We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
A couple of years ago, my partner and I bought our first house, an early 20th century fixer-upper bungalow in one of the most historic neighborhoods in our city. Our surroundings are charming and reminiscent of a time where city planning was not yet a thing. You’ll find houses stacked one in front of the other, hidden alleyways, old barns converted into modern garages, and houses designed to squeeze into the tightest of street corners. As a predominantly Italian neighborhood, you’ll also find luscious vegetable gardens bursting with tomatoes in the front yards of many houses.
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When it comes to our house though, it really did (and still does) need a lot of work. The rooms were livable upon moving in, but the previous owners had used it purely as a rental, and the property was just not maintained. Luckily, we are both pretty handy people and enjoy DIY projects, which is good because we usually have a running list of reno ideas and minor facelifts always on the docket.
Having never lived in a bungalow before, the lack of privacy has definitely been an adjustment. With most of our windows right at ground level, creating some semblance of seclusion has topped our list of problems to solve in the house. Our bedroom windows look directly onto our neighbor’s raised back porch, and I constantly feared we would become known as the “naked neighbors.” Besides the privacy aspect, I felt like the view out of many of our windows was actually taking away from our beautiful interiors.
I started with traditional window treatments like shutter blinds and curtains. Sure, these products gave us more privacy, and I could change without fear of being accidentally spotted by someone down the street. That said, the blinds and curtains only helped hide the outside view when they were closed. Plus, like most millennials I have developed a minor houseplant infatuation over the past few years, so having lots of natural light is really important to me. Suffice to say, keeping blinds or curtains closed during the day is just not an option. Enter the affordable product that totally changed things for me: window film, perhaps my favorite, simple DIY home improvement we’ve undertaken since moving in.
The first window we covered was the one in our dining room window. It literally changed the vibe and instantly made it feel more sophisticated. Plus, this solution lets in plenty of natural light. I’m happy and my plants are happy, too.
Next, I covered the bottom pane of the single-hung windows in our bedroom and our baby’s nursery as well. I decided to leave the top pane uncovered in these rooms, as the view out of that side of our house is fine, and I was mainly concerned about privacy.
Honestly, I’m thrilled with the results. The best part is that window film is super-affordable, I’m talking less than $15 a roll on Amazon; plus, many options exist, when it comes to the style and pattern you might want on the film. I opted for a simple frosted glass look, but if you are more adventurous than me, you can find lots of printed designs, film that looks like stained glass, and so much more.
Natural light floods a plywood dining nook from two roof windows in the Vault House by Bradley Van Der Straeten Architects
I was approached by Pinterest a few weeks ago asking me if I would like to host my own show on Pinterest TV. Um, yes! Yes I would! And then it became a whole series. It took me all of a micro second to work out what topic I wanted to share in my series. Biophilic design of course as it is something I am so passionate about.
Natural light floods a plywood dining nook and kitchen from two roof windows in the Vault House by Bradley Van Der Straeten Architects
Lighting is such an integral part of our interiors and it is not easy to get right. In the past few centuries, humans have become predominantly urban dwellers. This shift from countryside to city environment has caused a persistent disconnect from nature. It is projected that by 2050, 68% of the developed world will be urbanised, and increasingly distanced from nature and natural systems.
There is also a direct correlation between the increasing urbanisation of our society and rising stress rates. In fact, stress has been called the “health epidemic of the 21st century” by the World Health Organisation.
Spending 90% of our time indoors is a lot of time in artificial lighting which really isn’t good for our health. Artificial light has a very disruptive effect in our circadian rhythms. We need to spend time outside in natural light so that our bodies can function as they were intended to. Natural light helps to regulate our circadian rhythms and co-ordinate our mental and physical systems.
If our circadian rhythms are disrupted by too much exposure to artificial light, particularly at night time, it can lead to disregulated nervous systems and health issues such as increased stress, emotional distress, mood disorders, depression, memory problems, general poor performance, disrupted sleep patterns and even critical illnesses such as obesity, heart problems and breast cancer.
However, when it comes to lighting our homes, if we take our queue from nature, we can’t go far wrong.
Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.
Frank Lloyd Wright, American architect, interior designer, writer, and educator
Lighting is an integral element of biophilic design and there are a number of ways that we can work with lighting to harness the powers of biophilic design. This is what is so wonderful about biophilic design, it is a really holistic approach to design and many of the associated principles overlap.
