The Bathroom Lighting Buyer’s Guide

From spotlights to wall lights and mirror lights, there’s so many types and designs of bathroom lights available, which can make your choice and planning a scheme a little tricky. Bathroom lighting is essential for creating a space that’s functional 24/7, and a good lighting scheme allows you to add another design element to the room, whether that’s highlighting a vanity unit with an LED strip light or fitting dimmable downlights. So, if you’re planning the lighting for a new bathroom or just want to update your existing lights, our expert buyer’s guide has all the information and advice you need to help you choose the best lights.

To help you choose the best type of bathroom lights suited to your needs, it’s important to take the following points into consideration:

• Think about the times of day that you use the bathroom.
• The amount of natural light the bathroom receives.
• The position of the window.
• The ambience you want to create and the features you want to draw attention to.

It’s a good idea to create a floorplan on paper and mark out the position and dimensions of the basin, toilet, bath, shower, door and window, as well as the light switches, so you can then plan the lighting scheme. Working with an electrician will help you get the most out of your bathroom lighting scheme and ensure it’s all installed correctly and safely too.

Deciding where you would like to position the bathroom lights at an early stage allows you to plan where to lay the cables and budget for the fittings and control options. Think about the type of lighting you need, and how it will have an impact on the overall look and feel of the space.

The key to a successful bathroom lighting scheme is to use multiple layers of light from a variety of sources. An interior designer will use colour and texture to enhance the look of a space, but a lighting designer uses a combination of task, accent and ambient lighting to create a bathroom that’s not only functional but feels calm and relaxing. Practical lighting is needed for everyday tasks, while low-level ambient light creates illumination at night.

Take the style of your bathroom into consideration too. Modern bathroom lighting creates a smart, contemporary look and enhances a designer scheme, while traditional style lights are perfect for adding a touch of class and elegance. Chrome bathroom lighting is a good option for most schemes as it blends seamlessly in with any decor.

Milano Darent Curved LED Over Mirror Light

Here’s our three top tips for choosing bulbs and the best position for light fixtures, for a bathroom lighting scheme that’s stylish and functional.

1. Maximise natural light

Bring in as much natural light as possible into your bathroom, so choose window dressings that let the light pour in. If you are renovating your home or designing a new one, the best position for a bathroom is facing north, where the light is indirect, which creates a soft, diffused light.

2. Plan the position of light fixtures carefully

An overhead light source such as recessed spotlights will ensure the bathroom is functional. It’s a good idea to combine overhead lighting with lights alongside or above the mirror, which creates a flattering reflection.

3. Choose the right bulbs

Bulbs come in various colour temperatures ranging from cool white to warm white and your choice will depend upon the lighting effect you want to achieve. A colour temperature of 2700K is ideal for bathrooms as it’s the closest you’ll get to natural daylight. The bathroom needs bright lighting for tasks such as applying make-up, but you also need to create a relaxing ambience, so put overhead lights on a dimmer switch so you get the best of both.

Milano Enns LED Bathroom Ceiling Light

Different types of lights are required to achieve task and ambient lighting. Task lights include recessed downlights, spotlights, cabinet lights and mirror lights, while ambient lights include bathroom ceiling lighting and wall lights.

Recessed downlights

Recessed downlights are built into the ceiling for a neat, minimal finish. They can also be fitted into alcoves and recesses for a luxury touch. They come in both fixed and tilted designs. A downlight that can be tilted provides more flexibility, as you can direct the light where it’s needed most.

When choosing downlights, you will need to check the fire rating. This is because, this type of lighting requires holes to be made in the ceiling for installation, which can compromise the fire integrity of the ceiling. Recessed lights that are fire rated avoid this issue, and have a rating that’s measured in units of time, which indicates how effective the light is at reducing the spread of fire.

Spotlights

LED spotlights are great for adding smart, modern style to any bathroom. These feature a single light fitting, and come in two main styles including: bar, where the spotlights are in a row, and plate, which is where the lights are grouped together on a square or round base. The angle of the spotlight can be adjusted to highlight the different area of your bathroom.

Bathroom ceiling lighting

Bathroom ceiling lights are mainly fitted flush to the ceiling and are quite simple in design. But there are some ornate ceiling lights such as chandeliers, that are specially designed for the bathroom, if you want to make a statement. Most also feature a chrome finish that blends in easily with other chrome fixtures in your bathroom.

Bathroom wall lighting

Bathroom wall lights are ideal for adding both task and ambient lighting to your bathroom. They come in a range of designs, as well as single and double fittings, and can be fitted beside or over a mirror.

Milano Dochart Glass Bathroom Wall Light

The area surrounding your bathroom vanity unit receives a lot of use, and it’s a space where you perform many tasks such as applying make-up, brushing your teeth, shaving and washing your hands, so it’s important to choose the right of kind of lighting that will allow this space to live up to its full potential. There are many options available, but here’s some tips on how to choose the best bathroom vanity lighting.

Bathroom wall lights are a great choice for lighting up the bathroom vanity unit and mirror area. They are stylish, functional and don’t take up too much space, which makes them ideal for smaller bathrooms. The main aim of bathroom vanity lighting is that it illuminates you and not just the wall. Fitting a wall light on each side of the mirror will evenly light the face and prevent harsh shadows. But, if you don’t have the space for a light on each side, you can fit a single light fixture above the mirror instead.