Small Bathroom Ideas: 6 Room Brightening Tips for Tiny, Windowless Bathrooms

published May 4, 2014
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(Image credit: Knoxy Knox’s Inviting, Modern Home)

Small, windowless apartment (and house!) bathrooms can sometimes be dark, boring and incredibly uninspiring. Fortunately, there are ways you can add some life and interest to tiny bathrooms, even if they don’t have windows to add light! Here are six things you can do or add to a tiny windowless bathroom that just might help brighten the feel of it.

(Image credit: Kathryn Bacalis)

1. Add air or shade-loving plants
We all know plants in bathrooms are a fabulous, life-giving decor element, but those in windowless bathrooms are often left wondering how to steal the look. Air plants are a great option since they don’t need a lot and can be moved around easily, and you might try a really hardy shade-loving plant to see if it can live in your bathroom, taking it out to grab a little bit of light as needed. And of course, you can always add a bouquet of fresh flowers to bring in life in a windowless bathroom.

2. Have plenty of candles and lamps
Relying on the terrible overhead or over mirror lighting in bathrooms is the worst. If you’re short on space, consider mounting sconces or wall lights onto the wall to add functional light without taking up counter top space. If there’s room and the ability, a fun and unexpected hanging light can help make up for a lack of natural light.

3. Incorporate unusual or unexpected furniture
Especially for those who can’t rip out terrible, standard bathroom cabinets, adding in unexpected furniture — a stool or tiny chair, some unusual accessory — will banish boring and add lots of personality.

4. Paint (or tile) in all one light color
If you can (those who rent like me might not be able to), painting everything — the walls, the ceiling and the floor — a nice white or light surface will expand the feel of the room’s size. Or if you want to do something more drastic, adding in a lot of glossy tile can make a space expand visually.

5. Add extra mirrors and reflective surfaces
You might think the big one over your sink is enough, but if you’ve got the wall space for it (though maybe not right across from your main mirror so as not to get that infinity mirror effect happening), consider adding some more mirrors to help expand the space. Reflective, mirrored accessories can also be a fun addition.

(Image credit: Lonny)

6. Bring in so much color and pattern you forget where you are
Again, you might be limited if you rent, but if you can get away with it, take a page from tiny powder rooms and wrap your small windowless bathroom with bold wallpaper or shower curtains that you forget all about not having any windows. Even when the pattern is dark or busy, it brightens a small space by adding in lots of excitement!

More help:

How do you cope with a tiny, windowless bathroom? Share what ideas you’ve used in the past (or currently) to help out someone and their dark, small bathroom out today!

Re-edited from a post originally published 5.4.14-NT