Providing far more than a functional necessity, Victoria Brocklesby of Origin explores the integral role that internal doors can play in maximising natural light within in a home.
Natural light has a significant impact on how homeowners feel in a space. A lack of natural light in a property has been found to harm both physical and mental wellbeing, from sleep quality to general mood, while those who live in bright properties report being happier in their home. So, it’s crucial that self builders consider how light will enter and travel around their home during the initial planning stages.
Maximising natural light entering a home
The most effective way to maximise natural light is by incorporating large expanses of glazing, particularly in south facing rooms which will enjoy the most sunlight throughout the day.
Bi-fold doors are a great way to achieve this while creating a seamless connection from the inside to out. We’d recommend opting for bi-folding doors with slim sightlines to let even more light into a property.
When choosing bi-folds, prioritise fewer but larger sashes to minimise the amount of profile seen and maximise the light. For those lucky enough to have very large apertures, bi-fold doors
can be made in configurations of up to 12 doors, or can be paired with fixed glazing panels for an ultra-widescreen view of the great outdoors and maximum natural light.
Creating light throughout the entire property
Once this mood-boosting light is entering a home, it’s important to consider how it moves around the entire property. After all, it’s no good having one light room if the rest of the house
is dingy and uninviting.
Opting for glazed internal doors instead of solid options is an effective way to help filter light throughout the entire home without the need for open-plan layouts which are impractical for many modern families’ lifestyles.
Internal doors are available in single, French or fixed configurations, and can also be paired with a corner post to create an entire new room made of glass, helping to create separate, functional spaces that benefit from the natural light entering the rest of the property.
Framing light with colour
The colours chosen for window and glazed door frames will also influence how light enters and moves through a room, as well as how the views from within the home are framed.
The frame colour of a glazed door can either amplify or contain the light that passes through it. Lighter coloured frames can help distribute light between rooms, so they are especially effective in smaller spaces or areas where natural light is limited. For instance, a white or pale grey door can brighten a hallway by reflecting light from adjoining rooms, creating a more unified and airy space.
Dark coloured doors, on the other hand, will limit the transfer of light but can make a design statement.
Key considerations for choosing glazed doors
When considering external doors, on top of aesthetics, thermal efficiency is a crucial priority to ensure your home is warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The best way to identify the thermal efficiency of a glazed door is through its U-value, which indicates how well a system acts as an insulator and prevents heat loss from the home. The lower the U-value, the better
the thermal performance. When choosing a door for a project, it’s worth comparing the U-values across several manufacturers.
The security of external doors is equally as important. Your home is where you rest and entertain, so it needs to feel as safe as possible. Be sure to look for doors that have multi point locking systems that conform to all the latest security regulations. High quality doors with either a 3-star barrel or a coded magnetic key will protect against snapping, picking, drilling, and bumping to provide ultimate security.
Additionally, materials obviously matter. Aluminium is an excellent choice for door and window frames because it’s lightweight yet strong and durable enough to deal with the wear-and-tear of everyday family life. Plus, it requires less maintenance than alternatives like timber.
Conclusion
Internal and external glazed doors are a great way to maximise the amount of light entering and filtering through a property, but quality doors are an investment. Therefore, we’d always recommend considering them at the very beginning of a project and taking time to research suppliers thoroughly to ensure the doors you opt for are built to withstand the test of time, whatever life throws at them.
Victoria Brocklesby is COO and co-founder at Origin