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Interior Designer Lisa Kanegae’s Love Affair with Solatube Tubular Skylights
Design expert Lisa Kanegae shares how Solatube tubular skylights transformed two of her homes
Featured on HGTV, Elle Decor and Open House TV, Lisa Kanegae knows a thing or two about design. Eight years ago, Lisa found herself concerned when she and her husband fell in love with a beautiful house that had little natural light. As someone who thrives with natural light, Lisa was hesitant about purchasing the house until she stumbled upon a game-changing solution: Solatube tubular skylights. Little did she know that this discovery would brighten not only her home but also her life in countless ways.
Discovering Solatube
During Lisa’s research surrounding daylighting solutions for the home, Solatube tubular skylights caught her attention due to their affordability and ease of installation. She loved that, unlike conventional skylights, tubular skylights can bring natural daylight into any room without structural home modifications or making the space hot.
Seamless Installation and Transformation through Natural Daylight
Lisa immediately contacted a Solatube Premier Dealer in her area and had eight Solatube tubular skylights installed throughout her first home. With the assistance of one of our Solatube Certified Installation Consultants, Lisa shared how the installation process was quick and easy.
“Since I’ve never had them installed, I was unsure about the process. However, the installer was able to recommend specifically where to install each Solatube tubular skylight to create the least amount of shadows to disperse the daylight equally around the room.”
Lisa remembers the transformation. “I could hardly believe my eyes when I came home after they were installed. It was almost unrecognizable—it made THAT much of an impact! Ever since then, I have been raving about these tubes to friends, as well as installing them in client homes.”
What’s more, she discovered an unexpected benefit when tax season rolled around—the installation qualified for a tax write-off, making the deal even sweeter!
Solar-Powered Daylight Dimmer
At the time, Lisa’s children were still quite young, and she knew she needed a way to control the amount of light in certain areas of her home. Lisa opted for the Solar-Powered Daylight Dimmer to be installed in her living room tubular skylights, which allowed her to adjust the amount of daylight at any time.
“My kids tend to take naps during the day in there, so it was a great option to be able to reduce the amount of light at any given time during the day.”
New Beginnings with Solatube Tubular Skylights
Flash forward to current day—Lisa and her family are designing their new home and have decided to once again use their favorite type of daylighting system—Solatube Tubular Skylights.
“Since we were building our home from the ground up, we actually had the option to install traditional skylights. However, I have had them in previous homes, and I dislike how dirty the glass gets when looking up. The maintenance involved and having to clean the glass every month can be quite cumbersome as well. That is why Solatube tubular skylights are always my first option. Solatube’s low-maintenance design and integrated solar-powered night light always makes it the obvious winner.”
She added, “Solatube also provides a no-leak lifetime warranty that really drove my decision to have my original installer come out again.”
Spa-Like Sanctuary with Solatube
When designing her primary bathroom, Lisa handpicked every feature, bringing to life her dream of a spa-like experience to start and finish her day in. Caught up in the details, one area she overlooked was the amount of natural light in the space.
“Since our bathroom is located on the same side as our neighbor’s window, we installed a small window on the upper part of the wall. After it was installed, the room still felt a bit dark. Since privacy was an issue, we could not install additional windows nor make the existing window any larger,” said Lisa.
“Since I love the feeling natural light provides in a room, I knew I wanted another light source from the ceiling. Because the addition of a skylight was an afterthought, the contractors already installed all the plumbing and electrical, so installing a traditional skylight would have required moving all those elements. I knew again that Solatube tubular skylights would be a perfect solution since the tubing can be manipulated around things in your attic, she added.”
The result: A bright and beautiful bathroom that met every one of Lisa’s design goals. The best part, the Soatube tubular skylight lets in so much light that they don’t even need to worry about turning the lights on during the day.
Daylight Closet Bliss
Lisa faced similar challenges when remodeling their primary walk-in closet.
“The walk-in closet faces our driveway, so installing windows in there was not an option. I knew I did not want to get dressed in a dark room every day, so I turned to my favorite natural lighting source again – Solatube.”
The two tubular skylights were able to provide an abundance of natural light into the windowless room, allowing Lisa to enjoy the benefits of daylight without compromising on her privacy when getting ready.
“I especially love having natural light in a closet since my makeup vanity is located in there as well. The natural light is so helpful when I apply makeup in the mornings. With the filtered technology, I enjoy the fact that my clothes are protected from any harmful UV rays, and they will not be damaged.”
The tubular skylights in this space were also outfitted with the Solatube integrated solar-powered NightLight.
“One of my favorite features is the NightLight integrated into the system. It automatically turns on when it gets dark, and I love that it doesn’t waste any electricity since it’s solar operated. The moon-like glow offers just the perfect amount of light needed,” Lisa explained.
Lisa concluded, “Having natural sunlight in the closet has made it a true joy to get dressed every day. Sunlight instantly boosts my mood, and I couldn’t imagine this room without it.”
Solatube tubular skylights provided a unique way to introduce an ample amount of natural daylight into Lisa’s home without compromising the structural integrity and the family’s privacy. Now she and her family have a bright and beautiful home to make memories in for years to come.
“I strongly recommend Solatube to anyone looking to brighten up an area of their home. I have installed them in every house I’ve purchased so far and I’ve been tremendously satisfied with the transformation to each space. The versatility it provides is endless. Natural light truly brings new life to any room and I will continue to use Solatube tubular skylights in the future going forward.”
We look forward to seeing how Lisa will utilize Solatube skylights in her home and that of her clients in the future.
Are you interested in bringing natural daylighting into your home with Solatube Tubular Skylights?
Start your own daylighting journey today by visiting Solatube.com or calling 888.solatube to schedule a free virtual or in-home consultation with your local Solatube Premier Dealer.