I sort of inherited a home three years ago. Or, I should say—I was expected to inherit a home… You see, I am the oldest sibling in my family and an uncle passed away leaving his Toronto, ON home available for the family to take over. I’m single, no kids… everyone expected that I would be more than happy to move into this 1940s home that had never had any updates done to it.

Sure. Why not?

So, I moved in. After the sadness lessened and the clearing-out of my uncle’s belongings passed (I kept a few retro lamps and a table)—I had a blank space to work with. A seriously outdated blank space to work with. Here’s what I was looking at:

• Olive green walls in the living room. Yep—painted, olive green slats of wood
• Stained wood walls everywhere else.
• Small awning windows in the common areas, toward the top of the wall, near the ceiling. Besides the porch sliding glass door off the kitchen, these two tiny windows were the only sources of natural light in the main part of the house.
• One small single-hung window in the kitchen, above the sink.

Do you see the issue? Everything was so dark. Between the dark walls and the limited windows, I felt sleepy every time I returned home from work. There was simply no energy in my space. It felt gloomy.

I did a bit of research and I found out the following about natural light…

Benefits of natural light
Apparently, natural light is more than just nice and pretty. It has significant health benefits for us:

• Boosts Vitamin D. This is important for calcium absorption and promoting bone growth.
• Heightened productivity. Apparently, employees are more energetic when they work in well-lit spaces. I assume this carries over into productivity at home (chores: laundry, dishes, vacuuming, etc.).
• Helps vision. Natural light has been shown to lower the risk of nearsightedness in kids and younger adults—this would be helpful for my future life, one day!
• Improved mood. Okay, we all hear about Seasonal Affective Disorder, but do we really take it seriously? I know I haven’t, historically. I do now. Those few months I went in this new-to-me space made me so sleepy, so melancholy. And, I learned that scientists agree: the “happy hormone” (serotonin) increases when daylight is long and nighttime is short.

Needless to say, I couldn’t stand my late uncle’s “dungeon.” I called Brock Doors and Windows and set up an in-home consultation to have more windows added to flood the space with natural light.

And yes, I painted. There’s no more olive green or dark wood on the walls. Everything in white, lilac and fresh looking. The windows are stunning, and they reach from just above the floor to the ceiling.

If you’re living in a “dungeon,” consider what the darkness is doing in your life. Then, give Brock Doors and Windows in Toronto a call. I promise your day-to-day life, like mine, will feel brand new.

Brock Doors and Windows Ltd. | 278 Orenda Road | Brampton, ON, L6T 4X6 | (905) 791-2850