How to Virtually Try Skylights Before You Buy

by Rachel Lyon, Editorial Director for Direct from the Designers®

When it’s hard to imagine how a design decision will affect your space, it’s easy to feel stuck and unable to commit. That’s especially true when you’re dealing with something that’s added to the structure of the house, but technology has a solution! You’ll find virtual try-on tools all across the web for all sorts of home building and décor items; some let you design on stock images and/or upload a picture of your own to work with, and a few take it a step further with augmented reality that uses a smart device’s camera to show you a live view of the changes as they would look right in front of you.

Given the dynamic effect of skylights throughout the day, augmented reality is the only way to go! With the new VELUX® Skylights AR visualizer app, you can configure skylights on an iPhone or iPad and see how they look at different times and with different finishes. Here’s a quick breakdown of the process!

Input What You’re Working With

Some people think you need a certain kind of roof and interior to benefit from skylights, but they’re actually pretty adaptable. With a variety of products suited to the full range of roof pitches and with ways to connect a skylight on a pitched roof to a flat ceiling inside, it’s not hard to incorporate skylights into most houses. Just let the app know what you have so it can funnel you down the correct path.

Choose Your Skylight(s)

Think about the dimensions of your space and the structure of the house. If you have the room for a pane of glass that provides sky views, great! You may want to invest in an operable skylight that also provides natural venting to refresh the air inside. If the traditional skylight route isn’t possible—like in a hallway or another smaller area—or you don’t want the view, look into Sun Tunnels instead; they direct light from the roof through a reflective tunnel and down into the interior, where they have the appearance of recessed lighting. Whatever solution works for you, think about how many skylights you need to fill or effectively brighten the room—and prepare to test the options!

Scan Your Space

In order for augmented reality to work effectively, it needs to have a grasp on the surroundings. The shape of the walls, slope of the ceiling(s), and even cabinets and furniture matter! So, be thorough. Scan the whole room so the app can record the space in 3D. The technology will interpret everything to give you the best real-life view possible in the end.

Place Your Skylight(s)

With the room scanned, the app will provide a grid on the ceiling to help you place skylights and adjust their size and orientation. Follow the instructions to ensure they face the right way and that the real ceiling’s height matches the view in augmented reality. Then enjoy as the skylights transform your ceiling as seen on the screen!

Explore the View

Move your device around to see how the skylights look from all angles. The app also lets you test the view between day and night and try on light-filtering and room-darkening blinds so you can really appreciate what skylights have to offer. Once you’ve found the perfect solution for your needs, be sure to save it as a photo or video to share with a professional installer. The VELUX® Visualizer even includes a database of pros to simplify this step!

If you’re in the market for some skylights or just curious about how they could impact your interior, download this free app and see what could be all around the house! VELUX® offers a variety of products to address diverse needs, and their blind shop has a range of colors to match décor, too. With energy-efficient construction and solar-powered skylights that come with tax credits, there are a number of ways VELUX® can help you improve your home.