Wash the Wall With Sunlight

Architects and designers relish the opportunity to explore ways to bring natural light inside. Whether it comes through a side window, skylight or indirectly, natural light enlivens a space.

One of the wondrous aspects of this design element is how the light changes with the time of day and the seasons. Capturing, molding and shaping this light will enrich your home and your life in the most basic and profound ways.

Light from above and the side washes across a surface to change how we see and understand that surface. Every variation in texture, joint line and piece of the surface is highlighted dramatically. We get a sense of how the wall was built and gives structure to the spaces. 

Natural light washing across the surface from top to bottom makes this stairway a place to be, not just a place to walk through. In fact, placing a window or skylight at the top of the stairs is one of the most enriching ways to bring natural light inside. Think about what's more enjoyable — a stair that is bathed in light or one that's closed in by walls.








 

A brick wall is a natural to be washed in light. The texture and overall feel that these bricks were stacked by hand comes out when lit this way.









 Article originally published on Houzz.