Your Ultimate Guide For Choosing Kitchen Skylights

April 20, 2024

Kitchen skylights offer a multitude of benefits, beyond the obvious aesthetic appeal. Roof windows bring an abundance of natural light into the kitchen, transforming the space into a bright and inviting area. Using skylights enhances the ambience while also improving your energy efficiency, providing health benefits, and improving the functionality of your space. In this blog, we will explore kitchen skylights, looking at their benefits, the most popular types, installation considerations, maintenance tips, and ways that they can enhance your kitchen design. If you are looking to renovate your kitchen or are building a new home, our guide will show you the best reasons why you should incorporate skylights into your new kitchen.

Enlightening Benefits of Kitchen Skylights

Kitchen skylights are an architectural feature that allows sunlight to pour into your room, brightening up the space and enhancing its overall aesthetic. These unique roof windows are installed in your ceiling, providing abundant natural light to illuminate your kitchen.

Natural Lighting in Your Kitchen

The kitchen is the heart of the home, where everyone comes to congregate. In open-plan homes, many kitchens end up situated in places without many windows and without a large amount of light — highlighting just how much natural lighting can have an impact on kitchen ambience. With a skylight in your kitchen, you can create a welcoming, well-lit space that draws people in. You can say goodbye to the days of cooking in a dark and gloomy space, and relish in the spacious, bright, and inviting space.

Energy Efficiency of Kitchen Skylights

The question often arises about how kitchen skylights can improve energy efficiency. Skylights allow natural sunlight to flood the kitchen, reducing the reliance on artificial lighting during the day. This can significantly lower energy consumption and decrease electricity costs. Many skylights can also be fitted with solar blinds to shield from excess sunlight or be openable to vent the heat and further reduce power bills. Additionally, certain skylight models are designed with energy-efficient materials and coatings that help regulate heat transfer, preventing excessive heat gain or loss. Keylite skylights have been designed for the Australian climate and perform to the highest level.

Kitchen Skylights Provide Health Benefits

Kitchen skylights do more than just brighten your space; they also offer a range of health benefits. Exposure to natural light has been linked to improved mood, increased productivity, and even better sleep quality. So, why not let the sunshine in and give your well-being a boost while preparing your favourite meals?

Popular Types of Kitchen Skylights

Fixed Kitchen Skylights

Fixed skylights are the classic choice for kitchen illumination. These stationary roof windows allow sunlight to stream in without the need for any additional ventilation. From sleek and modern designs to traditional and rustic options, fixed skylights offer a wide range of styles to match your kitchen decor. These options can range from anything like the INFINITI range to speciality custom skylights from Natural Lighting Products. 

Opening Kitchen Skylights

Some skylight models have been specifically designed to open and shut, allowing for extra ventilation in your home. These options can be manually openable to electrically openable, with variations in cost depending on your choices. These cleverly designed skylights can be opened, allowing you to remove cooking odours, excess heat, steam, and humidity from your kitchen. An ideal choice for kitchens with limited natural airflow or that lack opening windows. 

Tubular Kitchen Skylights

Even the tiniest kitchens and butler’s pantries deserve a taste of natural light, and that’s where tubular skylights are an ideal choice. These compact and flexible skylights use reflective tubes to capture sunlight from your roof and deliver it directly into your kitchen. The major benefits of these skylights are their compact size, and their ability to deliver light without altering too much of the structure of your home. Ideal for small spaces, tubular skylights are a practical yet stylish way to brighten up your cooking area.

Considerations of Kitchen Skylights

Location and Orientation

When selecting kitchen skylights, consider the positioning and orientation of your home. Placing skylights in a north-facing direction will provide the maximum amount of sunlight throughout the day, crafting a bright and inviting space. Similarly, kitchens with a southerly aspect will find a lot of benefit from skylights, as this will allow the room to be filled with significantly more light than a south-facing window can provide.

Size and Placement

The size of your kitchen and the layout of your space as well as the roof structure above will determine the ideal size and placement of your skylights. Larger skylights can flood your kitchen with natural light, but make sure they don’t overpower the room with too strong an aesthetic. Additionally, strategically placing skylights near work areas, such as over the stove or kitchen island, can provide focused illumination where it’s needed most. A common style choice for kitchen skylights is two to three standard skylights placed in tandem, creating a strong look that feels intentional and clever.

Materials and Durability

Another major consideration of skylights in your kitchen is the materials and durability of the pieces. Low-end products and installations can actually reduce your energy efficiency through a lack of quality glazing, poor thermal performance, and inadequate sealing. Choosing a high-quality range of skylights like Keylite or INFINITI ensures that your skylights are made to withstand changing weather conditions and resist potential leaks. The Keylite range has been designed and tested to exceed Australian Standards and can be used in BAL40 regions. 

Installation Process and Costs of Kitchen Skylights

Many people are turned off to the idea of skylights due to concern about whether their roof is skylight ready, unsure about whether plumbing or electrics need to be moved to accommodate the skylights. These, along with standard structural modifications, can cause concern as these can potentially impact the overall cost. However, there is an easy solution to this problem. Consulting a professional team like Natural Lighting Products to assess your roof and ceiling space will give you peace of mind — we have over 30 years of industry experience in skylights. Having your skylights professionally installed by a premium company that has full insurance and offers a warranty on both product and installation is a must. Get it done right from the start and enjoy years of uninterrupted natural light. 

Enhancing Kitchen Design with Skylights

Skylights are versatile creatures and can complement any kitchen style. Whether you have a sleek modern kitchen or a cosy farmhouse vibe, skylights can add a touch of natural beauty to your space. They can turn humble rooms into works of art, especially when adding a skylight and vaulting or raking your ceiling. If you have a kitchen feature you are proud of, your skylight can work to shine a spotlight on these features. Think of a kitchen island skylight, a marble countertop illuminated by natural light, or a natural spotlight on sophisticated tile work.

Elevate Your Home with Kitchen Skylights

Installing skylights in your kitchen can be a game-changer for your interior. They bring in copious amounts of natural light, add a touch of architectural charm, and make your space feel brighter and more open. From the beautiful natural light that illuminates the room to the energy savings and health benefits they provide, skylights offer a range of advantages. By carefully considering the type, placement, and maintenance of skylights, you can create a stunning and functional kitchen filled with warmth and brightness. Whether you have a small kitchen in need of more light or a larger space that could benefit from enhanced design, skylights are a worthwhile investment that adds value, beauty and practicality to your home. When looking to install kitchen skylights, engage with the professional team at Natural Lighting Products to make sure you end up with your dream kitchen and superior skylight installation.