5 ways to make the bathroom less cramped because of the lack of windows

In addition, glass can be used to make fake windows. In a recent bathroom renovation project, designer Amanda "Birdy" Pierce of Birdsong Design in Augusta, Georgia (USA) used a vaulted wall cabinet with glass doors to reflect light. "It helps to replace what is lost due to the absence of windows," she said.

Various bright tones

Many homeowners believe that the way to fix a dark space is to use bright white everywhere. But some designers warn that all white can make people think of a hospital. Therefore, the secret to creating a bright, airy space effect is to combine many different white tones, from milky white to ice white.

Restrooms renovated by Lisa Mettis. Photo: Anna Stathaki

Another way, as suggested by designer Lisa Mettis of Born and Bred Studio in London (UK) is a counter-intuitive solution. In a small downstairs toilet designed by Mettis, she plasters the baseboards with green tiles and the top to the ceiling with floral wallpaper. "All you see are flowers. You forget the fact that there is no natural light," she said.

Increase ventilation

Another way to avoid the claustrophobic feeling of confined spaces is to increase ventilation. When renovating a 3.5-square-foot washroom in Palo Alto, California (USA), Flax Interiors designer Emily Flaxman installed an exhaust fan twice the capacity of the old one to ensure all the air was moist. can get out.

For the layout of the ensuite bathroom in the master bedroom, designer Gretchen Murdock of Modtage Design in San Francisco (USA) sometimes aids the flow of it with large doorways that open up the space in the bedroom. "Leaving them open allows you to take in light and air from the space next to them," she says.

Pay attention to how to choose lights

When there is no sunlight, it is necessary to be clever in choosing the right artificial light. According to interior director Josh Manes at Josh Manes Architecture (New York, USA), the Edison filament light bulb is a very bad solution for the bathroom. "It can be blinding and the exposed bulbs create terrible shadows," he says.

Pair of alabaster lamps on either side of the mirror in the bathroom by Josh Manes. Photo: Kirsten Francis

To eliminate this defect in a recent bathroom renovation project, he replaced 2 Edison bulbs with a pair of alabaster lamps. They diffuse light through the natural ridged rock, giving a soft, dreamy and less dull light feel.