The Complete Guide to Decorating a Windowless Bedroom.

Pros and Cons

The interior of a windowless bedroom differs from regular rooms and has both advantages and disadvantages.

• An additional room. You can even create a layout for a separate bedroom in a one-room apartment.
• Saving money. You won’t have to think about curtains and spend money on them.
• Durability of repairs. Wall and floor coverings, textiles and decor will not fade in sunlight.

• Lack of ventilation. Fresh air must somehow enter the room, and in a bedroom without a window, this is more difficult to achieve.
• Need for additional lighting. A room without windows will be dark even during the day, which means you will need a lot of lighting fixtures.

What colors are best to use?

Not only is a bedroom in an apartment without a window dark, it is often also small, especially if you are arranging a sleeping area in an alcove, closet, pantry or basement.

Based on this, the interior design of a windowless bedroom should be as light as possible. White is the basis of the basics, it visually expands the space, perfectly reflects artificial light. Beige is a warm base shade, will help to achieve a cozy atmosphere in the bedroom. Gray is a cold base tone, if you choose it for a bedroom without a window opening, soften it with warm spectrum lamps.

An exception in terms of color scheme is bedrooms with a glass partition, because they have access to natural light. For such bedrooms, especially southern ones, a cold, darker or more saturated color scheme is acceptable.

The photo shows the design of a bedroom without a window in pastel colors

The following are used in finishing:

• Paint. For walls – the lightest and most glossy, such a coating reflects light even better.
• Photo wallpaper. Will become a bright accent in the bedroom, if chosen correctly. Both panoramic images that enlarge the room and imitation of a window or balcony are possible.
• Ordinary wallpaper with a pattern. For small bedrooms – small patterns, large images look out of place.

An interesting design solution is to decorate one wall or highlight a certain area with a contrasting shade. It can be either pastel or bright, but active color should be used in moderation.

The photo shows a white bedroom with a transom

Organizing the right lighting

You can make a bedroom without a window cozy only with the help of additional lighting. Options for light sources:

• Ceiling chandelier. The smaller the bedroom, the smaller the chandelier. However, the size should not affect its brightness. An excellent option would be a diode model with the ability to adjust the warmth and power of the lighting.
• Spotlights. They are used both instead of and together with a chandelier. You can set the switching on by zones to illuminate only the necessary space, for example, in a corner.
• Bedside lamps. Sconces or two table lamps are suitable for this role. Ideally, if the bulbs in the bedroom have a dimmer – it is comfortable to read in bright light, and get ready for bed in dim light.
• Decorative lighting. The easiest way is to use an LED strip – with its help you can create the effect of a floating bed or highlight a textured wall. A painting with backlighting, garlands in glass vases, and light boxes look no less impressive. The latter are placed both on the walls and on the ceiling.

The photo shows an example of using a lightbox on the wall

The lighting temperature is selected to match outdoor daylight — 4000-5000K. Bedrooms in cold tones are illuminated a little warmer (3500-4000K).

In bedrooms with a transparent partition, there may be fewer lamps. The main thing is not to cover the glass with curtains and do not use frosted glass, otherwise the structure will be of no use.

Thinking through ventilation

The most difficult moment in the arrangement and the main problem in legalizing the redevelopment is the penetration of fresh air into the bedroom. This is a mandatory requirement for any premises, because the impossibility of ventilation can cause the development of fungi and bacteria, which will harm human health.

Today, there are 2 main methods of organizing ventilation:

1. Artificial. This is an engineering system consisting of many pipes and outlets throughout the apartment. It works simultaneously as a ventilator, air conditioner and heater. Considering the pros and cons, the advantages include the efficiency of the system, the disadvantages – the complexity of installation and maintenance. Artificial ventilation is more suitable for private houses, where there is an opportunity and need to install a centralized air system.
2. Supply. A breezer or aerogiver is a compact monoblock that draws air from the street, cleans it and lets it into the apartment. For its successful operation, a through hole in the wall and a socket are enough. In appearance, the ventilator is similar to an air conditioner, the only difference between the devices is that the former cannot heat or cool the air.

You can use an air conditioner in addition to the breezer, but you cannot do without it alone – this device cannot provide an influx of fresh, purified air.

The photo shows the operating principle of the ventilator

What to consider when choosing furniture?

The amount of furniture primarily depends on the size of the bedroom: in a small one, a bed with or without nightstands is enough, in a more spacious one, place an additional wardrobe or table.

If the width of the niche does not allow you to fit a bed with tables, choose a model with shelves at the head of the bed or hang them above the bed. This trick will allow you to do without nightstands and not lose functionality.

When there is no room for a wardrobe or chest of drawers in a bedroom without a window, but you need a storage area, a bed will also come to the rescue. Choose a model with a box under the mattress – it is roomy and comfortable.

Making the wardrobe the same color as the wall will help it blend into a small bedroom and make it almost invisible. Install a separate structure with sliding doors or place sections on both sides and above the bed.

The photo shows a bed in a niche behind a curtain

As for the appearance, follow the rules:

• Glossy, glass, mirror surfaces. All have light-reflecting properties and add air.
• Legs. Even massive furniture like a large bed or wardrobe looks lighter.
• Metal. A forged headboard or thin wicker base looks weightless compared to wooden counterparts.
• Light color. Unlike dark furniture, white, milky or gray furniture does not create a feeling of clutter.

The photo shows a tiny bedroom with shelves

Life hacks for creating coziness

Rooms without windows look unusual and many people feel uncomfortable in them. To soften this feeling, there are several interesting and simple ideas:

Fake window. The desired effect is achieved in several ways, they differ in appearance and cost of implementation.

• A sticker or photo wallpaper is the cheapest and easiest way to imitate a window opening. The advantages of this solution include the ability to choose any landscape – a city, beach, ocean, mountains, forest and even space. A frame will make the image more believable – add it on top of the sticker. The choice of composition and frame also emphasizes the style of the interior. Provence or country – carved wooden shutters, a rural landscape. High-tech — a metal chrome frame, a view of a modern metropolis outside the window. Classic — a view of a forest or estate, baguette decoration.
• Lightbox. Make a custom lamp or assemble it yourself from several boxes with frosted glass. Such a window on the wall imitates soft sunlight. Hang it over the curtains to complete the design of the window opening.

Transparent partition. This solution is suitable only for light rooms. Its main advantage is that during the day the bedroom will not need additional lighting, which means you can save on lamps and electricity bills. The partition can be either a wall with a door or a door on rollers – then you can get into the bedroom from anywhere.

Transparent glass has the greatest light transmission, but if you want to hide the bedroom from prying eyes, use matte glass. Curtains are hung for the same purpose – with them, during the daytime, light penetrates into the bedroom, and at night and in the morning you will not be disturbed by the sun or lamps from the living room.

The photo shows a spacious room with a built-in closet and a glass partition

A window into the next room. In this case, light from the adjoining room will also enter the bedroom, but through a smaller opening. You can design it as:

• A full-fledged window opening with a transom for additional ventilation. Tulle or curtains over such a window will add coziness.
• A transom is a small window under the ceiling. It does not need to be hung with curtains and through such an opening no one from the outside can see what is happening in the bedroom.
• A gap between the partition and the ceiling. You won’t need glass or frames – just when laying the partition, don’t make it all the way to the ceiling, leave a gap through which light and air will penetrate.

Mirrors. It’s no wonder that magicians love them so much – correctly placed reflectors can radically change the space. They are used both in the classic version – hanging on the compartment door or above the headboard of the bed for the illusion of enlargement. And in the unusual – inserting several mirrors into the window frame or creating a decorative window from mirrored photo frames.