For many Australian homeowners, renovation is about more than updating finishes or adding extra space. Increasingly, it’s about improving how a home feels to live in.
Over time, many houses have become more enclosed and reliant on artificial lighting and air conditioning. While this shift has meant that people have greater privacy and control over their indoor environments, it has also reduced the natural connection between homes and the outdoors.
“Today we spend about 90% of our time indoors, often losing our connection to nature,” VELUX executive vice president for North America, Europe and APAC, Anders Dam Vestergaard, says.
“As building practices developed, multi-space homes have become the norm in Western societies. These layouts trade daylight and fresh air for privacy and convenience.”
For renovators, restoring that connection doesn’t always require major structural changes. In fact, several targeted upgrades can dramatically improve daylight, airflow and overall comfort without having to redesign an entire space.
A common challenge for older homes is that the spaces people use most, like kitchens, hallways and living rooms, sit in the darker centre of the floorplan. Typically, these spaces are impossible to open up to the home, but can serve as the ideal placement for skylight and roof windows to bring light in.
Without tearing down anything major, homeowners can solve both problems at once.
By welcoming light from above, a skylight can reach deeper than traditional windows and reduce the need for artificial lighting solutions, leting in two times more light than vertical windows.
But there’s no need to stop there. Outside of the lighting benefits, openable skylights can add much-needed ventilation to a home. Just like lighting, rooms deep within a floorplan struggle with stale air and moisture – particularly in older homes.
By allowing humid air to rise and escape through openable skylights, cooler air can flush through the space to replace it, resulting in natural, passive ventilation. With ventilation flowing through, homeowners don’t need to spend as much on keeping the air conditioner on (saving on power costs in the long run).
Beyond reducing costs, access to natural light and fresh air has been linked to improved mood and better sleep.
It’s a perfect example of how thoughtful renovation can completely transform how a space feels, inviting air, light and a sense of openness back into the home.
Virtual Reality Showroom
Ever wondered exactly how much a skylight would change your living room? VELUX just made that decision a whole lot easier with their brand-new showroom in Sydney’s inner-west.
They’ve launched Australia’s first VR-enabled skylight experience, where you can literally walk through four different home styles—from “Coastal” vibes to “Modern Industrial”—using virtual reality. It’s a game-changer because you can see how daylight shifts and changes the feel of a space in real-time, helping you ditch the design guesswork.
If you’re a homeowner looking for inspiration or a renovator exploring possibilities, the Alexandria space is part showroom, part classroom. If you’re in Sydney, it’s definitely worth a visit to 78 Henderson Road!
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