While new caravans tend to allow decent amounts of light into their interiors, older caravans can feel a bit closed in. That’s certainly the case for those with dark wood-veneer interiors. We look at some of the ways you can work with caravan lighting to brighten up your caravan’s interior, new and old.
Add or upgrade a skylight
Even if your caravan has an existing skylight, there’s a good possibility that its acrylic screen is starting to show signs of UV damage and wear. It’s also possible that your old skylight is just too small to meet your needs. Installing a new skylight will allow more natural light to fill your caravan’s interior and also reduce your reliance on artificial caravan lighting.
The large REMItop II skylight is available in 600 x 600mm and 600 x 900mm sizes.
Install sheer curtains
If your caravan already has regular curtains installed on its windows, it may be possible to add sheer curtains underneath them. When drawn, these curtains improve the quality of light in the caravan interior through diffusion. At the same time they still offer a decent level of privacy without the complete block-out of your regular curtains.
Convert to LED lighting
Switch all of your old tungsten and energy-saver light globes over to LED replacements. Even the humble dome festoon light bulb is replaceable with LED. LED lights burn for thousands of hours (longer than the life of the caravan) and they use far less energy than even the so-called energy-savers, making them suitable for 12V power. They’re available in both warm and cool colour temperatures and some are dimmable.
In addition to replacing exiting lights, inexpensive 12V LED light strips can be mounted under cupboards, inside cabinets and along skirting boards to add ambient light fill. This can be handy above bench areas that are normally covered in shadow.
Repaint, reupholster
Repainting old brown paneling can open up the interior of your caravan by bouncing around more available light. If your paneling is timber veneer, a light sanding and priming is all that’s required prior to painting. If it’s Formica, which is likely, there’s more of a process to preparing the surface so it may not be worth the effort. Reupholstering in lighter shades is another option, or even replacing cushions may help brighten a corner.
From installing new light bulbs and new curtains to adding a skylight and repainting — these are simple but effective ways to improve the lighting in your caravan’s interior.
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Image: Brett Goldsmith
