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The bathroom is one of the most important rooms for tasks in the home. Whether you are grooming, getting ready for work or relaxing in the bath after a long day, this room serves as a crucial area of the home. The bathroom lighting fixtures you choose can make or break the space in terms of functionality and mood. In the article below, we will provide you with some ideas on incorporating modern bathroom light fixtures into your space.
General Bathroom Lighting Ideas and Tips
Create a Practical but Atmospheric Space
It’s best to take a good look at the bathroom and analyze it before starting anything with the design. Determine how you intend to use the available space and separate the room into different zones like the bath, shower and vanity areas.
You can use task lighting to ensure the areas where you will be performing daily tasks are well lit. This includes adding bathroom lighting fixtures over mirror zones or installing a shower light fixture overhead.
Once you have the practicality of it figured out, you can then start thinking about the mood. Layering task lighting with ambient and mood lighting will create a well-lit space. Including dimmers can create mood lighting for when you just want to relax in the bath at the end of the day.
Choosing warm white lighting here is also recommended, as it won’t be glaring, bright or unflattering.
Add Some Luxurious Charm
Incorporating statement lighting for your ceiling bathroom light fixtures will do wonders in making it a space where you’ll love to be. By adding a chandelier or modern metallic bathroom light fixtures, ceiling spaces become a canvas that you can use to bring artistic flair to the space.
Consider Contemporary Recessed Lighting
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Because you want your bathroom to be functional and bright, the ambient and task lighting are two of the most important things to focus on. In bathrooms that have the right ceiling for it, recessed lighting can modernise the space while allowing you to easily spread light all across the room.
Mix and Match
To add character to your bathroom, you can choose bathroom sconces and other bathroom lighting fixtures in materials that contrast the aesthetic of the bathroom. Choosing metallic fixtures in spaces with a lot of porcelain or china, for instance, can bring character and depth to the design of the bathroom.
Bring a Resort Spa Vibe
When you place mood lighting strategically, you can create a truly relaxing and comfortable bathroom area that can whisk you off to your favourite luxury spa. If you love taking calming baths, put your focus on mood and effect lighting to achieve the task.
Bathroom Design
When considering a new bathroom style and design, there are three main things to think about in terms of your lighting: material, finish and style.
Bathroom Styling
The style of your bathroom will dictate how it feels to be in there, and lighting is one of the aspects of this. When it comes to the style of the bathroom, the material and shape of the bathroom vanity lights, bathroom wall light fixtures and bathroom ceiling lighting fixtures are important.
For modern spaces, having metallic fixtures will add contemporary flair to the space. Lights with a mix of materials such as wood and metal can also have a modern effect on the space. When it comes to sleek, modern bathroom light fixtures, black is a popular choice due to its sleek appearance and versatility. This is especially true of contemporary black vanity light fixtures.
When you pair metallic fixtures and colours with the materials in the bathroom itself, the possibilities are endless. Turning a bathroom into a luxury spa area is as easy as the right lighting along with marble flooring. Choosing light colour paint for the walls with metallic fixtures that reflect light can make a dark, small bathroom feel more light and open.
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Bathroom Functionality
Since the bathroom is an all-important space for completing tasks, functionality is important above all else. There are many ways that you can add greater levels of convenience and functionality to the room, both in terms of lighting and design.
Ask yourself questions like where the items will go in the bathroom and how you can make them easily accessible through storage solutions. You should also consider how it will be used: do you plan to only be in there long enough to shower, or do you need a well-lit vanity to apply makeup and complete your skincare routine?
- MAKE THE MOST OUT OF MEDICINE CABINETS – Your vanity mirror can double as a medicine cabinet if you choose a cabinet with a mirrored exterior. This will save you precious space at the sink while doubling as a mirror for grooming. Adding vanity lights above or on either side of the mirror will brighten up the area and make it easier for you to see as well.
- CONSIDER THE SMALL DETAILS – Making the bathroom more functional can be as simple as using up all of that empty wall space. Save space in closets by adding towel racks to the walls. For your closets, you can install spotlights or recessed ceiling lights inside of them to make searching for items a simpler process.
- LIGHT UP THE SHOWER AND BATH – Whether you’re hurrying through a shower when running late for work or wanting to unwind in a bath, you need the right lighting for the job. A shower light fixture overhead can avoid any shadows from being cast and make it easier to see while getting ready for the day all at once.
