5 Ways to Open Up a Windowless Bathroom
Got a bathroom without natural light or a view? Here’s how to brighten it up
Yanic Simard
June 29, 2019
Houzz Contributor. Founder, owner and principal designer of the award winning residential interior design boutique firm Toronto Interior Design Group.
Houzz Contributor. Founder, owner and principal designer of the award winning residential... More
When planning the interior architecture of a home, whether it’s a cozy house, a slick condo, or something in between, usually the bathroom is one of the last places to get precious window real estate. That leaves many of us with a windowless bathroom that feels a little boxed in. Luckily, designers have lots of tricks for brightening bathrooms. Here are five tried and true ones.
1. Embrace White
White is one of the best ways ((if not the best way) to reflect light through a space. It’s even more powerful than a mirror.
Find a bathroom designer near you
White is one of the best ways ((if not the best way) to reflect light through a space. It’s even more powerful than a mirror.
Find a bathroom designer near you
Keep in mind that white can also be introduced through accessories, and not strictly walls. The paint here carries a hint of color, but the room still feels fresh with all the hits of white introduced via the breezy chair, petite rug, tiles and fixtures.
Shop for bathroom vanities
Shop for bathroom vanities
2. Learn to Love Glass and Lucite
If you don’t have a window letting light in, then you won’t want something that takes light away. Polished metal, glass, mirror and Lucite are great materials for adding interest and drama without absorbing light. The space will feel uniform, even if there’s very little color.
If you don’t have a window letting light in, then you won’t want something that takes light away. Polished metal, glass, mirror and Lucite are great materials for adding interest and drama without absorbing light. The space will feel uniform, even if there’s very little color.
Lucite accessories are particularly useful for the functional items you need on the counter; they’ll feel like they encroach less on your space than opaque pieces, so the entire vibe is less cluttered.
3. Get a Leggy Vanity
A leggy, open vanity will admittedly provide less storage, but if you can tuck bathroom items in a closet, the longer sight lines of an open vanity will help you feel less boxed in. I use this style often in compact bathrooms.
A leggy, open vanity will admittedly provide less storage, but if you can tuck bathroom items in a closet, the longer sight lines of an open vanity will help you feel less boxed in. I use this style often in compact bathrooms.
An airy vanity can also include a towel shelf (also usable for baskets of smaller items) and still feel very light.
4. Have Multiple Mirrors
Mirrors in unexpected places really help to expand the space, especially near the ground, where they let the floor stretch out (you can also create the look by using mirror for bathroom toe kicks or closet doors).
Also notice how this bath and the one in the previous photo have glass doors instead of a curtain for maximum openness. A fixed glass panel with a swing door is one of my go-tos, even with a standard tub installation.
Mirrors in unexpected places really help to expand the space, especially near the ground, where they let the floor stretch out (you can also create the look by using mirror for bathroom toe kicks or closet doors).
Also notice how this bath and the one in the previous photo have glass doors instead of a curtain for maximum openness. A fixed glass panel with a swing door is one of my go-tos, even with a standard tub installation.
A full wall of mirror (or at least extending to the vanity) really goes the extra distance to double the space visually.
You can even layer a second mirror (or just a frame) over the large panel to create a focal point, added interest and a more intimate mood.
5. Layer Your Lighting
Windows bring in horizontal light to counter overhead lights. Without a window, all you’ve got is vertical light coming straight down — not flattering. Wall fixtures will bring back that glow to your face (and your space).
Windows bring in horizontal light to counter overhead lights. Without a window, all you’ve got is vertical light coming straight down — not flattering. Wall fixtures will bring back that glow to your face (and your space).
Layering lighting right over the glass is a great solution in a relatively small bathroom.
You can create the look with a hanging plug-in pendant when cutting an existing mirror isn’t an option.
6. Fake It
Consider adding elements to make the room feel like it has a window. I’m sure the window in this space is real, but can you tell? Ultimately a bathroom shade is usually closed, so adding one in front of a blank wall (with a cool-running light behind it) will create the illusion of a window and a diffused glow.
More on Houzz
10 Small Bathrooms, 10 Different Looks
Get more bathroom design ideas
Find a home professional
Shop for bathroom products
Consider adding elements to make the room feel like it has a window. I’m sure the window in this space is real, but can you tell? Ultimately a bathroom shade is usually closed, so adding one in front of a blank wall (with a cool-running light behind it) will create the illusion of a window and a diffused glow.
More on Houzz
10 Small Bathrooms, 10 Different Looks
Get more bathroom design ideas
Find a home professional
Shop for bathroom products
What are you working on?
Related Products
Related Stories
The Art of Architecture
Design Workshop: How to Separate Space in an Open Floor Plan
Rooms within a room, partial walls, fabric dividers and open shelves create privacy and intimacy while keeping the connection
Full Story
Lighting
11 Ways to Work With a Windowless Room
By Yanic Simard
See how to use French doors, white paint, draperies and more to brighten a space and trick the eye
Full Story
Bathroom Storage
Medicine Cabinets: Should You Get a Recessed or Wall-Mounted Style?
Here’s what you need to know to pick the right medicine cabinet and get it installed
Full Story
Materials
Bathroom Workbook: 7 Natural Stones With Enduring Beauty
By Shana Ecker
Not everyone wants a marble bath. Bring organic warmth to your bath counters, walls or floors with these hard-wearing alternatives
Full Story
Remodeling Guides
12 Ways to Get a Luxe Bathroom Look for Less
By Shana Ecker
Your budget bathroom can have a high-end feel with these tricks for choosing tile, stone, furniture and more
Full Story
Dream Spaces
Dream Spaces: A Secret Garden of Your Own
By Kate McKee
Unleash your inner child and create space in your garden for whimsy and romance
Full Story
Most Popular
4 Secrets to a Luxurious Bathroom Look
By Yanic Simard
Give your bathroom a special finish with a few splurges and budget-stretching moves
Full Story
Most Popular
10 Upgrades for a Touch of Kitchen Elegance
Give your kitchen a more refined look by changing just a detail or two
Full Story
Decorating 101
A Designer’s 8 Go-to Decor Pieces
By Yanic Simard
Classic designs such as a Saarinen table and a Chinese garden stool will lift just about any room
Full Story
I'm adding a master bath and putting in transom windows for natural light and so I can see treetops and sky outside. Even putting one in the closet.
Um, yes you can tell that the fake window is a real window: there is light radiating from it.
These are very good ideas, yet many of the pics are taken from bathrooms with windows in them so it does give a false sense of how much light you can bring in with these tricks.
We own our home. When confronted with this problem, we put in a "tubular skylight" - the brand name is Solatube. Really brightens things up. No need to turn on lights during the day.