light into a design.
Light Tubes for Interior Rooms
Light tubes can transform an interior space that would otherwise feel forgotten. They funnel daylight from the roof down into bathrooms, hallways, and closets, giving rooms that are usually afterthoughts a bright, natural glow. I especially like them in large interior closets and in bathrooms that can’t be placed near an exterior wall.
Transom Windows for Privacy and Glow
Transom windows set high on a wall bring daylight into a room while keeping it private. They work particularly well in a bedroom above the bed or in a bathroom above the mirror, where a standard window would leave you feeling on display.
Steady Light from the North
North light is a designer’s friend. It’s steady and diffuse, without the harsh glare of direct sun. Kitchens, studios, and home offices all benefit from it, since it gives you even, consistent light through every season.
The Drama of the West
West light is the dramatic one. On a winter afternoon, the low sun can feel like a spotlight aimed directly at your sofa, but at other times it delivers those fleeting golden hour moments. With good shading and careful window placement, it’s one of my favorite ways to end the day indoors.
Skylights and Clerestories
Sometimes the best solution is to look up. A skylight in the roof or a band of clerestory windows high on a wall can change the entire mood of a room. Even a small opening overhead adds dimension and keeps you connected to the sky, whether it’s blue, gray, or that particular shade of “Seattle drizzle.”
Reflective Surfaces
Once you’ve brought light in, you can help it travel. A lighter wall color, a polished floor, or a mirror placed in the right spot will bounce daylight farther into a room and stretch what you already have. It’s a simple move, and it makes a noticeable difference.
Layering Artificial Light
When daylight runs out, layered artificial light takes over. A mix of ambient, task, and accent lighting makes a space feel whole and considered, and far more inviting than a single fixture in the middle of the ceiling.
Landscaping for Light
The outdoors is part of the story too. A dense hedge can steal the daylight from your living room, while a thoughtfully placed tree can soften bright sun into a calm, dappled pattern. Sometimes good lighting design means stepping outside and looking back in.
Designing for the Darkest Months
At the end of the day (preferably a long, sunny one), designing with light shapes how a home feels. Good daylight lifts your spirits in January, marks the change of seasons, and keeps you connected to what’s happening outside your windows.
Light is one of the most powerful design tools we have, and planning early for natural light in your home is key to making it feel welcoming, even in the darkest part of the year.
And honestly, here in Seattle, no one has ever said, “This house is just too bright in February.”
