While most bathrooms will have one or two windows to let natural light in, the occasional windowless bathroom still exists. Of course, the obvious solution would be to renovate adding a window. What if you only want a small-scale bathroom remodel?
Believe it or not, there are a few simple remodeling tricks you can do to brighten up your bathroom, And they don’t require cutting a hole in the wall.
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1. Smart Lighting Solutions
Aside from bringing in natural light, windows also bring in horizontal light streams. These horizontal light streams provide an aesthetic contrast to the vertical light stream coming from overhead ceilings lights. Without this directional contrast, ceiling lights tend to not only look overpowering or unimpressive but also create shadows.
Using wall-mounted sconces can help provide horizontal light streams in a windowless bathroom. These, in turn, will compliment your overhead lights and make the overall space look brighter.
Some Other Bathroom Remodel Options:
- Place lighting over or next to mirrors to enhance light reflection and create depth, giving the illusion of a bigger bathroom.
- Enhance the ceiling lights with wall-mounted lighting fixtures that point upward. Like horizontal streams, these will contrast (or contradict) the downward vertical light stream. They will also reflect light off of the ceiling, effectively brightening up the bathroom.
2. Glass Is Your New Best Friend
One way to maximize the light in your bathroom is to avoid surfaces that absorb the light. This can dim the entire room, making it look smaller and more cramped.
During your bathroom remodel, stay away from darker colors and non-reflective surfaces like granite, cement, and matte finishes. These suck in all the light without giving any back.
Instead, opt for polished metal and lots of glass. Mirrors are absolute magic at making smaller spaces look wider and brighter (more about this later). Their naturally reflective quality can bounce any light source around the room, and surfaces like metal and glass can reflect that light right back.
And don’t worry about the lack of color. Any professional remodeler will know how to mix and match metal, glass, and chrome to create a classy or dramatic style that suits your aesthetic.
Some Other Bathroom Remodel Options:
- Lucite (also called Plexiglas) is another great surface for accessories in a windowless room. They are interesting to look at and can provide a nice, uniform complement to the reflective surfaces in the bathroom. Lucite accessories will also feel like they encroach less on your space than opaque decorations.
3. Many, Many Mirrors
As we mentioned earlier, mirrors are absolute magic at making smaller spaces look bigger. By reflecting a good portion of the room, mirrors can help expand the space — especially if they take up a substantial part of the wall.
For your bathroom remodel, use a mix of small and large mirrors to add depth and dimension. Try adding floor-to-ceiling mirrors to widen the walking areas. Full-length mirrors are great near light sources, as they can maximize the reflected light. Use small or medium-sized vanity mirrors above counters to give the illusion of a bigger, roomier ceiling space.
Some Other Bathroom Remodel Options:
- Use a mix of framed and frameless mirrors to really bring out your bathroom’s aesthetic. Framed mirrors can give you nice, clean dividing lines. Frameless mirrors will give the illusion of more space.
As you can see, a bathroom remodel to brighten up a windowless bathroom doesn’t have to be complicated. By selecting the best combination of surfaces, décor, and colors, you can make even the smallest bathrooms seem bigger, airier, and more spacious.
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