How to Decorate a Room With No Windows

Some rooms are simply windowless. It could be a guest room in a basement, a hallway, powder room, or even an interior bathroom or kitchen in an apartment or townhouse that lacks a window. The trick to decorating a dark, windowless room is to create the illusion that there’s a window in the space. Then add in plenty of the right lighting along with light and airy furniture and fabrics.

Simulate the Look of a Window

This easy trick can be accomplished in two ways. Hang an oversized mirror on a wall or hang floor to ceiling drapery on a rod. For extra depth on the wall that creates a window-like effect, hang drapery on a rod over a large mirror. Here are a few placement ideas that will give you the feeling that there’s a window in the room.

• In a basement guest room, create the aura of a window behind a headboard by hanging floor-to-ceiling drapery that’s kept closed.
• In a windowless living room or guest room, mount a mirror with divided panes of glass that makes it look like a window. Place it next to your sofa, chair, or bed and then hang curtains as you would on a regular window.
• Mount a large mirror on a wall opposite a sofa or bed, and add wooden shutters or blinds over the mirror for the illusion of a window.
• In a kitchen or bathroom, add a mirror the size of a window across from your sink, then hang a green plant near it so that it’s reflected to give the illusion that there’s a bit of foliage peeking indoors.

If you don’t want to create a faux window, take advantage of the magic of mirrors by hanging a few of varied sizes throughout your windowless space. Drape a string of white lights around them for added sparkle. The mirrors will work together to reflect and bounce light around the room for a dazzling effect.

Use the Right Lighting

It’s especially critical to have enough layered lighting in a windowless room. Overhead fixtures (think crystal chandeliers that reflect light), accent, and task lighting with clear glass or light, sheer shades to hang or place on the table or floor, will work together to create a brilliantly lit room. Add track or recessed lights strategically aimed at dim corners and to highlight artwork around the room. Run light strips underneath upper and lower cabinetry and inside exposed shelving to brighten surfaces with diffused lighting, especially in a windowless kitchen.

Bulbs Matter

Bulbs impact how a windowless room looks and feels. Color temperature (bluish mimics daylight while soft/warm white is more yellow like an incandescent bulb’s glow, for example) is a personal choice. However, as a guide, choose LED bulbs with the brightness of 1,100 lumens (equivalent to 75-watt incandescent bulbs) or 1,600 lumens (equivalent to 100-watt incandescent bulbs) in your preferred color temperature to compensate for the lack of natural light coming into the room.

Keep It Light and Simple

Decorate a windowless room like you would a small space, with lots of light colors and fuss-free furniture. There are a few more tricks to turning a windowless room into a breezy, bright space.

25 living room paint color ideas to give your space a refresh

Time for a living room update? Just check out these inspiring living room paint color ideas for a quick and easy revamp

On the hunt for living room paint color ideas? We all know the power of paint, we know what it can do to a room, how it can take a tired look magnolia blah space and turn into a gloriously stylish, fresh feeling space. And what we love so much about paint is that 1. it’s cheap (ish) 2. you can grab a paintbrush yourself this weekend and create that gloriously stylish, fresh feeling space yourself.

And yes, maybe it’s not as easy as picking up a paintbrush and totally revamping your living room, but that’s where we come in. Here you’ll find loads of lovely ideas and advice on living room paint. So whether you are a neutrals lover looking to adding a bit of color to your set up, or an avid trend follower who wants to know what color they should be painting their space this month, you’ll get a ton of inspiration here.

Obviously, there is a practical element to whatever living room color you choose – things like size and how much natural light your room gets may affect what living room paint you can go for – but we’ve covered all of that too.

• Starting from scratch? Our living room design piece is sure to help you out.

1. Add color at the windows

Painted window frames are a trend we have been seeing all over Pinterest for a while now. It’s a cute way of adding some color to a living room without fully committing to a full wall – a new version of the feature wall if you will. Black works really well if your room is big enough to handle a dark color around the window, but experience with brighter shades too and bring them into the rest of the space with your soft furnishings and decor.

2. Bring in light with a soft grey

If you are looking for a living room paint color that just going work in all sized spaces, all levels of natural light, a pale warm toned grey is the way to go. This is outr go to shade in fact. It’s just so versatile and works with any style too from elegant, traditional living rooms to more relaxed, rustic style

3. Go for bold color clashes (that totally work)

Now this is a look, and we know it won’t be for everyone but we are obsessed! The colors are bold yes, but actually, because the space is kept so minimalist it doesn’t feel overwhelming.

