If you live in a city apartment or an urban rowhouse—or you have a finished basement—you might be familiar with the challenges of decorating a room without windows. These cave-like spaces may be totally lacking in natural light, but that doesn’t mean they have to be lacking in bright style.
There are a few tricks of the trade that can bring artificial light into a space, making it seem as if it’s streaming with sunshine from every angle (well, almost). From hidden lighting to a myriad of mirrors, here’s how you can brighten up a room without windows.
1. Paint the room a bright white.
Don’t have any natural sunlight in a room? Bring in the light yourself! Paint the walls a bright, crisp white. Aim for a white that leans cooler rather than warmer — a white with yellow undertones might look muddy in a space without windows, while a white with blue tones will seem lit from within.
2. Layer the lighting.
In a room where you have natural light, layered lighting is there to add ambiance. The general rule in most rooms is to turn off the overhead lights. But, in a space without windows, you’ll leave the overhead lights on and add lamps. The effect should result in light streaming in from above, while there’s ambient light all around.
3. Add wall sconces.
Lamps and overhead lights are the obvious choices when creating your lighting plan, but wall sconces add a glow that feels softer and more unexpected. To stylishly brighten up a room without windows, add a pair of Poplights on either side of a door, dresser, or large piece of art to bring in both cheerful color and much-needed light to a windowless room.
Matte Black Poplight
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4. Choose light furniture.
Pale colors reflect light better, so anywhere you can bring in more light colors is a win (ideally white!). This goes for both upholstery and furniture. And, on any hard surface, opt for a glossy white if possible. The gleaming surface will reflect even more light.
5. Don’t hold back with mirrors.
Think of mirrors as your secret trick to double whatever lighting you have in your space. Even if you don’t have a window with streaming sunlight, you can place the mirror across from a lamp or near a chandelier to reflect that light back into the space. Your eye won’t immediately know whether the light comes from outside or a lamp; it’ll just see that the space is illuminated. Want to go a step further? Find a mirror that resembles a window, panes and all.
6. Hide lighting.
Light coming from a vague source that you can’t quite place will make it appear as if even a windowless room has natural light. Think about hiding a string of lights behind a headboard or above a drapery rod. It will seem as if there’s a warm, natural glow coming from beyond.
7. Hang drapery.
Fake it ‘til you make it. If a room doesn’t have windows, that doesn’t mean you can’t hang drapery as if you do. Install floor-to-ceiling drapery to give the illusion of a window that you’re purposefully hiding. Use this as a spot for your stealth lighting to go a step further, nailing your goal of finding the best way to brighten up a room without windows.
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