Tips on Lighting your bathroom

Now that you have designed your perfect space, it’s time to create some mood or add the necessary functional lighting. Giving a bit of thought to your lighting can make a huge difference to the overall look and feel of your beautiful new space.

The are four main types of lighting:

1. Functional lighting

2. Task Lighting

3. Statement lighting

4. Heated lighting

Functional Lighting: The amount of light required for a bathroom depends on the function of the space & the amount of natural light. Is it an ensuite that only requires mood? Do you require lighting for occasional night time use? Is it a busy, wet-room for children’s bath time? Or, is it a bathroom with lots of natural light that only requires lighting at night?

The most common functional lighting we tend to specify is down lights. The average bathroom only requires 3 to 4 down lights. They are usually halogen lamps, but LED’s are now becoming more popular as they are decreasing in price. Make your choice based on the cost VS the amount of bulbs that you want to replace. LED’s last much longer but is a fraction more expensive. There is also a difference between the colour of the light emitted. You can now get warm LED’s as well as the bright white. Most LED lamps give a crisp white light, whereas halogen gives a natural warm light.

Down lights are best installed approximately 500mm from the wall, so they wash the wall in light and illuminate the room. Incandescent, Fluorescents & LEDS. Fluoro’s have an even, diffused light that is often a bright white colour; they are good for task lighting or function lighting. They are low-energy and low maintenance. As they are non-directional, they are flattering and can help even out the ageing process, making us all look less experienced in life!

Incandescent lamps are the traditional light globes; they are often a warm white light. While providing a beautiful warming glow, they do have a shorter life making them high-maintenance lights. LED’s (Light Emitting Diodes) are the newest form of lighting. They are very low-energy and have a really long life, making them low maintenance. They are cool to touch, so are ideal for children’s bathrooms and night lights. They are available in a range of applications from various light globe fittings, to strips that can be used under vanities and mirror cabinets to create effects or double as night lights.

Task Lighting: Task lighting varies on the task at hand. In most bathrooms task lighting is around the vanity. Lights are either placed above the vanity in way of adjustable down lights- so light is directed to the basin/mirror area, or, on either side or above the mirror in form of a wall sconce/wall mounted fixture. Light that washes onto the mirror reflects onto the face of the user making it easy to shave or apply makeup. Wall mounted lights either side of the mirror can give an very even non-directional light as well as providing an interesting focal point. Ask your designer about fluorescent lights mounted inside the cabinet in light boxes either side of the mirror to create a striking effect.

Statement Lighting: Feature lighting is lighting used for decoration, a pendant over a bath can be wonderful addition and can be used to set the mood of the room. Careful choice of this with the aid of your designer can be the make or break of a new bathroom design. LED strip lighting underneath a floating vanity can emphasise the floor space to make the floor seem larger in a small bathroom also works well as a night light.

Heated Lighting: commonly referred to “Heat Lamps” is the one of the most popular form of bathroom heating. Most units come in configurations of two or four heat lamps; each unit also has a regular light in it and incorporates an exhaust fan hence the name: 3 in 1. The advantage of these is they are a great budget option being easy to install, and reasonably cheap to run if you just use them while you are in there. The disadvantages are that they are not an option to leave on long term to keep the bathroom warm, and use quite a lot of power, while they are on. Some people do not like the look of them. There are some sleek models on the market which are expensive and our initial feedback from clients has been that they do not clear the steam in the bathroom very well.

Call us on 1300 662 838 to learn more about bathroom renovations or get our advice guide made by our award winning designers.