Skylights Look Hot But May Need a Cooling Touch

Q: We loved the idea when our contractor suggested that we put skylights in our new master bath addition. But he didn't tell us how hot that would make the bath, not just in the summer but all year-round when it's sunny. The ceiling is slanted, so I can't use regular curtains.

Help!

A: Help is as close as your nearest window treatment center. Skylights are cool to look at, but as you've found, they can be hot to live with. You have a couple of smart solutions to consider:

— Block the sun with film applied directly to the window glass. You'll not only reduce heat gain and block most harmful UV rays, you'll also save on your energy bills year-round, according to two prominent sources of window films (3M.com and Vista, vista-films.com). You might even get a tax break for being so eco-conscious. Only caveat: Window film must be applied by a professional installer.

— Install specialty window shades. Hunter Douglas (www.hunterdouglas.com) offers a system with custom-fit tracks that hold honeycomb shades taut despite the window's slant. The shade's cellular structure traps the heat in summer and keeps out the cold in winter.

Either way, you can enjoy the daylights out of your new master bath, literally. Making up and dressing in natural light is a great plus, which makes a skylight such an attractive addition. It's also why author Jean Nayar included the pictured sky-lit bath in her new book, "Money-Wise Makeovers" (Filipacchi Publishing).


Q: Our townhouse is so close to the neighbors that all we can see from the dining room window is their brick wall. Depressing! We thought about putting shutters on the inside, but they'd block the little light we get. Any suggestions?

A: This blank-wall problem has been around since the 19th century or so. A lot of decorators have found creative ways to solve it ... or at least, soften and brighten their outlook.

Your idea about shutters is not half bad. But consider mounting a small light between the shutters and the window glass, so that it glows through the slats.

Or consider frosting the window with a spritz of white paint to make it look like etched glass. Spritz the spray through lace doilies, and — voila! — you have permanent lace "curtains." Faux or no, they're prettier than the neighbor's brick wall.

Most fun of all, an idea I've stolen from a home that was on this spring's Historic Garden Week tour in Virginia — the state-wide "open house" that happens every April.

We were standing in the dining room of a turn-of-the-20th-century home on Richmond's West Avenue, which is a scant three blocks long and filled shoulder-to-shoulder with charming houses that are dating from the time when the area marked Richmond's west end (now reaching almost to Charlottesville).

My eyes were suddenly drawn to a large window box overflowing with flowers and colorful foliage. But it was not in the window at all; the flower box was mounted on the wall of the neighboring house, exactly at the eye-level of anyone lucky enough to be invited for dinner!

Historic Garden Week is set for April 16-23, 2011. Go and take a notebook. More info at vagardenweek.org.

Rose Bennett Gilbert is the co-author of "Manhattan Style" and six other books on interior design.