Bathroom lighting plan
Before starting, it’s important to understand the needs.
- How big is your bathroom?
- Who uses the bathroom?
- Which areas require lighting?
- What lighting effect do you want to achieve?
Plan your bathroom lighting
Functional and decorative, bathroom lighting can also create an ambience. Adequate lighting is essential for daily grooming, makeup, and shaving, but your lighting choices will lend personality and interest to the decor as well.
Whether general or task lighting, each area must be adequately illuminated and comply with safety regulations. Learn how to carefully plan your bathroom lighting according to the range of lights available. Find out about the different bulbs, their output, and their colours, so that you are happy with your bathroom’s functionality and look.
Follow the guide to help you plan your bathroom lighting.
Lighting types: ambient, task, and accent
There are three types of lighting for the bathroom: ambient (general), task (specific), and accent (decorative). Accent lighting can be used to enhance the mood of the room and add a touch of intimacy to a particular area.
- Essential in a large bathroom, ambient lighting infuses the whole room. Whether provided by recessed, track, or ceiling lights, this type of lighting resembles daylight the most. In small bathrooms, the lighting can be restricted to mirror lighting.
- Task lighting focuses on a specific area of the room. In a bathroom, lights may be trained on the mirror, shower, or tub, or they may light the toilet or laundry area.
- Accent lighting can be used to enhance the mood of the room and add a touch of intimacy to a particular area. Create a focal point with a wall light placed above a piece of art.
Mirror lighting
Lights near the mirror are essential and make your morning beauty treatment easier. They shed a bright, shadow-free light, making it clearer for shaving, applying makeup, and grooming.
- Avoid aggressive, dazzling lights. A warm tone, such as given off by halogens, is the best.
- Choose either outward-facing lights flanking the mirror or fixed directly on the mirror if it is large. For grooming, makeup and shaving, lights mounted 60" off the floor are most effective. Over-the-mirror wall lights are also popular although not recommended if the mirror is used for makeup.
- Choose adjustable lights on a track and direct the light vertically, towards the face. Lighting placed directly above the head creates shadows and dark circles around the eyes.
- Large mirrors are best lit by several lights.
- Wall sconces at face height, on either side of the mirror, give the best results for shaving and applying makeup.
Shower and bathtub lighting
Practical and essential solutions which deliver adequate light to the shower and bathtub make daily grooming tasks easier.
- Opt for strong lights for shaving and reading shampoo labels, for example.
- Choose fixtures and bulbs that are suitable for damp areas. Caution: it is important to use lights that meet safety standards.
- Lights that can be pivoted are practical.
- Dimmer switches are a great way to modulate the mood.
- Play it safe with low-voltage lighting.
Lighting near the toilet
When the toilet area is separate from the rest of the room, it is important to give it its own lighting.
- Consider recessed lighting on the ceiling or a wall light that will provide the desired level of brightness.
- Add a small LED near the toilet itself for safe night-time use and energy saving.
Laundry area lighting
Shed light on the laundry area and lighten your laundry chores.
- A clear, bright light is best for showing up laundry stains.
- Recessed and adjustable lights make life easier.
- Compact fluorescent bulbs are a good choice as they project a white light and are energy efficient.
Types of light fixtures
Functional and decorative, light fixtures add character to a room. Choose the one most suited to your needs.
Pendant lights
Features
Suspended by a cord, chain or cable.
Add personality to the decor.
Use
Used for ambient lighting in rooms with high ceilings where they are best mounted in a central position.
Can also provide task lighting; for example, on either side of a mirror. In this case, they are best mounted at face height. They can be mounted at a different height if the mirror is not used for makeup.
The lower a pendant is placed, the more the beam is concentrated.
Wall sconces
Features
As the name implies, these fixtures are mounted on the wall. The heads can be fixed or adjustable.
Use
Ideally used as complementary lighting.
Perfect for flanking a face mirror, in which case, they are mounted 60" from the floor.
