5 Ways to bring Light into Windowless Rooms

You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone – a common saying that is certainly true when it comes to dressing and styling a windowless room. You will miss the warmth, colour and light of daylight, the golden hues of dusk and the fresh lighter yellow of the rising sun.

There are, however, plenty of tips and tricks for making a windowless room lighter and more vibrant – so whether you are looking for a quick fix or a longer term solution to grabbing and using as much light in a room as you can, we have five great ideas for you to try…

#1 Glass balustrade on staircases

The hallway can sometimes seem a little dark and dingy. Without a window, the stairs can become nothing more than a thoroughfare through which we dart quickly on our way to somewhere else.

A great way of bouncing more light around a space is to use a glass balustrade, similar to those designed and installed by leading companies. Any staircase of hallway needs a balustrade for safety to prevent falls as well as something to grab on to but they don’t have to be wooden balustrades.

Tempered, safety glass can be crystal clear or opaque, but both allow natural light through it, bouncing it around the space too. Team it with light colour wood for a handrail and chose minimalist components and fixings to have a great streamlined style.

#2 Mirrors

The use of mirrors in any space is a great idea for all kinds of reasons:

• Reflective – the reflective qualities of mirrors have long been known and so it comes as no surprise that any space that struggles for light that the addition of a mirror can make a huge difference.

• Add depth – a smaller room will also benefit from a mirror as it adds the illusion of depth, always welcome in a small space as well as one suffering a light-deficit

• Breaks up expanse of wall – in larger, windowless spaces, a large expanse of wall can be problematic. Adding a large mirror can make all the difference but don’t go for wall to ceiling mirror; instead opt for a larger mirror with a gap of around to four to six inches between the top of the frame and the ceiling line.

#3 White or ‘barely there’ blue walls

The use of colour can also be a quick fix when it comes to adding more light to a windowless or awkwardly lit room.

Darker colour and shades absorb light thus avoiding these colours will make a huge difference. Painting a space in bright white can have an instant lightening effect in a space but if you feel that this is simply too clinical, opt for a very pale blue instead. You may have been cautioned that blue has a cooling effect, making a space cold but in a windowless room it adds some colour interest without absorbing light.

Some of the well-known paint manufacturers are also creating paints that have additional light reflecting properties that according to them, make a space more open and light. If you are struggling with light, it makes sense to give it a go.

#4 Large art works

Like a mirror, a large piece of art can be a great way of adding both interest to a space, and reflecting the light in the room too.

However, choose your artwork carefully:

• Frame – choose a light coloured wooden frame. White or metallic frames also work well in windowless rooms and spaces. Again, avoiding darker coloured frames means you are avoiding colours that absorb light.

• Light art work – you may love dark, dramatic landscapes or moody modern art but in a windowless space where light is at a premium, it could look too imposing. Choose lighter coloured art work, preferably with a lighter background too.

#5 French doors

If some of the quick fixes are still not quite encouraging and using as much light as possible, you need to introduce a little more light to a space.

One great way of doing this is to change any doors from solid to doors such as French windows or half panel glazed doors. If you are worried about privacy, opting for frosted glass is one way of adding a little more light without feeling exposed in an area.

Many rooms cry out for more light and it can be difficult to know what to do to make this happen. Smaller changes that cost relatively little can make a big difference but some other larger changes, such as glass balustrades and so on can also have a permanent effect.