6 ways to decorate a windowless room, according to interior designers who have tackled the challenge

Windowless rooms often get a bad reputation for being uninspiring and dim spaces to decorate. However, with a little imagination and the right advice, these rooms have the potential to be transformed into a haven of warmth and charm.

The lack of natural light can be an opportunity to go bolder with your decisions, embrace new interior design trends, and get creative with clever layouts, lighting, and decorations.

But we understand windowless rooms do come with challenges, and you don't often see beautiful examples to get you inspired. So we have spoken with designers who have tackled windowless, or very low-light, spaces to find out what they did to make their dark powder rooms, bathrooms, and entryways feel just as welcoming and well-thought-out as their light-filled counterparts.

1. Fill the room with glossy surfaces

It's interior design 101 that glossy, reflective surfaces maximize light even in the darkest of rooms. So, when decorating a space without a window, it makes sense to follow this tried and tested technique.

Gloss paint has been making a comeback in recent years, and we have seen plenty of wonderful examples of how it can change a room from drab to dramatic. Case in point, this cloak room, designed by Sarah Vaile.

The space is a windowless walkway, and Sarah wanted it to become a space where guests paused to drop off coats and congregated in smaller groups – a playful room. She chose Framboise by Sherwin-Williams in a high-gloss so any light from the adjoining rooms would be reflected.

Cleverly decorating with mirrors comes into play here, too. Sarah explains, ‘We are huge fans of using mirrors in windowless spaces to reflect light,' and behind the built-in seating, there is an entirely mirrored wall, which not only makes the small room feel bigger but also makes it feel lighter, despite the lack of windows.

'Mirrors are a powerful tool in small, windowless spaces,' agrees designer Heather French. 'Strategically placed mirrors can amplify existing light sources, creating the illusion of more space and openness. Position them to reflect light from fixtures or focal points to maximize their effect and enhance the room’s overall brightness.'

2. Go bolder with color and prints

‘Don't be afraid of color when it comes to a windowless space. White is one of the worst colors you can use in this context as, without light, it feels sterile and flat,' rightly states Andrew Griffiths from A New Day studio.

There's a reason there's a tendency to go bolder in a powder room. These small, windowless spaces are often the best rooms to be braver with your design decision since they tend not to be rooms you spend too much time in, so you don't have to live full-time with a busy pattern or bright color.

As Heather explains, 'These are the perfect spaces to go for a fabulous wallpaper you’ve been eager to try or a riskier shade of paint you absolutely love.'

Jennifer Walter from Folding Chair Design who designed this windowless bathroom also suggests a dramatic approach. 'It's a great opportunity to create a cozy, inviting space that feels enveloped in color or pattern. We love painting rooms like this from trim to moldings in one, deep color or patterned wallpaper. By doing this, you create a jewel box rather than a black hole.’

In this small bathroom, Jennifer has certainly taken a bolder approach. The busier print works to blur the boundaries of the room and make it appear bigger, and the larger mirror almost acts like a window to bounce around borrowed light from the adjoining room. And note the gloss ceiling, a clever way to subtly introduce the paint trend

3. Illuminate a windowless room with layered lighting

This sounds like a very obvious tip for designing a room with no window, but it's not just about adding in more light sources; it's about layering the light sources. You almost want to imitate natural light by creating soft pools that fill the room, rather than just one strong overhead source.

Jennifer Walter suggests the importance of combining different types of lighting to create depth in the room. She suggests, ‘a mixture of ambient and accent lighting can also add to the depth of a windowless room. Use overhead, task, and low-lighting to fill the space from top to bottom.’

Heather French agrees that using a mix of different types of lighting and lighting styles can elevate a windowless room. She explains, ‘Use a mix of overhead fixtures, wall sconces, and table lamps to build a layered lighting scheme. One clever lighting idea that works in a room without a window, is to go for the jewelry box effect – do this by choosing a mix of statement-making fixtures that play off each other to collectively create a sense of layered luxury in your space.'

4. Add interest with plenty of textures

A lack of natural light means that a windowless room has the potential to look a bit flat. This is why adding layers of texture is key to adding interest and softness.

‘One of the key things you want to introduce is texture. A flat space without natural light will feel really clinical and unwelcoming, so look to bring in a mix of different textures,’ advises Andrew Griffiths. ‘In this small windowless shower room, we used a mix of tiles, micro cement, and wood to create interest and contrast. The use of wood on the floor and shower seat delivers an important element of warmth and natural texture in a space that would otherwise feel cold and uninviting.’

'Exude a cocoon-like ambiance,' adds Heather French. ‘Focus on comfort and warmth by opting for rich, textured fabrics like velvet, wool, or linen. And patterns play a key role here too. Introducing a mix of layered patterns throughout the room will create depth and visual interest that’s more palpable in a cozy, windowless space than in a wide-open room drenched with natural light.'

5. Consider your flooring choice carefully

There's a lot of focus on what's going on on the walls in a windowless room, but the wrong flooring choice can sap the room of light. ‘Rugs can feel flat and heavy on a floor if the texture and color used for the rug aren’t ideal for the space; a room without windows can make this process even trickier,' says designer Jennifer Manners.

Opt for lighter colors at floor-level and use them to create a balance with the tones of lighting going on elsewhere in the room. As Jennifer explains, with all that soft, warm artificial lighting you often find in a windowless room, introducing just a few cool tones is no bad thing. ‘If warm lightbulbs are used in a windowless room, choose a cooler, more blue-toned, neutral shade of color for the rug, so that the overall effect isn’t too muddy or tending towards orange.’

If chosen strategically, your flooring choice can also help to reflect light. ‘For fibers, I would suggest silks be utilized in at least part of the rug as the silk reflects light (even artificial), making the rug more dynamic and interesting on the floor,’ advises Jennifer.

6. Pick custom furniture that perfectly fits the space

Furniture is bulky, you can't get around that, but you can choose pieces that will allow light to travel around them, so you aren't instantly blocking as small amounts of light light from flowing around the room. Pick pieces that are on legs or are low slung or have open sides.

Or another option is to go bespoke with your furniture ideas, design a piece that's perfect for the space and fills it exactly. As Heather French explains, 'Windowless rooms are ideal for incorporating custom furnishings tailored to fit perfectly', says Heather French. 'This is particularly true for small rooms, where bespoke touches like custom furnishings bring a sense of purpose and thoughtfulness that elevate the overall design.’

Sarah Vaile suggests strategically placing the furniture to maximize the space in the room too. ‘We typically will position the furniture right up against the wall, with either an art gallery or mirror above to add interest to a windowless wall. We also love a custom sofa to wrap around the room since a room with no windows really lends itself to a movie room.'

Designing a windowless room may have a few more challenges to overcome than light-filled spaces, but rather than fight against the space, lean into its coziness. Choose brighter colors, bolder prints, and break all the rules we think you should follow when working with a room that's lacking natural light. If these spaces prove anything, it's that going for a boring white walled box is only going to draw attention to the fact that there is no window.