Essential Tips for Bathroom Lighting Design by Gill Hynes
Before You Start
How much natural light does your bathroom have? This is a good starting point for planning a lighting scheme. What mood do you want to create? Do you want a calming cocooning zen space or something more clean line minimalist & functional. Consider key colours, finish, & texture of tiles, flooring, worktops & brassware as this will also determine suitability & style of lighting. If you have any highly reflective surfaces or have a gloss finish you may need to diffuse light sources to avoid glare.
Layer Your Lighting
Start with the spotlights. 2700 kelvin is a good standard warm white. Unless you want a cool white light, which can be a little clinical stick with spot lighting that is 3000 kelvins or below. Consider the spotlight layout. You don’t need a symmetrical grid format. Position lights above the shower/ bath centrally. Be careful not to place spotlights above the shower rose as this will create shadow. Similarly, where there is a mirror above a sink or vanity unit the spots need to be set back so as to not cast a shadow whilst using the sink. If there are double sinks, consider one spot above each.
Lighting Mirrors
Many mirrors & mirrored cabinets now come with built-in lighting. Check the colour temperature of the light to see if this suits, some of the more sophisticated mirrors allow you to control the colour temperature so you can switch from cool white to warm white light at the touch of a button, which can be a useful feature. For a softer effect consider wall mounting mirrored glass so it sits slightly proud of the wall on a wooden batten & use an LED contour strip inset behind the mirror for a hallo light wash on the wall effect. Alternatively mount decorative wall lights either side of a mirror to frame & provide task lighting for shaving, putting on makeup etc. When choosing wall lights consider the style & shape of the mirror & metallic finish of the taps to tie these all in
If ceiling height allows don’t be afraid of having a beautiful feature pendant light or chandelier
Accent lighting
Lighting niches adds a beautiful mid-layer of lighting. A tiny spotlight at the top will highlight a decorative niche or use a recessed LED strip at the back with a cover for more diffused glow.
A LED strip mounted underneath a wall-mounted vanity unit creates the impression of a floating unit. Consider the floor finish as tiles with more of a gloss finish will create reflection & glare.
Light Positioning
Positioning a couple of lights recessed into the floor behind a freestanding bath will illuminate and highlight a beautiful feature bath
At a practical level a useful addition is the inclusion of a small light positioned on the wall behind the WC with a PIR sensor, so that it gives just enough light to illuminate the WC for trips to the loo in the night without the need to switch on bright overhead lights.
Bathroom Lighting Controls
Don’t forget the lighting controls. How many circuits do you need? At least two dimmable circuits are ideal in most bathroom designs. Create one circuit for spotlights and one for your accent lighting: niches, wall lights and pendants. Which is the best circuit to connect the extractor? Generally it makes sense to link the extractor to the spotlights. Check that need the extractor is dimmer compatible. If not you may prefer to add a separate switch to retain the light dimmers.
Consider all the brassware finishes & how they will work with your lighting. The finishes don’t need to be identical, but do need to work tonally and in harmony with the style.
Bathroom IP Ratings
For your own health and safety, it is essential to choose the correct IP rating needed for each light source. There are different bathroom zones;
Zone 0 is within the bath itself & shower floor area & lights in this space need to be IP67, meaning they are protected against effects of immersion.
Zone 1 is immediately above the floor of a shower & bath area up to 2.25 meters from the floor and here lights should be IP 44, but most shower lights are IP65.
Zone 2 is the space either side of the shower or bath to a distance of 60cm away from the perimeter of either, and above 2.25 meters from floor level, as well as the area around the wash hand basin to a radius of 60 cm from the water source. This area requires IP44 lights
We hope that you find these Considerations and Tips for Bathroom Lighting, inspiring and helpful. If we can be of any help please do not hesitate to get in touch.