Plus even though orange and blue are technically contrasting colors, the orange here actually softens the blue, making it feel less radical, and that touch of blush pink only adds to that. And the rug! The rug brings the whole color scheme together perfectly. BRB while we go and order a pot of bright blue paint to experience with this weekend.

4. Create a serene feel with green

Green is such a great color for living rooms as it apparently evokes calm, and who doesn’t want to feel serene while watching Netflix? Forest greens look gorgeous if your living room gets a lot of light. And don’t be afraid to layer up the green too, a green wall lots fab with a green sofa and of course some green plants to add some lovely texture.

5. Paint exposed brick to add texture

Everyone loves an exposed brick wall, but sometimes the orange hues just don’t work with the vibe you are going for. But it would be a waste to cover up all that lovely rustic texture no? So why not paint it in a color that suits your scheme better.

6. Be bold and go multi-colored in your living room

Okay, this look won’t be for everyone, but we are loving this fun, whimsical but also kind of chic and contemporary vibe. The color combos are just so gorgeous and actually because they are quite muted and the space is big enough to handle all this color, it doesn’t feel too mad.

If you want to recreate this look use the paler tone as an easy-to-live-with backdrop and paint different shapes in similar tones and a single, contrasting bolder color on one wall.

7. Create an accent wall in your living room

Feature walls have gotten a bit of a bad rap as being a bit of a 90s trend that involved some kind of single purple wall in a sea of cream. But alas, they have made a much cooler comeback in recent years and we think they are the best way to bring some color into your living room if you aren’t full on ready to commit or if you want to add a focus to an otherwise neutral space.

8. Create depth with one bold shade for walls and doors

Painting a living room a deep color might look a tad too traditional for your taste, but this kind of color scheme can be given a contemporary twist if the paint shade is carried through to the woodwork – doors, skirting and picture rails – too. Balance it with furnishings in paler colors, and add texture to the scheme with wooden flooring.

9. Living room paint ideas with a difference? Tackle the ceiling

The hottest living room paint trend for the year ahead is to paint your ceiling a color. Yes! So, swear off the white emulsion, and pick up a bold shade for your living room color instead. Carry the shade down to picture rail level to create a cohesive feel, and pick a light but warmer tone for the walls. Team with accessories and soft furnishings that have touches of your chosen ceiling colour to complete the look.

We should probably mention too, you can easily learn how to paint a ceiling yourself, just check out our step-by-step guide.

10. Pick tonal pairings for space-enhancing living room paint ideas

Painting a living room with two tones of the same color is an easy way to add interest while maintaining a feeling of space – but always use the darker shade on the lower part of the walls and the lighter one above if you want to make your ceiling feel higher than it is and your room seem larger.

11. Go for monochrome living room paint ideas

Black isn’t often a color we consider as a living room color, but take a tip from the Scandinavians: it works. Here, it looks fabulous contrasted with crisp off-white paint, but bear in mind that the key to getting the finish right is balance. In other words, break up the black with plenty of white: on ceilings, flooring, and other walls. Introduce texture and warmer tones, too, with accessories. In this living room, pendant lights, the artwork on the sideboard, and the white and wood tones of the sideboard itself all provide relief.

12. Experiment with darker shades in a living room

Darker, dramatic paint colors are increasingly popular in living rooms, especially in spaces that are mainly used during the evening. But, if you want your living room to feel warm, bright and welcoming during the daytime, too, contrast furnishings and flooring in lighter colors with the paint color on your walls. If you love this look, go and find more inspiration in our dark and atmospheric decorating ideas.

13. Invoke a calming space with blue and white paint

How fresh and crisp does this blue living room feel? And it’s all thanks to that contrasting white woodwork. It really lifts the blue walls and balances out the darker colors. It also means you could introduce black accents to the room. We know traditionally navy and black should never mix, but with plenty of white thrown in there, it totally works. It feels so contemporary and fresh and gives even this traditional living room a modern twist. Definitely a color combo we will be testing out.

14. Choose on trend grey living room paint ideas

There’s something very classic about grey and white together and it’s a color scheme that works brilliantly for both modern living rooms and traditional living rooms. There are many different shades of grey to choose from; some have blue tones, others are pinker. Not sure which living room paint to choose? Err on the side of caution with pinker tones, which will make your room feel warmer.

