Brighten homes with solar screen shades

Tim Hill lives in a two-story home that is lodged between a big tree and a 13-foot wall, and this particular location has given Hill's home a decidedly darker interior, because there is very little light shining into the windows, reports the New York Times.

The problem of allowing light into the house was the "main challenge" in designing the house, Hill told the newspaper.

His late wife and he remedied this problem by creating a "sunshell" shape for the residence. Part of the house rises above the wall, high enough to collect sunlight with a series of strategically placed windows. The other end of the house twists into an arc that captures light from the windows on the opposite side, according to the news source.

The interior of the house is curved with wall openings and lined with ash wood, which is known for its bright surfaces.

Hill's residence was awarded the 2009 Interior Design Excellence Award by Australian Design Review magazine for its creative use of light.

For those who have a similar lighting problem in their house, solar screen shades are an excellent way to control illumination. While they do not completely block the sun, they eliminate glare while allowing the rest of the light through the window.