Let There Be Light: 18 Ways to Bring Light to a Bathroom With No Windows

While natural light is always the best way to brighten up a room, many bathroom spaces don’t have windows. Fortunately, there are plenty of other ways to illuminate your daily routine and add a warm ambiance to your space.  

From reflective surfaces to lighted mirrors, any one of these suggestions—or a combination—can help you learn how to light a bathroom with no windows. Get inspired to lighten up your bathroom space with these lighting tips from Robern.  

Choose Light Paint or Wallpaper Colors

Light colors more easily reflect light, whether paint, the best bathroom wallpaper, or the finish of furniture like a vanity cabinet. By choosing a lighter color palette for your bathroom, you can bring additional light into the space. Paired with shining metal faucets, the result is a warm space that feels inviting.  

Light Up Your Mirrors or Medicine Cabinets

Making sure you have plenty of light around your vanity space is critical to the ease of your daily routines. You can add lights around your medicine cabinets or install lighted bathroom mirrors to see more clearly and bring an abundance of light to the space.  

Improve the Ambiance With Recessed Lighting

For a more subtle illumination, recessed lighting for bathrooms with no windows can provide a warm ambiance and gently brighten up the room. Whether in the ceiling or scattered around a wall like in this space, this lighting can add a soft glow that evokes the sense of natural light even in a bathroom without windows.  

Go Big With a Chandelier

If you’re wondering how to add a light to a bathroom with no windows, overhead bathroom lighting can often bring plenty of illumination into a space. Create an elegant vibe with a luxurious chandelier that shows off your personal taste and style.

Choose an Elegant Light Fixture  

When you want your bathroom to exude a sense of elegance without an opulent chandelier, consider a light fixture that offers warm illumination. The details on this hanging light fixture mesh well with the room’s luxe feel.  

Exude Opulence With Sconces

Wall sconces are a traditional option for lighting a bathroom, whether framing the doorway or the best bathroom mirrors. Available in a wide variety of designs and styles, you can choose sconces that match the color palette of your bathroom for a more cohesive design.  

Reflect Light With Gold Details

Just like lighter hues, gold accents can help reflect light, making a space seem brighter even if no natural light is present. The shine of this gold faucet paired with the light colors of this space make the entire bathroom feel bright and open. Make sure to choose the best light bulbs for bathrooms with no windows to ensure comprehensive illumination.  

Make a Statement With Bold Lighting

In addition to being functional, lighting can also be stylish, serving as an artistic statement in your overall bathroom design. A striking hanging chandelier like this fixture can help illuminate the space while also focusing the room’s sensibility.  

Opt for Neutral Hues

To make a space feel brighter, consider choosing lighter neutral colors, like light gray, beige, and tan. Paired with light metal details, such as this chic bowl sink, the result is a space that feels modern and warm.  

Pair Traditional Lighting With Warm Wood

Send your bathroom design in a more Scandinavian direction with warm wood details, from flooring to the vanity and even the ceiling. The wood in this space pairs with white and light colors to create a spa-like design that evokes a sense of relaxation and rejuvenation.  

Add Multiple Overhead Lights

Combine multiple types of lighting—or multiple lights—to give your bathroom the warm illumination of natural light. The smaller lights in the ceiling here don’t distract from the room’s cool tones and modern design, while still providing plenty of lighting.

Take Advantage of the Reflective Power of Glass

Reflective surfaces can bounce the light in your bathroom back to create a brighter look and feel. Consider taking advantage of reflective materials like glass, not just in vanity mirrors, but in shower doors and other areas throughout the space. Choose medicine cabinets with lights to add even more illumination.  

Go Modern With a Statement Light Fixture

Transform your bathroom into a modern space with a statement light fixture, like this playful globe lighting. Not only do bold lights provide much-needed illumination, but they can also allow you to express your style and design sensibilities.  

Let the Mirror Add Light  

Small sizes, like alcoves or smaller bathrooms, can be challenging to light, so take advantage of several strategies to create natural-feeling illumination. This vanity space uses a large lighted mirror paired with light neutral colors to help the alcove feel more open and provide plenty of light for daily routines.  

Keep the Space Open

The fewer obstructions in a bathroom, the easier it will be for light to move through the room. Keep your space as open as possible, allowing light to easily bounce from light fixtures, mirrors, flooring, and furniture.  

Play With Textured Walls

A textured accent wall can play with light and shadow, adding visual interest to a bathroom while simultaneously brightening the space. This light-colored wall pairs well with the light vanity and linen cabinet, as well as the rug and floors, to create a warm and open-feeling space.  

Create a Mirror Gallery Wall

A gallery wall is a stylish way to show off your decorating taste and ability, but if you want to bring more light into a space, consider creating a gallery wall entirely of mirrors. Choose different sizes and frames to suit your bathroom’s aesthetic and help your overall design flow smoothly.  

Shed Light on a Vanity Alcove

Use wall scones, lighted mirrors, and other lighting options to turn a vanity alcove into a warm and inviting space.