Bathroom lighting is a very important part in giving any bathroom the desired look and feel. Whether a bathroom looks big, small, dark, too bright or completely tasteless, lights can surely change the way things appear. For most bathrooms, lighting is used to groom ourselves better with adequate lighting at right corners. Without proper lighting, there can be ugly shadows in the bathroom and we will never get to see the real us. Bathroom lighting also includes vanity lighting or mirror lighting and this brings in the appropriate light fixtures. So let’s take a look at the different ways to light our bathrooms so that all it serves the purpose aptly.
Bathroom Light Fixtures
Bathroom light fixtures are very important and they are meant more for our utility
rather than decorating the
bathroom.
So simply putting a light fixture in a position because it looks
good is not the answer to your bathroom lighting needs. The placement
of bathroom light fixtures should be placed in a fashion that light
up your faces completely and reduce the shadows under the chin and
eyes to the minimum. The ideal height for bathroom lighting should
be at forehead height. This helps in decreasing the shadows on all
sides of the face. Also remember to keep the lights at least two
and a half feet apart from each other. If you are going for a specific
kind of setting like putting the bathroom lights directly on the
mirror, then you need to be more careful because not all types of
setting complements this look. If your bathroom is larger with hardly
any natural light coming in then one can also go for additional
light fixtures fitted to the ceiling.
Setting the Bathroom Lights
The best lighting for bathrooms are incandescent light fixtures or bulbs that give the feeling of natural lighting in the bathroom. Avoid fluorescent lights as they tend to make the room a bit pale or green sometimes. Select the bathroom lights that are clear and bright. Make sure that they don’t change colors at different times in the day. Also going for complicated or delicate fixtures are a bit difficult to maintain in the bathroom as there is going to be moisture in the bathroom. Go for easy to maintain and stylish fixtures. One can also have bathroom lighting inside the cabinets so that you can easily find things anytime in the day. Wall scones is a great lighting fixture for the bathroom and can be used to light closets. These are mostly recessed lights and don’t collect moisture easily.
Now let’s look at the two broad types of bathroom lighting.
Ambient Lighting
Ambient bathroom lighting is generally fill in lights and acts like a substitute for natural light for bathrooms that are dark. These lightings are fixed with a central fixture most of the times a surface mounted ceiling light. Another great option is cove lighting where the rope lights are hidden behind a molding just a few inches below the ceiling height. This gives a soft glow around that specific area in the bathroom.
Accent Lighting
Accent lighting in bathroom helps in drawing attention to certain elements. For example a small recessed spotlight focused on a decorative art piece creates a layer of light other than the existing light in the room. One can also go on for a recessed shower fixture fixed at a particular angle to highlight a nice tile work and add sheen to the bathroom as well.
Bathroom Lighting Tips
- If your bathroom is looking very dark then change your 3 light fixtures to 5 or 7 light fixtures. Go for a higher watt bulb if the lighting fixture can handle it.
- Try adding additional light fixtures or recessed lighting to the bathroom to give a comfortable feel to the bathroom.
- One of the quickest ways to add more light to the bathroom is by changing your bathroom fixtures. Replace it with the ones that allow more light. This is also a good opportunity to change the lighting fixtures according to the decoration in your bathroom.
- Another quick bathroom lighting tip is changing your glass globes from frosted to clear ones. This will not only give a fresh look to your bathroom but also add more light to the room.
- When talking about lights, how about adding a lighted switch in the bathroom? You can avoid all the tumbling and stumbling in the dark in the search for the light switch.
- If your bathroom vanity has adequate space then place a small table lamp. Of course keep it at a safe distance from water. This bathroom light not only acts as a decorative lamp giving a nice charming look to your bathroom but you also have an alternative night light within reach.
