Sometimes it's inevitable to have a room without windows, such as a basement, a hallway, a bathroom, or any other room that lacks natural light. While no natural light may be pouring into the room, there are other ways to brighten and decorate a room without windows. A simple illusion is all it takes to pull off a brightened look.
To brighten and decorate a room without windows, try the following:
- Use mirrors
- Paint the walls (and ceiling) a light color
- Hang large art
- Include sufficient lighting
- Install full-wall draperies
- Add greenery
If you still have some questions about brightening and decorating a room with no windows, don't worry. In this guide, we'll talk more about some of the ways you can brighten the space. Just keep reading!
Ways To Brighten And Decorate A Room Without Windows
Here we'll discuss some different ways to brighten and decorate a room without windows in more detail.
Use Mirrors
Mirrors do a wonderful job of opening up a room. Whether there are lots of windows or none, a mirror will bounce light around in the room and add a sense of depth. Mirrors help to distract from the fact that a room doesn't have windows.
There are multiple ways you can use mirrors in the design as well. Hang or lean one large mirror on a wall to make a large impact. Or you can incorporate a bunch of small mirrors on one wall or several.
Mirror Wall
There are lots of mirrors on the market that have distinct styles and features. This ensures you'll be able to find a mirror that stylistically fits in with the rest of the room and contributes to the overall aesthetic.
Natural Wood Hanging Mirror
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Paint The Walls (And Ceiling) A Light Color
Whether painted white or some other light color, it will make the room appear much lighter. If you use darker colors, it makes the room appear smaller and less open, and nobody wants that in a windowless room.
When both the walls and ceiling are coated in the same light hue, the room appears larger. In a room without windows, you'll want to do everything you can to make the space look more open. Light and bright is the way to go!
Prestige Interior Paint
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Hang Large Art
Large artwork can compensate for a lack of natural light. You can use one large piece of artwork or create a gallery wall for the same effect. While wall art cannot offer natural light as a window can, it takes up space on the wall to break up the wall space.
Expansive Art
Artwork is captivating, making it a wonderful option for your windowless room. Light-colored or reflective frames also make the room look and feel wider.
Framed Canvas Artwork
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Include Sufficient Lighting
In a space with no windows, it's important to include artificial light. There are multiple ways that you can simulate natural light in a windowless room. You'll want to include enough variety in lighting in the room in order to layer the light. Do what you can to illuminate all areas of the room, not letting any corners remain in the shadows.
Start off by installing an overhead fixture such as a chandelier or pendant light. Choosing a chandelier with crystal or other reflective surfaces helps brighten the room.
Crystal Chandelier Lighting
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Place a floor lamp, table lamp, or a couple of them in the room. These are great for task lighting which lightens specific areas in the room.
Add either shelf or under-cabinet lighting. Doing so eliminates any shadows in the room, guaranteeing that all areas in the room are illuminated.
Touch-Activated LED Lightbar
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Install Full-Wall Draperies
Even if you don't have a window in a room, you can make it appear as if there's on by installing full-wall draperies. Pick out a curtain rod and some fun curtain panels to hang just like you would over a window. Doing so adds more texture and dimension to the room.
For a fun effect, you could hang a framed window or window-shaped mirror behind the curtains.
Beige Curtain Panels
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Add Greenery
Greenery is an excellent way to incorporate natural elements into the room design. Any time natural elements are placed in a room, it livens it and makes it feel fresh. Feel free to use live or faux plants, but keep in mind which live plants can tolerate low light. Don't be shy with size—small, large, and in between.
Faux Potted Green Begonia
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Tuck greenery and other florals into all areas of the room in order to make a big impact. Place it on a bookshelf, next to the TV, or as a centerpiece on the table. However you do it, channel your creativity and make the space work for you and your vision.
What Is Natural Lighting?
Natural lighting is a lighting technique, called daylighting, that brings natural light into the room by means of exterior features (windows, doors, etc.). Natural lighting can also be introduced to the home via skylights and solar-shading devices.
Thanks to technology, artificial light now does an excellent job of mimicking natural light. Natural lighting is so valuable to a home's atmosphere considering its positive impact on health and comfort.
How Do You Simulate Natural Daylight In A Windowless Room?
Use full-spectrum lightbulbs in your light fixtures because these do a great job of simulating natural daylight. These types of lightbulbs look soft and warm.
There are even light fixtures on the market that mimic natural lighting such as faux skylights and windows. The LED lights that are used have multiple settings that can be adjusted to give off a certain level of light. The warm glow gives the impression of natural light filling the room.
Slim LED Light Fixture
This simulation skylight features various dimmable light settings. These range from 3,000K warm white, 4,000K natural white, and 5,000K cold white.
Click here to see more on Amazon.
What Light Bulb Is Closest To Natural Light?
LED light bulbs are the best thing you can get to simulate natural light. There are tons of LED varieties on the market, each having varied characteristics to provide different looks. These are the most energy-efficient lightbulbs available. You can use them in all kinds of lighting sources from chandeliers to lamps to under-the-counter lighting.
Thankfully, now there are dimmable light bulbs on the market. This characteristic makes it rather easy to attain just the right level of brightness in the room. Crank it up or dial it back to get the glow you're after.
Halogen light bulbs provide a close simulation of natural daylight. These types of light bulbs cannot be used in all lighting sources, though. They burn at a higher temperature, so use caution.
What Color Scheme Brightens Up A Room?
Any light colors or light neutrals do a wonderful job of brightening a room. Try to maintain a rather minimal color combination with no more than 3 different colors. Doing this will keep the room looking orderly and as large and bright as possible.
White is always a classic for brightening up a room. If it's too bright for your taste, you can opt for more muted shades of white like ivory or cream. Furthermore, if you'd like to use some color on the walls, try out pastel shades like lavender, blonde, baby pink, mint, or powder blue.
Stay away from using dark colors. You can incorporate a few dark shades in the room items such as the frame of a piece of art or mirror, vases, or accent pieces. Just don't go overboard.
In Closing
We hope this guide has helped you figure out the best way to decorate and brighten your windowless room! Let us know in the comments below which methods you decide to use. Before you go, be sure to check out these other home decor guides: