I’m actually really excited to share this with you because I think it’s going to be a game changer for our home and I hope you’ll love them too. My builder recommended the illume Skylight Alternative to me when we were in the planning stages of our new bathroom. We were getting rid of its dated old skylight and installing a new ceiling where we knocked the WC and bathroom together. So we lost a lot of beautiful natural light, which was, frankly, the only good thing the old bathroom had going for it!

With our budget already stretched, we couldn’t afford a new skylight and the old one would have totally ruined the look of the shiny new bathroom, so a “faux” skylight, as I call it, was an option! We also have the dingiest hallway in the world, so it seemed a good time to try and fix the issue of always having lights on along there too.

Enter: illume! Not a skylight, but the simplest way I can sum it up is a solar-powered diffused light that will cost you nothing to run!  Before I get into the specifics, take a look at the before and after from our hallway. Because we chose to install an isolation switch so it could be turned on and off (probably unnecessary in hindsight but I was worried it would be so bright it could wake Sebastian in the mornings because he sleeps with his bedroom door open onto the hallway), you can see what it looks like on and off.

illume is the original product of its kind with a patented technology. Unlike a traditional skylight, you can even install an illume to lower levels, basements and attics — the possibilities are endless! illume’s innovative design cuts the cost of your electricity, with no running costs or batteries. Installation is easy and non intrusive. You can even buy the product off the shelf and do it yourself. And because there’s no electrical, you don’t need an an electrician. You don’t need a big hole in your roof either, which people often worry will result in a leaky roof.