13 Ways to Make Your Windowless Bathroom Less Dreary

They say natural light has the power to make or break a room, but what do you do when you have no windows to speak of? I have a bathroom with no windows in my new apartment, and I have recently noticed no one ever uses it. It’s easy to bypass the lonely little room in the hallway in favor of the sunny master bath in the bedroom.

And it’s no wonder why. Windowless bathrooms have a tendency to make you feel boxed in. It’s as if you unwittingly got trapped into a shoebox, but you might as well wash your hands while you’re there.

While there’s no beating natural sunlight streaming into the small space, there are ways you can make the half-bath or powder room feel a little less gloomy and claustrophobic. To hack the problem, we turned to professional designers to see what their strategies were when dealing with the closed-in space, as well as Apartment Therapy house tours for inspiration.

1. Have fun with wallpaper.

Even renters can perk up a windowless bathroom with patterned peel-and-stick wallpaper. You also don’t have to commit to an all-over covering, as seen in this colorful Austin, Texas, home where the fun flamingo print intersects with blue tiling.

2. Embrace vintage appliances.

Pastel retro fixtures and monochromatic tiles might not be for everyone, but if a bathroom reno isn’t in the cards, take advantage of these built-in pops of color. It’s easy to modernize the look, too, as evidenced by this Cocoa Beach, Florida, home. The owners wanted to “really lean into the kitschiness” of their 1960s sky-blue bathroom, yet balanced out the space with a contemporary bathmat, IKEA mirror, gallery wall, and sleek black accents.

3. Brighten up your shower curtain.

If you make any design change in a bathroom with no windows, let it be the shower curtain. You can’t go wrong with a single transparent liner — like this pretty-in-pink one, styled in a fashion designer’s 700-square-foot Los Angeles bungalow — which helps make a compact space appear larger and brighter. Or, check out a few favorite styles we’ve spotted from house tours. Either way, a fun shower curtain swap instantly transforms any bathroom on a budget.

4. Install faux architectural details.

Consider zhuzhing up blank bathroom walls with faux architectural elements, like shiplap or picture frame molding. These make for a more tactile, eye-catching alternative to wallpaper or paint — although you can always layer either element in to the design, as well. This formerly all-white space in a West Hollywood condo, for example, gets a soothing makeover with a coat of Sherwin-Williams’ “Svelte Sage.”

5. Decorate with disco balls.

No sunlight is needed to reap the benefits of a disco ball (or multiple!) — the reflection from a bathroom light can still help play up the groovy sparkles and illuminate a dim space. It’s guaranteed to look fun and party-worthy, 24/7.

6. Keep a monochromatic color palette.

Using light/bright colors can help, but to go beyond that, using a monochromatic color palette will help brighten the space even more, says Lee Crowder, national director of design and model experience at Taylor Morrison Homes.  “When you think about colors already within a bath space, like those of the tub, sinks, toilets etc., they are usually white.   Keeping the color scheme simple and along those lines is going to ensure you have a bright space.”

7. Use focused lighting.

“Use lighting that is directed towards the function of the task,” Crowder says.  For example, if you are adding lighting to your vanity — make sure the lighting is directed towards your vanity and if possible, on the sides. Then, says Crowder, replace bulbs with a higher wattage and more of a daylight glow instead of a warm glow. This bright, funky Austin, Texas bathroom vanity gets the job done when it comes to focused lighting.

8. Add a large mirror.

This patterned powder room has plenty of upscale touches that pull attention away from the small size, including this circular mirror that’s suitably large for the space. Combined with light-toned faucets and a minimalist but funky patterned wallpaper, these elements all help brighten the bathroom.

9. Lean into the dark side.

It might feel counterintuitive to make a dark space feel even dimmer, but dark does not necessarily equal gloomy. Caitlin Murray, the founder and designer of Black Lacquer Design, remodeled a small bathroom without any windows last year and made it into a moody, dark, and sexy retreat. This made the lack of windows feel almost intentional.

The trick was to focus on metallic accents, which helped to both grab the small amount of light and amp up the glamour. After all, there’s a difference between a bat cave and slinky room. “

When dealing with a bathroom that lacks natural light, I recommend pulling in metallic finishes and a larger mirror,” Murray explains. “Both of which will brighten up the space and harness the room-expanding magic of reflective materials.”

10. Wow with white.

For those who don’t want to go dark and sultry, another option is tricking the space into feeling airy with a lot of white.

“If you’re open to painting the bathroom, pick a great white paint and prepare for transformation.” Larson Folkerts, a design assistant at Moore House Interiors says. “I recommend avoiding bright colors, as they can make dark spaces feel even darker and smaller without natural light.”

It also helps if you choose a paint with a glossy sheen, which helps to reflect the little light you do have.

11. Focus on your lighting fixtures.

Since you don’t have a window, picking out the correct lighting fixtures will make or break your space. “A centered ceiling fixture or can lights are great for lighting the whole space, while a pair of wall-mounted sconces on either side of a vanity mirror are both practical and pretty,” says Maggie Griffin, the founder and principal designer at Maggie Griffin Design.

Another tip: in order to make the room feel more appealing, consider having fun with your fixtures. Believe it or not, you can beat back the drab feeling with unique sconces that pack personality.

Folkerts recommends looking for fixtures with clear or seeded glass to maximize the light. But she does warn to avoid certain designs: “I suggest avoiding colored or muted glass on your fixtures as they can make the space feel darker,” she explains.

If you already have great light fixtures but are still feeling boxed in, try swapping out the bulbs to ones with more wattage to see if that will make a difference.

12. Double down on wall decor.

Carefully selecting your wall decor can instantly brighten your bathroom — no windows needed. “We love using a wall mirror to help make the space feel bigger and brighter, or artwork that has a bright, white matte frame,” Folkerts explains.

Sometimes the problem isn’t so much that the bathroom feels dark, but it feels too uninviting. Adding in mirrors, wall art that makes you smile, or decor accents that are extra playful makes the room feel more welcoming and cheerful, nixing the drab feeling a windowless room usually creates.

13. Change your shower.

Homeowners, you’ll want to take notes. If you’re struggling with feeling cramped in your windowless bathroom, consider altering your shower doors.

“If you’re open to changing up your shower glass, opt for clear glass rather than frosted or bubbled,” Folkerts says. “Clear glass can make the bath feel bigger and brighter, allowing more light to reach all the corners of the space!”

Griffin adds that frameless shower doors brighten the space, plus finishes like white tile and shiny plumbing fixtures also help to bounce the light. (Psst…If you want to add renter-friendly adhesive tiles to your bathroom, see our article on Smart Tiles!)

In the end, the trick to making a windowless bathroom brighter is both technical and subliminal. You can use practical techniques like picking proper light fixtures and reflective surfaces to make the space feel less cramped. But you can also trick the mind into seeing the closed-in room as a cheerful space with your decor items or chosen themes. Whether you change your lightbulb wattage or overhaul the room into a glamorous oasis, these tips might just transform your bathroom.