LED Bathroom Lights

Colour temperatures are measured in degrees Kelvin and commonly extend up to 1000k. The most commonly used colour temperatures for bathroom light fittings are as follows:

• Daylight temperatures that mimic sunlight are between 5000K and 6000K.
• Bright white lights fall in the range of 4000K and 5000k.
• Warm white lights are between 3000k and 4000k and give off a yellowish hue.
• Soft white lights are between 2000K and 3000k and are well suited for bathrooms due to their gentleness and flattering glow.

As mentioned, the standard bathroom colour temperatures tend to be around the 3000k warm white light level. This kind of light offers a warm, soft glow that is soothing and comforting, making it perfect for the bathroom where you want to relax. Even so, some people do prefer having cool white light instead to make the bathroom brighter and easier to navigate.

– Layer the lighting. Adding light layers will not only evenly distribute light; layered lighting creates a more pleasant effect. Adding layers can be done by installing wall lights, pendant lights and chandeliers to bring the light all around the room. Adding task lighting or bathroom vanity lights will contribute to the layered effect while also giving you clearer light to see by when getting ready for your day. 

– Ceiling lights. Ceiling lights should be the first lights you install. Position them around the border of the room to spread their glow across as much of the room as possible. If you hang a light in the center of the ceiling, it could cause issues with shadows. To that effect, some people will place them over the vanity with the belief that it will light the mirror. Instead, the light goes straight down, casting unflattering shadows on your face.

– Vanity lighting. As mentioned, lighting the vanity with task lighting is important for those who spend a lot of time in front of the mirror. It is recommended to place lights on both sides of a mirror approximately at eye level. If you don’t have a lot of room on either side of the vanity, then opt for lights that can be hidden behind it like strip lighting.

– Wall lights. While illuminating on their own, wall lights can also be positioned to reflect off shiny surfaces to enhance the lighting level in the room. You can place them below eye level pointing at shower and bath areas or even towel racks to create an interesting effect.

Ingress protection ratings, often shortened to IP ratings, are indicators of water and debris resistance of a light. The first number in the IP rating determines how dust tight a fixture is and the second number indicates the protection level against water.

IP ratings are always important but are especially so in bathrooms. As one might guess, this is due to the moisture in the room. Bathroom light fixtures should come with a minimum IP44 rating. When you can, opting for an IP65 or IP67 rating is even better. It is important to take the IP rating and areas in the bathroom into account when choosing your bathroom lighting.

Liquid Ingress Ratings:

Level 1 – offers protection against dripping water

Level 2 – offers protection against dripping water when it is tilted at 15 degrees

Level 3 – offers protection against water that is sprayed

Level 4 – offers protection against water that is splashed

Level 5 – offers protection against jet water

Level 6 – offers protection against forceful jet water

Level 7 – offers protection against immersed lights as deep as one meter

Level 8 – offers protection against immersed lights deeper than one meter

Bathroom Lighting Zones

Zone 0 – This area is located inside the shower or bath and requires a rating of IP67.

Zone 1 – This zone is directly above the shower or bath at a height of 2.25 meters from the floor and requires a rating of IP45.

Zone 2 – This area covers a 0.6-meter perimeter around the shower and bath and needs a rating of IP64

Zone 3 – This zone consists of any area outside of the aforementioned zones. It doesn’t require a special IP rating, but a minimum of IP44 is highly recommended.

If you want to create a spa-like atmosphere in your bathroom, cozy modern bathroom lighting is a must. Spas put focus on comfort above all else, and that usually translates to soft lighting that is relaxing and gentle on the eyes. Colour temperatures between 2700k and 3000K can create a soft and inviting glow reminiscent of a resort bathroom.

Indirect lighting, such as cove lights, backlit mirrors and vanity lights also contribute to this effect. Including this sort of accent and mood lighting for bathrooms will help make the space feel more like a luxurious resort bathroom than a simple at-home bathroom.

One of the best ways to incorporate bathroom mood lighting is to use strip lights. Place them along the underside of cabinets, the perimeter of the ceiling or at the base of cabinets for a warm glow everywhere.

Hanging Lights to Low

Bathroom ceiling lights such as pendant lights and chandeliers look good in the space, but how you hang them is important. If you hang the light too low, you could end up hitting your head when getting out of the shower. The same goes for pendant lights near the vanity area.

