Skylights and the Well-Lit, Well-Lived Kitchen and Bath
When designing kitchens and bathrooms, every product choice shapes both functionality and experience. From plumbing and ventilation to material selection and lighting, each decision influences how a space performs and feels. An often overlooked yet highly impactful solution in a kitchen and bath designer’s arsenal are skylights.
Bringing in natural light through skylights reduces the need for artificial lighting during the day, which in turn cuts energy use and can improve occupant well-being. But skylights do more than simply brighten a space.
Modern skylights combine thoughtful engineering with renewable energy sources and integrated technology to deliver benefits that go well beyond natural light. They’re helping meet aggressive energy goals, improve indoor air quality and create spaces that look and feel exceptional.
Photo: VELUX
Venting skylights, in particular, enable the natural stack effect: warm, stale air rises and exits through the skylight, drawing in cooler, fresh air from lower openings, like windows or doors. Research shows that a skylight can move air through a home up to 15 times more effectively than vertical windows alone. This passive cooling strategy uses fundamental physics to circulate air without relying on mechanical systems.
The enhanced ventilation can also improve indoor air quality. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the air indoors is often two to five times more polluted than outdoors, and sometimes as much as 100 times higher. Venting skylights are a highly effective design solution for replacing and freshening air within these main living spaces.
Some of today’s most advanced skylight systems also integrate solar power. This means that venting and rain sensors can operate independently of a home’s electrical grid, which reduces complexity on the jobsite by eliminating the need for an electrician or wiring. And there is no change to the installation process. For the homeowner, it means convenient skylight operation from a remote control.
Solar power and remote control operation are now also contributing to the thermal performance of skylights. A common concern in the past was heat gain during the summer months or loss in winter. Look for modern skylights that feature a remote-controlled shade that gives homeowners natural light when they want it and total light control when they need it, all at the push of a button. When in the down position, double-pleated shades also reduce heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer, increasing energy efficiency.
As the expectations for smart, comfortable, sustainable homes rise, kitchen and bath design features once seen as decorative are now being recognized as essential contributors. Skylights offer a refined, low-impact way to deliver daylight, ventilation and thermal control. With integrated features like solar-powered shades and passive ventilation, they’re a wise choice for creating high-quality, resilient and wellness-forward spaces.
—Ross Vandermark is the national product manager for VELUX America
