As homeowners k spend more time thinking about how their living spaces support comfort, wellness, and everyday life, one design element is gaining renewed attention: natural light. While windows and traditional skylights have long been associated with brighter interiors, many parts of a home – hallways, bathrooms, closets, and other interior rooms – often remain disconnected from daylight. That is where Solatube International has built its legacy.
For more than 35 years, Solatube International, Inc., a Kingspan Light + Air Company, has focused on one core idea: making natural light more accessible indoors. Through engineered daylighting systems designed to bring daylight into spaces where traditional solutions may be less practical, Solatube has helped shape an entirely new category of home and building improvement centered around daylighting innovation.
A Mission Built Around Everyday Living
Solatube’s mission is simple yet impactful: bringing inspirational and innovative daylighting products to everyday life.
At the heart of the brand is the belief that light is more than just a visual feature. It plays an important role in how interior spaces feel, function, and support daily well-being. As more people spend extended time indoors – whether working remotely, raising families, or simply enjoying their homes – there is growing interest in home upgrades that improve comfort and quality of living.
Rather than focusing solely on appearance, Solatube positions its products around creating brighter, more functional indoor environments that help homeowners rethink underlit spaces.
As Francisco Lopez, President of Solatube International, explains:
“People don’t always realize how much their environment affects how they feel. Something as simple as natural light can completely change the experience of a space – and that’s what Solatube makes possible.”
How Solatube Was Built to Solve a Different Challenge
Solatube was founded on the idea that natural daylight should be more accessible, especially in interior spaces where conventional windows and skylights may not be an option.
This inspired engineers to develop daylighting technology that could capture and transfer daylight through advanced tubular systems. Over time, the company became recognized for helping define the tubular daylighting category.
In 2021, Solatube International joined Kingspan Light + Air, expanding its role within a broader portfolio of building-envelope and daylight-focused innovation.
Today, under the leadership from Marci Bonham, President of Kingspan Light + Air North America, and Francisco Lopez, President of Solatube International, continues to guide the company’s focus on product innovation, operational growth, and residential and commercial expansion.
The Product Line: Engineered Daylighting Solutions
Solatube’s product line centers around daylighting solutions designed for homes and commercial environments.
One of its featured residential innovations is the Solatube® Brighten Up™ Skylight Series, a tubular skylight solution designed to help bring natural daylight into interior areas of the home. Unlike traditional skylight designs that rely on larger roof openings, tubular daylighting systems are engineered to transfer daylight through reflective tubing into spaces where roof or perimeter access may not be possible.
The Brighten Up™ Skylight Series includes thoughtfully designed optical g features and updated decorative fixtures intended to create balanced, comfortable daylight distribution throughout a space.
Beyond this, Solatube’s broader solutions support applications across:
- Schools and educational buildings
- Workspaces
- Senior living environments
- Commercial buildings
The company also offers ventilation-focused solutions that complement indoor environmental design.
What Makes Solatube Different
In a market where many home upgrades emphasize aesthetics first, Solatube stands apart by combining design, engineering, and practical performance.
Its differentiation comes from several key areas:
Proprietary Optical Technology
Solatube has spent decades refining proprietary optical technologies that efficiently capture, transfer, and distribute natural daylight. The result is a daylighting system engineered to deliver high-quality natural light to interior spaces where conventional daylighting solutions may be limited.
Balanced Light Delivery
Solatube systems are designed to deliver provide balanced, glare-controlled daylight for visually comfortable interior environments.
Protecting Interior Finishes
Solatube’s advanced optical technologies are designed to help reduce UV transmission, helping protect interior furnishings, flooring, and finishes from fading over time.
Performance-Focused Engineering
Solatube Tubular Daylighting Devices (TDDs) offer excellent thermal performance and are engineered to help minimize heat gain and heat loss concerns often associated with traditional skylight systems.
Why the Brand Is Especially Relevant Right Now
Homeowners are increasingly making improvement decisions based on how their homes support daily living.
Natural lighting, air quality, comfort and wellness-oriented design, are all becoming part of broader conversations around healthier indoor spaces.
Solatube’s current national campaign featuring Howie Mandel helps bring wider attention to a simple but often overlooked home feature: access to daylight in interior spaces. As a wellness-focused advocate and recognizable media figure, his collaboration helps introduce the conversation around daylighting to homeowners.
For architects, builders, remodelers, and wellness-focused designers, the conversation is equally timely. Interior environments are increasingly being designed around occupant experience, making daylighting a more thoughtful part of the planning process.
Lighting the Future of Interior Design
Solatube International continues to focus on practical innovation that connects engineering with everyday living. By helping bring natural daylight into spaces where traditional windows or skylights may fall short, the company has built a long-standing reputation in daylighting solutions.
For homeowners seeking simple, high-impact upgrades, Solatube’s approach reflects a growing shift toward homes that are built not just to look better—but to feel better, function better, and support everyday life in meaningful ways.
Written in partnership with Tom White
