Dream Spaces: 9 of the Best Indoor Sunny Spots
Be inspired by these bright spaces and create a relaxing haven in the sunniest corner of your home
Nothing beats waking up to warm sunshine flooding through your windows to set you up for the day ahead. That said, here in the UK we can’t bank on weeks of uninterrupted sunshine, so when the sun is out, boy do we want to maximise every last minute of it – indoors as well as out. The answer is to design your home to be as sun-saturated as possible – be it a sunny garden room linked seamlessly to the kitchen or a light-filled attic bathroom. So when the sun has got his hat on, we’ll be hip-hip-hip-hooraying like never before…
Go for a contemporary glass ceiling…
Narrow, hemmed-in rooms and window-less zones can become suntraps, too, if you are design savvy with glass.
In this skinny space, that means replacing a conventional ceiling and roof with a glorious pane of no-frills glass, so the sky becomes the most eye-catching feature of the entire room. Who needs loud decoration or flamboyant colour when, with one look up, you have the cloud, sun, stars and moon spread out before you?
Narrow, hemmed-in rooms and window-less zones can become suntraps, too, if you are design savvy with glass.
In this skinny space, that means replacing a conventional ceiling and roof with a glorious pane of no-frills glass, so the sky becomes the most eye-catching feature of the entire room. Who needs loud decoration or flamboyant colour when, with one look up, you have the cloud, sun, stars and moon spread out before you?
…or keep things traditional
This is a fabulous sunny spot for so many reasons. The traditional roof lantern allows natural light to drench the room, while the concertina doors fold right back for a double-hit light source.
Such an effective use of glass structures demonstrates brilliantly how glass doors, ceilings and panels are not just the preserve of the modern home, but can add so much to traditional schemes, too.
This is a fabulous sunny spot for so many reasons. The traditional roof lantern allows natural light to drench the room, while the concertina doors fold right back for a double-hit light source.
Such an effective use of glass structures demonstrates brilliantly how glass doors, ceilings and panels are not just the preserve of the modern home, but can add so much to traditional schemes, too.
Dabble with a dash of colour
This has to be one of my all-time favourite sunny spots on Houzz. Sticking to a mainly monochrome colour mix, the sweep of clear glass, which replaces the roof and one end of the room, allows the emerald green foliage and azure blue skies to create the most spectacular and ever-changing backdrop.
In fact, there’s really no need for any colour indoors here, although the citrus yellow sofa adds punch and links in harmoniously with the feel-good, sunshine ambience. This is how to nail the indoor/outdoor living trend in serious style…
This has to be one of my all-time favourite sunny spots on Houzz. Sticking to a mainly monochrome colour mix, the sweep of clear glass, which replaces the roof and one end of the room, allows the emerald green foliage and azure blue skies to create the most spectacular and ever-changing backdrop.
In fact, there’s really no need for any colour indoors here, although the citrus yellow sofa adds punch and links in harmoniously with the feel-good, sunshine ambience. This is how to nail the indoor/outdoor living trend in serious style…
Go all out on gloss
We’re well versed in the benefits of using glass ceilings and floor-to-ceiling glass doors to extend our kitchens into our gardens. But this sunny spot enhances the merits of glass even more by plumping for glossy white units, a high-shine floor and stainless steel appliances that effortlessly reflect and bounce the light around the narrow-ish kitchen space even further.
And for the times when the sun refuses to make an appearance, there’s a row of white pendant lights to make up for the lack of daylight.
We’re well versed in the benefits of using glass ceilings and floor-to-ceiling glass doors to extend our kitchens into our gardens. But this sunny spot enhances the merits of glass even more by plumping for glossy white units, a high-shine floor and stainless steel appliances that effortlessly reflect and bounce the light around the narrow-ish kitchen space even further.
And for the times when the sun refuses to make an appearance, there’s a row of white pendant lights to make up for the lack of daylight.
Shake up your shower
I’ve always fancied an outdoor shower, set up in the garden amid the fresh air, foliage and sunshine. But for those of us who don’t live in tropical climes, the next best thing is to create a sun-filled, indoor shower where you can ‘pretend’ you are taking your daily ablutions in the great outdoors via a sparkling glass roof
I’ve always fancied an outdoor shower, set up in the garden amid the fresh air, foliage and sunshine. But for those of us who don’t live in tropical climes, the next best thing is to create a sun-filled, indoor shower where you can ‘pretend’ you are taking your daily ablutions in the great outdoors via a sparkling glass roof
Opt for an outdoor office
Great lighting is key to a successful working environment – and if it’s a natural light source, even better.
This timber and glass structure becomes the most relaxing yet productive office space thanks to the natural light that pours through into the sparsely furnished room, creating a pretty dappled scene. If energy levels are flagging, a quick inhalation of fresh air and a gulp of sunshine are sure to get work rates on the up once more.
If your workspace will get a blast of direct sunshine during the day, consider wooden slatted blinds, which you can adjust without blocking out too much of the light.
Browe more study spaces with a difference
Great lighting is key to a successful working environment – and if it’s a natural light source, even better.
This timber and glass structure becomes the most relaxing yet productive office space thanks to the natural light that pours through into the sparsely furnished room, creating a pretty dappled scene. If energy levels are flagging, a quick inhalation of fresh air and a gulp of sunshine are sure to get work rates on the up once more.
If your workspace will get a blast of direct sunshine during the day, consider wooden slatted blinds, which you can adjust without blocking out too much of the light.
Browe more study spaces with a difference
Be savvy with skylights
Long, skinny corridors smack bang in the middle of a property can be transformed into a sunshine-filled zone thanks to a series of skylights. The pale cream walls here help to lengthen the space, too, and draw the eye up and out to the sky above.
Long, skinny corridors smack bang in the middle of a property can be transformed into a sunshine-filled zone thanks to a series of skylights. The pale cream walls here help to lengthen the space, too, and draw the eye up and out to the sky above.
Exploit a glass box
This pared-down, glass-box extension offers the most spectacular views of the North Yorkshire countryside. It’s an enviable sunny spot to say the least, and one that offers shelter and an uninterrupted vista should there be a cool breeze blowing.
TELL US…
Do you have a sun-filled home? Please share your ideas and photos of your favourite sunny spot in the Comments below.
This pared-down, glass-box extension offers the most spectacular views of the North Yorkshire countryside. It’s an enviable sunny spot to say the least, and one that offers shelter and an uninterrupted vista should there be a cool breeze blowing.
TELL US…
Do you have a sun-filled home? Please share your ideas and photos of your favourite sunny spot in the Comments below.
While we might equate bathing with the winter months and taking a shower with summer, there’s nothing to stop us enjoying an indulgent soak in a bath of warm bubbles on a crisp spring evening with the sun streaming through from every angle.
Huge roof windows make the most of this awkward pitched loft space, while the neat, roll-top bath fits rather snugly underneath the eaves. Layer a room like this with a palette of clean whites and clotted creams to enhance the restfulness.
Read advice on what to consider when planning a loft conversion