Incorrect Shower Light Placement

It is important that you don’t install shower spotlights that are too bright directly over the showerhead. Otherwise, it can cause a blinding glare when you look up.

Instead of installing bathroom ceiling spotlights in the shower, some people choose to place wall lights along the shower wall in the proximity of the shower to provide indirect lighting instead in order to avoid this. Be sure to select shower lights that are rated for wet locations.

Using The Wrong Bulb Type

Over the years, favour has shifted toward LED bulbs over incandescent bulbs. Not only does this make for energy efficient bathroom lighting, but it also gives you greater control over the colour temperature and brightness of the light.

LED bulbs are better for the environment and outlast traditional bulbs often by 20x, making them well worth it. These bulbs can save you money both on your energy bill and on upfront costs of having to replace them.

Unflattering Vanity Lights

Bathroom lighting placement is important for all fixtures, but especially near the vanity area. You want to avoid shadows on your face when looking in the mirror for grooming purposes. Poor lighting can also be simply unflattering.

In order to avoid this, do not install lights above the vanity mirror. Instead, opt for bathroom LED spotlights or wall sconces on either side of the mirror. This will provide more balanced, even lighting.

Not Layering Lighting

Bathroom task lighting, bathroom ambient lighting and bathroom accent lighting are all a part of a layered lighting scheme. It is important to have all three in your bathroom connected to different switches, so you can use as few or as many as you want at a time.

• Ambient lighting is the main illumination, oftentimes installed overhead. This can be in the form of bathroom recessed spotlights, surface mounted spotlights, pendant lights or chandeliers.

• Task lighting is the illumination used for performing tasks such as grooming and showering. These come into play in the bath and shower area, as well as the vanity area.

• Accent lighting helps you highlight various areas in the bathroom that you want to draw attention to. It can also be used to create atmospheric lighting, which typically comes in the form of wall sconces.

Create a Practical but Atmospheric Space

Bathroom lighting ideas – 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 

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. 

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 design can get a little tricky when you have to consider accessibility before anything else. Here, you’ll find a few tips on LED bathroom lighting and incorporating accessibility-focused lighting fixtures.

Styling task lighting for bathrooms with accessibility concerns is a crucial step in bathroom design. Task lights make it easier to see while completing different tasks, which is especially important for those already dealing with mobility issues or visual impairment.

This is particularly important around task-heavy sink areas. Not only should there be enough room for easy movement of wheelchairs in the area, but the lighting should be adequate as well.

Task lighting for bathrooms,toilets and cloakrooms with accessibility concerns includes illuminated mirrors and clear lighting in the shower. If there is a stool in the shower or bath, give it its own dedicated lighting to ensure there are no shadows cast. Anti-slip shower trays are a must-have as well.

In the bathtub and shower area, you should also be sure a grab rail is incorporated to further the safety of the room. Using curved grab rails can offer some style to the bathroom while making it more accessible at the same time.

Incorporating various controls into your bathroom lighting design can make it more accessible as well. Motion sensors, smart lighting controls, and light switches positioned lower on the wall make it easier to turn the lights on and off.

OVER THE MIRROR – This is the traditional location for adding bathroom vanity lights. It offers total illumination for various tasks and tends to be the only option when it comes to modern small bathroom lighting.

Because the average vanity is about 36 inches tall, it is recommended you centre the lights about 40 inches above the top of the vanity.

ON THE SIDES OF THE MIRROR – Placing a sconce on each side of the mirror will further eliminate the risk of shadows. Double vanities that have two mirrors can benefit from a wall light on either side and one above it. They should be placed between 65 and 70 inches from the floor.

When it comes to the illumination produced by modern bathroom sconces near the vanity, it is best if you opt for LED light. This will allow you to choose both the brightness and the colour temperature of the light to ensure it looks and performs its best.

It is generally believed that bathroom lamps should have at least 500 to 600 lumens at most in the overall ambient bathroom ceiling lights. With task lighting, no more than 700 to 800 lumens are advisable. This includes lights such as near the sink or shower and the bathroom mirror lights. Only task areas need that much light because those lights are what are used to shave, do makeup and complete other grooming tasks.