Bringing in More Natural Light
The most obvious way to bring nature indoors when it comes to lighting is to bring more natural light into your home. This is much easier said than done unless you are building your own home from scratch and you can design the home to really maximise the amount of natural light that comes in.
If you are designing your home from scratch you can make sure you plan in many more windows and doors. Flooding the space with natural light allows our bodies to work according to the natural rhythms of the day and night cycle.
Making windows and doors as large as possible and placing them strategically to ensure that light can enter the home at all times of day will bring maximum benefits. Having dual aspect rooms with windows on adjacent walls that provide views in more than one direction are better than having windows in just one wall.
It can also help to change out any solid internal doors for ones that are glazed instead. This will allow light to pass from one room to another. If privacy is a concern, for example bedroom and bathroom doors, you can get doors that have reeded or fluted glass.
The view through glass doors to the kitchen, dining room and garden beyond in the refurbishment of a North London terraced house by Cairn Architects | Photography by Peter Landers and Anna Stathaki
Add External Glazed Walls
Natural light floods this extension and refurbishment of a North London terraced house by Cairn Architects | Photography by Peter Landers and Anna Stathaki
If you are building from scratch, adding glazed external walls is a great way to ensure that natural light can enter your home more easily. But this can also apply to home renovations.
If you are planning an extension to your home, using glazed walls to create a glass box effect will allow the natural light to stream in unimpeded.
A glass extension to the rear of a Grade II listed property by London Contemporary | Photography by Paul Craig
You can also help the natural light to move through your home more easily by replacing internal walls with glass partitions. You will still get the same sense of zoning your home and break up the space, but you won’t prevent the light from moving through the space.
Natural light floods the kitchen of a North London terraced house by Cairn Architects | Photography by Peter Landers and Anna Stathaki
Small internal windows can also help the natural light pass from one room to another and can help to illuminate any particularly dark rooms or spaces.
The internal window in the home office allows natural light to move through this North London terraced house by Cairn Architects | Photography by Peter Landers and Anna Stathaki
Add Roof Lights to Increase Natural Light
Natural light floods a plywood dining nook and kitchen from two roof windows in the Vault House by Bradley Van Der Straeten Architects
Roof lights are another great way to get extra daylight into your home. Whether you use them instead of adding extra doors and windows or as well as, you can really make the most of how much light is entering your home.
You can add roof lights if you have a pitched roof but you can also add them to flat roofs. There are plenty of companies now that also offer bespoke sizes so you can make them work in your home no matter what restrictions you are dealing with.
Velux also do terrace windows and cabrio windows which allow you to create a small balcony on your roof. I discovered these while thinking about how I would like to convert my loft and maximise the natural light in the space.
Sun tunnels are another great solution for pitched or flat roofs as they allow you to experience the changing light of the seasons and times of day. They can be used to bring extra light into any room in the house as long as the ceiling of that room is not too far from the roof.
It’s not just sunlight that can be brought in with a sun tunnel either. They allow you to experience changes in weather, passing clouds and even moonlight.
If natural light isn’t abundant in your home, one thing you can do to multiply it is to add mirrors. Mirrors help to reflect the light that is coming in and bounce it around the room creating the illusion of more natural light. Place mirrors opposite and adjacent to any windows for maximum benefit.
If you can’t add more windows to your home, adding mirrors that look like windows is a good alternative, particularly if they can reflect views of outdoors.
Bring in Dynamic and Diffuse Light
The principle of biophilic design that refers to lighting is all about dynamic and diffuse light. This means that it is important to incorporate varying intensities of light and shadow that change over time and mimic the lighting conditions that we might experience out in nature.
A space that has good dynamic & diffuse light conditions allows us to experience the time and movement through the light. Think of the dappled light under a canopy of trees, or the reflections of rippling water on a wall. These patterns are what we call fractals, and our brain is programmed to look for these fractals so incorporatingthem into our homes is beneficial.
Add Soft, Flowy Curtains or Drapes to Soften Natural Light
Diffuse light is when light has been dispersed and scattered evenly across a surface and has been softened slightly to reduce the glare. This effect can be seen in nature when sun light is refracted by cloud cover, fog or a forest.