Bathroom Lighting for Various Bathroom Sizes
While there are general lighting tips that you can incorporate into any bathroom, the size of the bathroom will play an important role in how you light and style them.
Large Family Bathrooms
- DOUBLE SINKS AND VANITIES – When more than one person will be using the space at a time, it’s a good idea to ensure they all have room to comfortably complete tasks. Having two or more sinks in the space will give everyone room to breathe and will prevent the flow of traffic in and out in the mornings from coming to a stop. Light up the mirrors above the sinks like you would any other vanity, and you’re good to go.
- BROAD AMBIENT LIGHTING – Larger rooms will require a greater amount of illumination. Having multiple lights or even a handful of ceiling lights with a high lumen count will ensure that this is so. One popular way to do this is to install several recessed lights in a bathroom to cover the entire area.
- PENDANT LIGHTS – Just because the space is meant to be functional for a larger number of people doesn’t mean it has to lack style. In fact, larger bathrooms tend to also have taller ceilings, leaving a lot of vertical space open. This gives the perfect opportunity for hanging dramatic pendant lights or chandeliers in the bathroom.
En Suite Bathrooms
Since en-suite bathrooms tend to be on the smaller side, it is generally recommended that you stick to lower profile lighting. Recessed ceiling lights and sleek wall sconces do wonders in spaces like this. You can also turn your vanity into a storage space using a mirrored cabinet door.
Since you won’t need an abundance of light, you can stick to one bright light or add several lights with lower lumen counts to accomplish the right look.
Small Bathrooms
Small bathrooms aren’t something anyone would choose in most cases. Nearly everyone loves the idea of a huge, spacious bathroom with plenty of room for furniture and accessories. Unfortunately, small houses and flats don’t always afford such a thing.
In small bathrooms, one usually runs into the issue of being too dark to be comfortable. There are ways to make small bathrooms feel more comfortable for you and your family.
- INCORPORATE METAL FIXTURES – Light reflects and bounces off of metal. In small bathrooms that struggle with getting enough illumination, this is an easy fix.
- ADD MIRRORS – Mirrors on their own can also bounce light around, but when you install a vanity light with it, they can do so tenfold.
Bathroom Lighting Fixture Ideas
For bathrooms with low ceilings, the Onyx 6 Watt Black Bathroom LED Downlight Fitting is an excellent choice. The light can be recessed in the ceiling and provide ample ambient lighting with 430 lumens of 3000k warm white light. This is especially true when you line several along the ceiling. The light has an anodised black finish that works well in any setting and is IP65 rated, so it can be used above the shower or bath.
Bring dramatic flair to your bathroom with the LWA288A 6 Watt LED Round Up And Down Bathroom Wall Light. The wall sconce features a short cylindrical body finished in your choice of black or white to suit any space. Above and below the fixture, 3000k warm white light shines up and down at an angle, washing the wall behind it with light.
If you want to go for something a little more familiar and classic, choose the LBL272 5 Watt LED Globe Bathroom Ceiling Light. This globe light features a spherical shade attached to a black base and outputs 430 lumens of 3000k warm white light. Due to its IP65 rating, it can be mounted to the ceiling in any zone of the bathroom.
Light your vanity with the LWA337 6 Watt LED Stainless Steel Bathroom Wall Light. This wall light can sit above small mirrors and shine gentle light down before it. It features two bulbs nestled behind globular shades outputting a total of 480 lumens. Rated IP44, this light is safe for use above the sink and outputs gentle, flattering 3000k warm white light.
Ultra-modern, the LWA193 6 Watt Black LED Mirror Light is a beautiful mirror light for contemporary bathrooms. The design features two spotlight heads positioned on either end of the black fixture and shines a total of 240 lumens of light. The heads can be twisted and tilted to shine at the exact angle you prefer.
For a larger wash of light over a mirror or sink, the LWA195 6 Watt Black LED Mirror Light is a great choice. This long, bar-shaped light features a sleek black baseplate and bulbs that output 420 lumens of flattering 3000k warm white light. The light shines through an acrylic diffuser that further softens it for your comfort. Fashioned out of aluminium, the fixture is durable and easy to clean.