Living in a room without windows has its unique challenges. Without natural light, a room can appear dark and uninviting. Smaller rooms can feel cramped without a window that connects the space to the outside world.Despite this, there are several creative lighting tips that transform windowless spaces into something well-lit with warmth and character. Light up your imagination and discover these techniques for designing windowless rooms.
Paint your walls a bright color
Walls that are colored white or a very light blue mimic the fresh gleam of natural sunlight indoors. These hues delicately bounce light to give off the brightest look possible, even for a room with no windows. Opting for a single color for your room also blurs the boundaries between your ceiling and walls. This gives your room a spacious feel and makes the items in your room stand out.
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Add mirrors to brighten windowless rooms
Mirrors instantly make a tiny place seem brighter by bouncing light around the room. The reflected light gives the same effect as natural light, and this creates the illusion of a bigger space. This idea comes in handy, especially for small rooms without windows. You can even take it to the next level by simulating the look of a window. Mount an oversized mirror to your wall, and hang curtains around it like a regular window.
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Pick light furniture for your windowless room
Keep your room bright and uncluttered by choosing the right furniture. Avoid ornate details that lead to a cluttered and dim atmosphere. Instead, consider furnishings that have slender legs or sleek designs. These types of furniture reveal more of your floor area to encourage an airy feel to your room. Take it a step further by opting for mirrored furniture as an additional method for reflecting light around your space.
See all your memories in one place
Wondering where you should hang your family pictures or other framed photos? Worry not, since this is where your windowless room comes in. The extra wall is a perfect spot for you to gather all your treasured memories. By decorating your walls with different pictures, you can turn your room into a personal photo gallery. Show off your photo wall to your family and friends and relive experiences together.
Express yourself freely
Having a room with no windows has its own advantages. For instance, the extra wall offers a blank canvas where you can bring out your creative side! Paint the wall with a design based on your imagination. If you prefer not to paint over your walls, another great alternative is to put up some art. Having art also gives your room a focal point that adds visual depth.
Hang large curtains in your windowless room
Consider draping floor-to-ceiling curtains over one wall of your windowless room. This provides a backdrop and a sense of depth to your space. It also helps create the effect of having a window in your room—even if there isn’t one! Choose an ideal color, such as white, to best reflect the illumination from your indoor lights. This keeps your room looking bright and refreshing.
Add decorative lighting
Installing decorative lighting is a quick way to make your room brighter without windows. When working with lighting for your windowless room, it’s important to layer different types of lighting. The lights used for layered lighting range from striking pendant lamps to dainty fairy lights. Spread these out evenly across your room to brighten up dark corners and create a brilliantly lit room despite the lack of natural lighting.
Tuck away some hidden lights
Concealing LED lighting strips throughout your room creates different effects depending on their positioning. Placing these lights next to your simulated window, for example, mimics the glow of sunlight. Hide recessed lights in strategic places, such as dimly-lit corners, to help brighten the space. If you want a more alluring glow, consider placing these lights behind the shelves or the bed.
Look up to nature
You can never go wrong with adding a little bit of nature to your home. Bring the outside world into your windowless room and liven up your place using plants! To save space, why not have a vertical indoor garden in your room using hanging planters? This way, you’ll have enough room to add more greenery in the future. Remember to ensure proper plant care and choose low-maintenance house plants that don’t need that much sunlight.
Share light to your windowless room
Another tip is to install glass sliding doors. This works best if the room you’re decorating is adjacent to a room with brighter lighting or natural light. To maintain a sense of privacy, choose sliding doors with frosted glass panels. This option allows light to flow in from the connecting room without completely exposing the interior of your windowless room.
Double the function of furniture
Small rooms without windows can benefit from space-saving ideas. If you’re building a cabinet for your place, consider using sliding doors. This saves space and blocks out less light, even if the cabinet remains open. Maximize your space further when you opt for sliding doors with built-in mirrors. Easily mix and match your outfit for the day or perform final checks on your appearance before heading out.
