How can I open up a windowless bathroom?

April Kennedy April Kennedy
Puristisch wohnen im kubischen Einfamilienhaus, Skandella Architektur Innenarchitektur Skandella Architektur Innenarchitektur Baños minimalistas
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We often aspire to a bathroom that is light, white and gleaming bright. But what is your bathroom has no windows, not even one? Well, this doesn't necessarily mean your bathroom is doomed to be dark, dingy and cramped. It just means that your bathroom needs a little bit of extra love.

In some ways, the process of opening up a bathroom without windows is primer on how to introduce life and light into any room in the home. Light, colour and mirrors are always important, but it's also important to consider the how all this might fit into the often small and functional space of a bathroom.

Here are few ideas and beautiful bathrooms that just show how easy it is to turn a windowless bathroom into a place of bright, lively spaciousness.

Use reflective surfaces

It's often advised to use a light colour scheme in a bathroom without windows. This is of course to brighten the room and increase the sense of spaciousness in the room. But look at this fabulous red bathroom by Brazilian architects Piratininga Arquitetos. The highly polished red walls and door creates a visual illusion that triples the sense of spaciousness and goes to show the power of reflective surfaces.

Create a textured lighting scheme

A bathroom without windows means a bathroom without natural light. So it's often a good idea to think extra carefully about the artificial lighting scheme. A lighting scheme with variation and texture will give the bathroom that extra boost of life and interest. Recessed ceiling lights will create a soft effect, while panel lights on shelves and cabinets will add a whole other layer of warmth and sophistication. For a warm, summery look, choose bulbs on warm end of the spectrum.

Use mirrors to reflect light

As we saw earlier, bathroom mirrors have the power to radically increase our sense of space in a bathroom. But they also have the ability to radically brighten up a room by reflecting light. A strategically placed mirror doesn't just bounce around the light from the lighting fixtures, it can also reflect light from the bathroom door. To really take full advantage of this, choose a door made of frosted or stippled glass will allow light to filter through and the mirror to work its magic all day.

Take the vanity off the ground

It's common to have vanity cupboards sitting flush with the ground. The problem with this is that it creates a sort of closed in, boxy feel to the room. For this reason, small bedrooms often work well with a simple sink and a wall cupboard. But what if your windowless bathroom is a little bigger? In this case, consider a full cabinet which is elevated off the ground. Look at how this curvy 1960s style cabinet works. Accent lighting beneath the cabinet just elevates the whole room and introduces a very airy ambience.

Add bright colours

White is often the prime choice for bathroom designers because bright colour means life and light. White also tends to bounce around the room and reflect light. But a white bathroom can sometimes feel a bit ho hum and a badly lit white bathroom can even feel cold. So while it's usually a good idea to avoid dark hues, highly saturated colours with a slightly lighter hue can add a great deal of vibrancy to a room. Just have a look at how much this small aqua blue tile adds a whole lot of verve to this bathroom.

Bring the outdoors inside

Nothing can bring life into your bathroom like the real thing. So consider the natural vibrancy of indoor house plants. Why not go to town and introduce a whole wall of them. Here we can see how a wall full of ferns has added greenery and a natural outdoors feel to the room. It's important though to consider that even the hardiest indoor plants need sunlight. Specialised indoor plant lights will give a lovely glow to the bathroom, but if you have a real green thumb, bring the plants outside for a daily fix of sun.

If you are interested in bathroom designs, you would love this Ideabook: Tips to maximise your space in your bathroom

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