Many homes have a bathroom in the floorplan interior. This is great for storm safety - it can be the safest room in the house. But making a windowless room feel open and cheerful can be a challenge. Windowless bathrooms vary in size from powder rooms to spacious ensuites, but they all share one important feature: there is no light from the outside.
Fortunately, you can make any windowless bathroom into a welcoming inner sanctum with just a few clever design tips.
Make use of your mirror and your bathroom surfaces to reflect light. When light bounces, it fills a room and chases away the shadows. Light reflection can be achieved with actual reflection and with light-colored glossy materials like tile, paint, and countertops.
A large, flat mirror can significantly increase the light and appeal of a bathroom without windows. But don't stop there. You can also use light paint colors and glossy surfaces to increase the overall light reflection in the room and make your entire bathroom feel brighter as a result. Choosing a pale and polished countertop and glazed ceramic tiles for the floor, backsplash, and shower can also make a positive difference.
As humans, we feel deep down that if plants can thrive in the light levels, so can we. Incorporating plantlife into your windowless bathroom design is a great way to make the space more welcoming. In low-light conditions, low-light plants are charming companions. Dried bouquets and sculptural plantlife are the easiest, but you can also bring in plants that thrive in low-light conditions.
In fact, you can even decorate with mushrooms and images of deep shady forests to activate our human comfort in shady places where lack of indirect sunlight is natural and pleasing.
You can also simulate indirect sunlight by using ambient lighting techniques. Instead of one glaring central light fixture to cast unmitigated shadows, try a light strip or recessed lighting around the entire ceiling's edge in your bathroom to represent the glow of a natural sky. Instead of vanity bulbs, use a diffuse light vanity or even lights recessed behind the mirror.
This can make a windowless bathroom feel like there is natural light moving indirectly through the space instead of focusing on the harsh contrast of artificial light and the shadows it casts.
You can also use multiple light fixtures to create dimensions of light through your windowless bathroom design. Sconces, vanity lights, and an overhead light will cast light in several different directions. Dimensions of light can chase away shadows and make the space feel more like it could be lit by natural light from one of the many light directions.
Of course, you can also embrace the lack of sunlight with a moodier decor style. Some people love a dark bathroom and enhance this look with jewel box colors, dusty paint shades, and dark bathroom tile and countertops. Pair this with your photos of deep forests or of moody boudoirs and you will create an inner sanctum with a more elegantly relaxing look and feel instead of the classic bright bathroom.
If this feels like your style, you could really come to love the windowless seclusion of your inner bathroom.
At Edesia Kitchen & Bath Studio, we specialize in creating the spaces that you will love the most. Work with our designer-builders to envision and plan every detail of your perfect windowless bathroom design and enjoy watching the full transformation completed by our own in-house teams. Contact us today to consult on your ideal windowless bathroom design and renovation.