Lighting Options for Modern Bathroom Retreats

Like many other residents, you might have overlooked the interior lighting needs of your bathroom. Indeed, whilst you may well have introduced a few different light options to your kitchen and living room; you might still have just one lighting fitting in your bathroom.

Whilst, one light may have been all that was needed a decade or two ago, this is simply not the case anymore. Indeed, bathrooms are now seen as essential retreats and as such they often have more decadent features in them (such as steam showers and spa tubs).

So, if you really want to make the most of your bathroom retreat, you need to ensure it is suitably lit.

Fortunately, a good bathroom lighting plan is not difficult to achieve.

In fact, it is just a simple series of layers — having ample light available for tasks like showering, shaving, and putting on makeup, and other light sources for enhancing the overall mood of the room. These layers consist of three types of light options: task light, ambient light and accent light

Task light

When it comes to this kind of light, vanity lighting typically gets chief consideration as illuminating the head and face for grooming purposes is often the hardest thing to achieve. The most common mistake made in this respect is that of putting recessed ceiling fixtures directly over the mirror. The reason why this is a mistake is that these light options cast shadows on your face, thereby making your daily grooming rituals far more difficult than they need to be.

The best way to eliminate these shadows is to have vertical fixtures or sconces mounted on either side of the vanity mirror (or on the mirror's surface, if it's large enough). The centre of each fixture should be roughly at eye level, as this will provide an even illumination across your face for grooming.

The shower is the next most important area when it comes to effective task lighting. If you have a relatively small bathroom and a clear glass shower door then a dedicated fixture may not be necessary. However, if this is not the case then a recessed light over your shower area with a glass lens is often the best bet.

Ambient light is often thought of as a type of ‘fill-in’ light (i.e. a substitute for natural light)

In bathrooms, ambient light is frequently supplied by a central fixture, typically a surface-mounted ceiling light. Although this light option is quite capable of doing the job, there are a number of other options which are a little more creative in design. For instance, a pendant lamp (or even chandelier-type light) can help to make your bathroom look far more stylish.

Accent light

A small recessed spotlight directed at a piece of decorative art or a feature basin can provide you with yet another layer of light in the bathroom. Similarly, recessed shower fixtures can be angled to highlight beautiful tiling designs or decadent fixtures.

References:
1. /interior-lighting/bathroom-lighting
2. http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,403815,00.html