Airspace near stairs without windows and very dark

Hello,

we have noticed that our open space by the staircase without a window appears very dark, even though it has not yet been boarded or painted white. The boarding and painting will certainly make it brighter. We were not really aware of this during the planning, and the architect did not really point this out to us either, and we would have at least used the space additionally or planned a window. Due to our high knee wall of 2.2m, the ceiling really appears very high.

This is a prefab house.

We wanted to get your opinion on the matter, what you would recommend or if you have a different idea than the three options below.

1. Option --> Retrofitting a window is possible but of course costs quite a bit. We have already contacted a company.
2. Option --> Partially closing the open space with the drywall installer so that at least an additional storage room is created.
3. Option --> The simplest solution, installing a nice hanging light as an eye-catcher that illuminates the area well.



Thank you in advance for your opinions and best regards

On average, for 12 hours a day the extra window is useless because it is dark outside. When it comes to lighting, always remember that you sometimes have to replace the bulbs or, in the case of LED, often the entire fixture. If you don’t want to hire a company for that, you should install your lighting so that it is accessible without having to build life-threatening structures on the stairs. Right now it looks like the dark gate to another dimension, but painted white it appears much friendlier. Have you ever thought about indirect lighting, simply illuminating the white ceiling?

We wanted to hear your opinion on the subject,

…if only you had asked before…

Partially block the airspace

why? It will then stay dark

The easiest solution, install a nice hanging light,

You can do that anyway, but it doesn’t replace daylight, since you have to switch the lamp on as well.

Install windows afterwards,

On average 12 hours a day you will enjoy the roof window and the light. Go!

The whole thing is of course not optimal. All your suggestions have advantages and disadvantages. Is the provisional intermediate floor still going to be completely removed and currently only serves as a framework? If yes, I would simply remove the boards briefly and see how much light then comes from below.

The podium will surely come out. Then light will come from the door all the way up, and since it is painted white, it will already look quite different. I would install a daylight lamp there, possibly with a motion detector. A window is not only expensive and, as a roof window, prone to damage, you have to clean it, and it is hard to reach. I wouldn’t put up with that for a hallway.

On an average of 12 hours a day, the additional window is useless to you because it is dark outside. When it comes to lighting, always remember that you have to replace the bulbs or, with LEDs nowadays, often even the entire fixture. If you don’t want to hire a company for this, you should install your lighting so that it can be accessed without having to build life-threatening constructions on the stairs. Right now it looks like the dark gate to another dimension, but painted white it will look much friendlier. Have you ever thought about indirect lighting, meaning simply illuminating the white ceiling?

Thank you very much for all the answers. I have already laid cables on both sides for possible LED spots that are supposed to shine upwards and downwards to illuminate the area. The staircase still has 5 LED spots at the steps.