Lounge project ideas

[TripleS]

Hello everyone,

My project to have my lounge extended is nearly complete and I just wanted your ideas on a couple of things. I have enclsoed a link to a drawing which is a plan of the before and after. We removed the chminey breast in the orignal room and then extended it by around 12 feet and then put French doors with panels in on the end.

The thing is, we have lost the usual natural light towards the orignal part of the room where we were planning to sit and it darker around the back and edges of this section. I was wondering is this a design flaw or is it common to have a room this size with the only natural light coming from the french doors at the end.

In addition to this, can anyone recommend any lighting/furniture features which could make the room appear more lit-up. I posted a topic regarding downlights a couple of days ago, but I am not too keen on the idea, as that thread suggests. Finally, have you got any ideas on a good seating plan? (at present, the room will consist of just a couple of sofas, TV and a dining table)

EDIT: I'm sorry, due to an error, the image does not appear in the post. Please can you base your responses on the available info for the time being and I'll try and get a photo up asap.

Your help will be much appreciated.

Steve

 

[jefoss]

hiya, a guy i worked for before had a very large room and used a couple of large mirrors to help the natural light through

 

[TripleS]

thanks for the reply. That's one of my ideas, to use mirrors, but I'll have to make sure I can work out the correct angles etc to make maximum use of the natural light.

 

[ColJack]

you don't say if the extension is single storey or not, or whether it has a flat or pitched roof if it's single..

if it's pitched then a couple of velux roof windows will help with the light..

as for making the dark part lighter...

if you have the height, then put in a perimeter dropped ceiling that is lit from the sides ( it's hard to explain.. i'll find a pic if i can.. )...

not exactly a great example, but it's the smae sort of idea..

 

[bernardgreen]

if you have the height, then put in a perimeter dropped ceiling that is lit from the sides

And if you don't have the hieght then the use of uplighters can be effective.

When you chose the paving outside the french doors go for the lightest shade of slabs to reflect light into the room

 

[TripleS]

Hi,

The extension is single-storey, with a flat roof. Roof windows would have been good on a pitch roof, but the roof is actually complete now and only minor alterations inside remain.

The good thing is that the ceiling for the old part is pretty high compared to modern houses (mine is a semi-deatched built around 1950's) and we've maintained a similar height for the new bit.

Bernard - we will be getting paving done outside the doors so thanks for the advice.

The ideas suggested for lighting seem interesting and I will look into this.

Overall, do you think the plan to extend the room to what it is, is common in terms of design? Or do you think this may seem a turn-off for when we want to sell the house for example. The main reason I think this is because of the decrease in natural light, compared to how it was before.

We were thinking about putting in a small window on the right hand side of the new part but because its not exactly facing any clear path from the sun and the view outside is of my bricked garage, I thought that it wont significantly increase the amount of natural light entering the room.

I know it's hard to explain things without appropriate pictures and I appreciate that you've been able to help me with what you've had to go on. I'll try and post real images to give you a better idea of what's happening.

Cheers

Steve

 

[bernardgreen]

A radical thought.

If the ceiling in the original room is a couple of feet higher than the new ceiling could you fit a series of small low windows above the new roof to let light into the original room.

Probably not feasible now.

 

[TripleS]

Hi Bernard,

Thanks for your reply. When I first noticed the impact on natural light, that was the first thing that came to mind. But with the new roof constructed, and the project nearing the end, I dont think I can afford to do this now. However, if it continues to be a concern, that's the first thing I'll look to do over the next few years!

Cheers

Steve

 

[Steve]

Here's a good idea.

I have 2 big wardrobes in my bedroom. The top of these is ideal to place a lighting solution, directed at the white ceiling for a bit of ambient light.

I purchased some LED lights from IKEA. They come in packs of four foot-long strips. These are pure white, but colour changing ones are available for £10 extra.

As you can see it gives a nice glow on the ceiling, but theres no real useful light as LEDs are still very directional. But for 5 watts its very cheap to run. Includes loads of cable and can be wired in a star or a line configuration.

 

[TripleS]

Hi Steve,

Those are pretty good, I will see if I can use them somehow with the furniture in the room.

Thanks

Steve S

 

[Bon]

Shouldn't this have been thought of at the design stage? It seems fairly obvious that almost doubling the size of a room and keeping the original doors will have an adverse effect on the amount of light that enters it.

You haven't really got much choice other than keeping the colours as light as possible and putting a couple of mirrors up as suggested.

As for affecting the value of your house, I wouldn't worry too much as surely the increased size of the room will add more than a lack of natural light would remove?

 

[TripleS]

Hi guys, thanks for your responses relating to this topic.

Bon, it is something that didn't cross our mind when we were at the design stage and although our architect is fairly renowned, it wasn't something that he mentioned either.

However, another thought has occured to me. I was in a local DIY store and saw the Dulux Light & Space paint range. Is this something that can make a significant difference to the reflection of light in the room, or is it actually annoying and make the room seem too bright? Anyone have expereince of using this to good effect?

Regards

Steve