Can also add an artistic touch by creating a special ambience.
Under-cabinet lights
Features
Come in several models, such as recessed lights, fluorescent strips, and LED bulbs.
Highly popular, under-cabinet lighting modernizes the look of the bathroom.
Use
Useful for brightening dark areas near the floor when installed in the toe spaces beneath low cabinets, or when placed near vanities or under wall cabinets.
Fan with integrated light
Features
Practical in small bathrooms, the lights form part of the bathroom fan.
Use
Used for general lighting purposes.
Complements mirror light fixtures.
Recessed lights
Features
Suits all bathroom styles.
Adjustable spotlights enable the beams to be directed wherever light is required.
There are three categories of recessed lighting
- Fixed non-adjustable downlights
- Gimbal or “eyeball” lights that can be turned or pivoted to direct the light
- Decorative downlights with an attractive glass element.
Use
Sleekly embedded in the ceiling, they blend into the background and furnish general overhead lighting.
Ideal for rooms with low ceilings.
Can be used to illuminate a mirror area.
May be mounted above or even in the shower enclosure, providing safety regulations are respected.
Track lights
Features
As the name suggests, with track lighting, the lights are attached to a track. The individual heads can be fixed or can swivel.
Use
Tracks fitted with mobile spotlights create an intimate atmosphere by directing light onto decorative objects or projecting direct beams of light.
Track lighting is also valuable for providing ambient lighting in a room with a high ceiling (8 feet or more).
Ideal above a large mirror.
Heat lamps
Features
Often fitted into the fan, heat lamps are great when you step out of the bath.
Uses
Provide accessory lighting.
Ceiling lights
Features
Mounted close to the ceiling.
Several other lighting options, such as wall sconces, can be combined with ceiling fixtures.
Uses
Radiate uniform ambient light.
Semi-flushmounts
Features
Semi-flushmounts are mounted close to the ceiling. They can be round or square or even have several lamps.
Several other lighting options, such as wall sconces, can be combined with ceiling fixtures.
Uses
Used for general lighting.
Types of shades
The shades you choose can significantly alter the feel of a room. The main types of shades available are:
- Clear glass: allows the clarity and original brightness of the bulb to shine through.
- Frosted glass: softens the light, giving a more mellow feel to the room.
- Frosted and coloured: softens the brightness of the bulb and allows a tinted light to set the mood. A yellow or beige shade, for example, bathes the area in a cosier, more soothing light.
- Patterned: The patterns cast around the bathroom by the shade add an original touch.
Pro Tip
Choosing the right lightbulb is just as important as choosing the right fixture.
The Kelvin (K) is the unit used for measuring the temperature of a light source. Incandescent bulbs emit a warm light which varies between 2700 and 3000K. The greater the Kelvin, the cooler the light and, consequently, the more bluish the light appears. For lighting which resembles natural daylight, choose a bulb of greater than 4,000K.
The colour rendering index, or CRI, is the measure of a light source’s ability to render the colour of the objects it illuminates. An index of about 100 CRI resembles natural daylight and is perfectly suited for furniture, the skin and clothes.
Universal design and safety standards
Adapt the layout of the bathroom for children or for persons with reduced mobility, making everything in the bathroom accessible.
- Install switches everyone can reach.
- The mirror and its lighting might need to be placed lower on the wall, at the user’s face height.
- Leave the area under the washbasin free, for more leg room.
- Consider installing grab bars.
- Provide small stools so that children can see themselves in the mirror or when they wash.
The wet environment of the bathroom dictates where different light fixtures can be installed. A light fixture should not be fitted near the shower simply because it looks good; special safety regulations protect the bathroom’s users and guard against electrical shocks.
Each light has a protection rating (IP code) consisting of two numbers. The first number indicates the level of protection provided against solid bodies and the second, the level of protection against water. Lights above the shower or bath must have a minimum IP24 code. General bathroom lighting rated IP21 or higher provides sufficient protection.