We can achieve this in our homes by using soft, flowy curtains or drapes to soften any harsh sunlight that comes into our homes. This is particularly useful if you do have large expanses of glazing that may cause stron direct light to enter your home.
Choose Lights That Create Shadows Inspired by Nature
BE Water Lamp from the WAW Collection designed by Fernando Correa
If you cannot create dynamic and diffuse light conditions naturally, you can always experiment with biomimicry and use lighting products that are modelled on this biological process. Lights that create shadows that look like a tree canopy or light relfected off water for example can add a sense of movement to the space which holds our attention and intrigue us.
Window film is a great way to create more shadows in your home and to mimic the effect of dappled light. When sunlight comes pouring in through the windows, doors or glazed walls, a window film can help to turn this light into something that more ressembles the light and shadows that we might experience outside.
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Opt for window films that depict nature for maximum effect. The shadows that the window film casts should move and change throughout the day as the sun moves through the sky and enters your home from different angles.
Choose Lights That Mimic the Changing Time of Day
Throughout the day, the colour of sunlight changes and our bodies respond to this. Light is yellow in the morning, blue at midday, and red in the afternoon and evening. Blue light causes our bodies to release serotonin which gives us more energy and helps us to feel alert. As blue light fades into the evening and we see more red light, our body produces melatonin insted which helps us to feel calmer and prepare for sleep.
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If we are spending a lot of time indoors it helps if we can mimic the changing colour of the light throughout the day. There are lamps and lights that you can buy that work on this principle such as wake-up light alarm clocks.
The final way that you can can harness the power of light in your home is less about the lighting system itself and more about the decorative appearance of the light fittings. Choosing lights that feature organic shapes and materials that can be found in nature has many benefits.
Look for lights and lamps that either incorporate foliage or are symbolic representations of life and make us think of living things. Choose products that are contoured, patterned, textured or feature the numerical arrangements that we can find in nature.
If you are interested in learning more about how to incorporate the principles of biophilic design into your own home, you may be interested in reading these posts.
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
When considering the most important feature in any room, windows are definitely near the top of the list. They provide a look out into the world, keeping us connected to nature, helping reduce stress and regulating our biological clocks. At Apartment Therapy, we love a good window; that’s why we have articles on how to dress one up and the best blackout curtains for every season. But just as often, windows can offer outsiders a look into our homes, disrupting the sense of privacy we value so much. Fortunately, Amazon has a solution — I mean, when does it not? For just $12, the Coavas window privacy film promises to keep potential snoopers away, which can be especially helpful when living in close proximity to neighbors or in a high-volume neighborhood.
Although I typically feel safe at home, my affinity for true crime podcasts and general reality as a woman can sometimes stir feelings of paranoia over the possibility of someone getting access to my most private spaces. Other Amazon shoppers share this sentiment and credit the window privacy film with alleviating some of these fears. “Had some windows at the front door that were completely see-through and needed to cover it up so I could avoid being surprised by whatever’s on the other side of the door,” a customer wrote. “I’ve always had a fear that one day I would walk by the front door and someone would be peering through the clear windows into the house.” Relatable, am I right, ladies?
In all seriousness though, the window privacy film is good for a multitude of things. For one, those who have a more minimal home decor style will enjoy this product because it removes the need for blinds and curtains. I must admit, although I haven’t personally tried this film, the mere thought of not having to dust my blinds is tempting me to press “add to cart.” Even pets seem to experience a more peaceful existence with the addition of this home feature. “We have two long windows framing our front door, and we wanted to add the film so that our dogs don’t bark by everyone walking down the street,” one customer shared. More tempting still.
The film also guarantees complete glare removal, as well as “heat insulation in the summer and heat preservation in the winter.” Those who bought it praise its easy application and removability in addition to its subtle appearance. “It’s thick and does a nice job allowing light to filter through with a nice white glow,” one reviewer wrote. Available in 15 different dimensions, the UV-blocking film is fit for a multitude of window sizes. To apply, wet your window with water, place the film on top, making sure to scrape out any bubbles, and dry the surface.
All in all, I can appreciate any product that makes a home feel safer and more economical without sacrificing visual appeal. It appears this privacy film does all of that, and for an unbelievably low cost.
