Renovations finished, Design and Decoration in place. The place is spotless and tidy. One more thing… could it be brighter?
I teach in my Interior Design For Profit online course that the amount of natural light that enters our property translates into a valuable sense of space. We cut the amount of furniture to achieve a stronger sense of space; we de-clutter our shelves and our cabinetry… all this work inside. But outside? Is our garden imposing over our windows? Are all those beautiful green branches needed so close to our home?
Whether selling or renting out, the “view” from our property plays a strong role in affecting the value we can and should achieve. Plants screen us from unwanted street noise, protect our privacy and add natural beauty to our property. But light is also necessary to our physical and emotional wellbeing. As we all crave light, our possible buyers too will respond positively to more of it.
So, can we improve this factor? Can we increase the amount of precious light we can allow through our windows?
Yes we can:
Walk in each of your rooms and from the door look through the window. Can the outlook be opened? Can more light be allowed in?
Walk in the garden and consider first which plants are important in defending your privacy. Which one helps keeping street noise out, or which one defends you from too much sun exposure.
Trimming just the height of some will allow the sky to be seen from inside your home while keeping your privacy protected.
Remove unwanted branches that reach too close to your windows.
Prefer medium growth plants to allow ‘green’ being seen from inside but allowing the view to expand.
Is there a ‘view’ to be enjoyed? Let’s maximise it by trimming branches away. Looking out gives the feeling of a larger living space.
Walking back inside the house we can now go from room to room again and enjoy the spaces, brighter with natural light. As we know well, ‘brighter’ translates in ‘larger’. So, haven’t we just achieved the sense of a bigger property? Enjoy.
Gardens are beautiful and trees are precious. When in the process of setting our garden, let’s choose plants that will not overgrow, trees that will not damage our property and wherever we can, stick to natives. These will last longer and will demand the smallest maintenance. And if planning to place your property on to the market, this beautiful spring light will play in your favour. Good luck.
James Treble is an ambassador for Planet Ark and firmly believes in sensible purchasing, recycling and creative re-purposing. James Treble has more than 25 years of experience in the Building Industry, Real Estate and Interior Design. His knowledge and experience in adding value to homes, through clever design & styling, is now published for all to learn and benefit from. Interior Design For Profit is now available online.
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