Obsessed with grey interiors? Yep, us too, so we wrote a whole feature on grey living room design ideas.

15. Add a splash of deep green

Green is soothing color – the perfect living room paint shade – and one that’s ideal for merging indoor and outdoor spaces, so a great choice if your living space overlooks the garden. The key is to pick the right tones to suit your room. Yellow-greens will add warmth to east- or north-facing rooms, and greens with a hint of blue are great for rooms that get lots of sunlight as they will cool the room down.

16. Monochrome and pink? A dreamy combination

Pink isn’t always super-girly. Your living room needn’t look like the inside of a Polly Pocket house. Pair these sugary hues with a simple monochrome scheme for a grown up take on the trend. The bold print of the rug and the dark fireplace surround really work to ground the room, stopping it becoming too. pink.

• If you love pink interiors as much as we do, we have dedicated a whole feature to pink room ideas.

17. Or go for a pastel pink living room paint

If pastel pink is a bit too saccharine for you, choose a more muted, plaster-toned pink for your living room color. If you are after a shade that’s more. mature, pick a living room paint idea that has a warmer, duskier undertone. Something like Farrow and Ball’s Sulking Room Pink, which has been used in this living room. Keep the look fresh by pairing it with bright, crisp whites.

18. Go bold with a coral coloured living room paint

Since Living Coral was named at Pantone’s Colour of the Year back in 2019, there has been a surge in orangey-hued interiors. We admit that at first we were dubious, but now we can’t get enough of this bright and versatile color!

You could be brave and paint all four walls or, for you commitment-phobes, try out just painting one feature wall. If you just want a pop of peach, pinch this living room paint idea and just paint your shutters or pick out a coral window treatment instead for a more subtle nod at the trend.

19. Don’t be afraid of beige

Beige room ideas might not seem like the most exciting of schemes but, take it from us, this once shunned color is making a comeback. Beige is a comforting, inviting color to use in your home, making it the perfect hue for living room. Give it more of a contemporary edge by pairing it with cool greys and crisp whites.

20. Paint the floor boards in your living room

Much like the neglected ceiling, we often forget to look to the floor when it comes to looking for living room paint ideas. Painting floorboards is a great way to update a room on a budget – especially if you have the time to tackle the job as a DIY project. Ideally, you should use floor paints for a long-lasting finish, but most good quality paints suitable for woodwork will give you a surprisingly tough floor.

21. Add a pop of colour to an alcove

Go for a twist on the feature wall and add some interest to your living room by painting an alcove. In this living room, even just the small pop of yellow adds some sunny vibes to the space and gives the otherwise all white living room a lift. Also because you are only painting such a small section you can afford to be pretty bold and brave with your color choice.

22. Go for an all white colour scheme

Can you believe we have got all the way to number 22 and not mentioned white paint! White living rooms, while perhaps not the most practical are really dreamy spaces, so if you’ve got a lifestyle that can hack it, go for it. Paint the walls white, paint the floors white. Just give it a bit of a lift with some house plants, wooden accents and a few pieces of darker furniture.

There’s plenty more where this came from in our white living room ideas feature, so head there next.

23. Layer up neutral shades

There’s something so grounding about earthy tones and this stunning room is no exception. The textures anchor this look – the coir rug, the slubby linen cushions and the rattan blinds. Then some contrast is added with the black-framed furniture and the monochrome print. All the colors are neutral yet each one has its place to provide this room with depth and a sense of peace.

24. Be brave and combine pink and yellow

You just can’t look at this room without feeling happier right? Pink and yellow are a bold combo yes, but styled right together they can look really chic, in a fun and creative way. This living room actually feels really classic and elegant, despite the bold colors. To the wooden accents and quirky prints complete the look perfectly – eccentric but also liveable and we love it.

25. Go full on gothic with black paint

We really are saving up some of the best looks till last. Check out this fabulous black living room. The dark wall really make all the golds pop and creates such a statement space that still feels really cozy and inviting.

Note the wallpapered ceiling here too! A white ceiling would have look too stark and a black one potentially too gloomy, so this light grey wallpaper works perfectly.

Hebe joined the Real Homes team in early 2018 as Staff Writer. As a renter, she is always looking for creative ways to make her flat feel like home. She loves boho and 70’s style and is a big fan of Instagram as a source of interiors inspiration.