People who live in the city and are lucky enough to be on the garden side have a guaranteed sound comfort unlike apartments located on the street side. However, the rooms overlooking a courtyard are often dark as Christian explained in the first testimony of the blog Espaciel… Living on the ground floor, with a opposite person, discover in the article below the testimony of Tigran who tells us how he has optimized natural light in his home and explains how it contributes to his well-being.
Context of the Tigran situation
Presentation of the Tigran courtyard apartment
I live in an apartment on the ground floor of a 5-storey building in Brussels, so I have an important vis-à-vis. Located in the city centre and garden side, my living room opens onto a courtyard. This is a notable advantage for living comfort: there is no noise pollution from the busy street, in summer I can even hear the birds when I open the window!
I love this apartment: its configuration and inner courtyard suit me perfectly and its location in Brussels is super convenient. But it’s true that it’s not very bright… That’s its only negative point. I have two large windows in my living room, the light gets in but doesn’t really get in any further.
As I was saying, my living room overlooks an inner courtyard which is surrounded by the 5-storey building. The view is pleasant but the height of the building doesn’t let the light through to the ground floor dwellings. As far as my bedroom is concerned, it is worse, the window is opposite with a wall 1m away. This leaves no setback for the light from the sky to pass through.
I had already thought more generally about a system of mirrors to reflect the light but I was not at all familiar with the product that Espaciel offers. A friend told me about the Espaciel reflector. He gave me their contact details for the office in Brussels so that I could get in touch with them. I thought the product was great, the system immediately seemed suitable for my home and easy to install.
Ordering and installation
The Espaciel solution
I preferred to focus on the living room of my ground floor apartment, I didn’t want to equip my bedroom since it’s not the room where I spend most of my time. Following a phone conversation with Jérémie, I chose to install two 100cm exterior reflectors, one per window. Thanks to my two large windows and the unobstructed view above them, it was the best compromise so that the light could reflect well and enter my home.
However, I had my doubts about fixing the reflectors to the window frame. This is a building from the 1900s where the walls are not very regular. I saw that it was possible to drill holes in the walls to securely fix the reflector, but I didn’t want to make a hole. Jérémie confirmed to me that the reflectors hold well without drilling, even when the weather is bad and when it’s windy (it’s often the case in Brussels!). Drilling is advised to secure installations at height, which is not my case as I live on the ground floor.
In the end, the reflectors hold very well. They are installed using an adjustable bar that is supported on both sides of the wall. The installation was really easy.
The effect and integration of Espaciel reflectors at Tigran
I like the look of the reflectors, I think it blends in well with my windows. The daylight is reflected by the reflectors both on my ceiling and at the back of my room. The effect is obvious in the corner of the room where my painting is. I’m very happy when it’s grey like it is now, you can see that there is more light even if it’s raining outside. And when the sun goes down in the courtyard in the summer, there are several hours during the day when the sun’s rays arrive on the reflector and enter my living room.
As far as maintenance is concerned, it’s not very restrictive: I tilt it from time to time according to the effect I’m looking for: on the ceiling or deeper in the room, and I sometimes wipe it with a cloth.
The impact of light in Tigran’s daily life
It’s great to have a brighter living room thanks to the reflectors. In the morning, I leave my room, which is very dark, and go into my living room, which is now brighter, and I have more light right away. It gives a real feeling of cheerfulness in the morning! I am finally glad to be on the ground floor.
Any last words?
It’s a very interesting concept. In a more general way, my interior is brighter even if I live on the ground floor with a large opposite, it gives another dimension to the room. Of course it doesn’t replace electric light when it’s needed, but it has a real impact on my mood in the morning and on my daily morale and well-being. For me there is only positive things to say about it! I get up with more light, it wakes me up and it’s very pleasant!
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Thanks to Tigran for sharing his experience with us. If you too would like to send us your before/after pictures and tell us about your experience with your light reflectors, please write to us at info@espaciel.com.
Do you have a dark room and want to increase its natural light? Contact us and we will be happy to give you personal advice:
