Lighting Awkward Spaces
Before the redesign of this ryokan-inspired Sydney home, the floor plan limited much of that gorgeous Manly sunshine from making its way inside. Dan Yang from Dform Projects made sure to maximise the quality and effect of the natural light it does receive with features like a zero-maintenance zen garden strategically placed under the skylight in the bedroom. On the other side of the garden is a sheer curtain that allows light to pass through to the bedroom but also provides privacy.
Due to the shape and location, this narrow three-story house in Tokyo by Arte-1 Architects does not receive much natural light from the sides or rear. Skylights were added to the children’s bedroom to help brighten up the room, getting a boost from the lively yellow walls.
Architect Matthieu Torres and his partner prioritised affordability and a beautiful view when selecting theirDIY Paris apartment. The couple removed the dropped ceilings to reveal incredible exposed beams and a lot more volume to play with, granting them the ability to add two vented skylights to bring in some much-needed natural light and fresh air into the living and sleeping areas.
Images by Matthieu Torres
A once-dark Paris apartment was completely transformed by Thomas Pellerin of Studio Bravo, who decided to take full advantage of the skylight by using it as lighting for the otherwise low-lit bedroom area.
Added Overhead Lighting
Danish designer Nina Tolstrup of Studiomama wanted to maximise the natural light in this quirky home in London’s East End. The former carpenter workshop was redesigned into an open-concept space featuring a skylight overhead that brightens up the colourful objects and furnishings scattered throughout. Taking it one step further, Tolstrup came up with a clever system to transfer that same light to the lower level by adding a glass panel on the floor.
The high ceilings of this heritage-listed London property allowed Armando Elias and Hugo D’Enjoy of Craft Design to add a mezzanine bedroom. The three skylights above provide a healthy dose of natural light for this raised area while also supplementing the light from the windows in the kitchen and living rooms.
This irregularly shaped Tokyo home by architect Motoki Yasuhara of Salhaus features a small landing directly below a skylight that floods the primary bedroom with natural light. The owner can access the little loft by a ladder and enjoys reading or meditating from the raised space. The light generated from the skylight and bedroom windows makes its way down to the lower level by way of a slim window beneath the raised platform for the bed.
Sleeping Beneath the Stars
Once an uninhabited attic, this vibrant Paris apartment was transformed by Nicolas Bossard of Nicolas Bossard Architecture into a bright space filled with light. A skylight was installed as the primary source of natural light for the compact, second-story bedroom, which also features a frosted window along the wall to let light in from the downstairs windows as well.
Prior to renovation, the awkward shape of this attic apartment in Lisbon made the space feel dark and cramped. Eliza Borkowska, Magdalena Czapluk, and the team at KEMA studio added four new skylights and placed one above the bed to allow a clear view of the stars at night. These large skylights bring a ton of natural light into the space and can all be opened to create a spacious, almost balcony-like feel with fresh air aplenty. It’s not as flashy, but we also love that these windows can be fully reversed for easy cleaning.
For her eclectic Madrid home, architect Mariana de Delás made clever use of its two skylights to add dynamism to the already lively space. During the day, when the sun shines through the skylight above the loft, it passes through an orange perspex study desk that casts a cool orange shade throughout the room below. By evening, the large skylight above the cosy sleeping area in the mezzanine allows for a nighttime view of starry skies.
Watch: Open Sky House in Tokyo takes the skylight to a whole new level.
