The Definitive Guide to Bathroom Lighting
Your bathroom works harder per square metre than any other room in the house and your lighting needs to be up to the challenge. Renewing or updating the lighting in your bathroom is on many people’s to-do list, but it can seem an overwhelmingly daunting task.
Whatever the size and style of your bathroom space, the right lighting will ensure your bathroom looks a million dollars and not only suits your personality but is also perfect for your needs as well.
Our designers have been working hard to put together a wide selection of bathroom lighting that includes up to the minute trends as well as the timeless classics. Spending a little time choosing the right lighting to suit your style as well as your needs is a worthwhile investment.
We are here to simplify lighting for you, so read on for answers to these common questions, plus plenty of bathroom lighting ideas:
What is the best lighting for a bathroom?
Where should lights be placed in a bathroom?
How to choose bathroom ceiling lights?
How to choose bathroom wall lights?
What is the best lighting for a bathroom?
Bathroom lighting has to work very hard; it must not only enhance the space but also has to cope with humid environments every single day.
Wiring regulations, cheerily known in the trade as ‘the regs’, state that bathroom lighting in Zones 1 and 2 (see diagram) should be IP44 rated.
Here at där, we know that the harsh environment means that lights not specifically made for the bathroom can quickly deteriorate inside the bathroom even if they are far from the bath, shower or sink. So all of our bathroom lights undergo the same IP44 testing process, of course involving water. This means that if we call our light a “bathroom light", you can have total confidence.
Where should lights be placed in a bathroom?
Most bathrooms are fitted with a ceiling light; this works perfectly fine, but you may find your face in shadow when looking in the mirror. At där, we like to design our bathroom wall lights with a softer light diffused either through ribbed glass or opal white glass shades, which creates less shadow as well as less glare, and is also far more flattering than fully clear glass.
If you are remodelling your entire bathroom, consider complementing your overhead light with some wall lights either side of the mirror. For a large, contemporary bathroom, angled spotlights may be helpful in zoning the space.
How to choose bathroom ceiling lights?
For the main overhead light, we generally recommend close to ceiling bathroom lights; these stay out of the way, are easy to clean and give a great light from above. Take a look at our flush and semi-flush bathroom lighting ranges:
- Contemporary styles or smaller rooms call for flush bathroom ceiling lights
- More traditional styles or larger rooms call for semi-flush bathroom ceiling lights
Generally it’s best to match the finish of your bathroom ceiling light to your taps and other fittings or the colour of your shower. Consequently, you’ll find there are a lot of chrome bathroom ceiling lights to choose from.
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We also have antique brass bathroom lights, which mostly have opal white glass; although this finish is generally used in a traditional setting, paired with the right tiles and paint it can also look marvellous in a contemporary bathroom.
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For a glamorous look, opt for one of our crystal bathroom ceiling lights, like the three-tier Paulita illustrated, which will add a sprinkle of sparkle to your morning or evening routine.
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You may want to zone your bathroom; adding directional light helps create focal points and create a good usable light in otherwise dark bathrooms. This comes into its own if your bathroom is an irregular shape such as an L-shape or has partitions for showers and so on. Such focused task lighting – above a mirror or sink, for instance – calls for bathroom ceiling spotlights, such as our Cedric and more contemporary Artemis ranges, which also include wall spotlights.
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If you’re going for a dramatic black bathroom theme incorporating black taps or other black accessories, you can also take a look at our Ortega outdoor spotlights in matt black.
How to choose bathroom wall lights?
At the mirror, an overhead light from behind can be quite difficult when trying to do tasks such as shaving or applying make-up. A pair of wall lights either side of a mirror are a great solution that also provides a bit of a feeling of glamour. Here we make the most of the vertical box shape of the Keegan wall lights in a soft, satin brass; from our outdoor range, they are also eminently suited for the steamy atmosphere of a bathroom.
If you intend to put wall lights with your ceiling light in your bathroom, make sure you can find a matching or complementary wall light. Most of our bathroom ceiling lights, such as the Cedric triple ceiling spotlight shown here, also have matching wall lights, or ones that have complement them.
As any modern bathroom has no wall switch, we have designed our wall lights with a switch built in, which has the benefit that you can to control them separately to your ceiling light to create a different ambience. Look for bathroom wall lights with switches or pull cords.
As with ceiling lights, your bathroom wall lights should complement your existing bathroom decoration. Aim to match the sink taps or shower, so choose chrome bathroom wall lights if your fittings are mainly chrome or choose brass bathroom wall lights if your fittings are mainly brass. Brass is once again becoming popular, and we’re starting to see a lot of demand for black bathroom wall lights too.
Check out the Deuce wall light with a solid marble back-plate for a sense of contemporary luxury. For traditional bathroom wall lights, our Barclay and Vestry wall lights are available in antique brass or polished chrome.
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Bathroom lighting FAQs
Here are the answers to some of the questions we are asked most often about bathroom lighting.
• What is the most flattering lighting for a bathroom?
Bathrooms are usually compact spaces filled with reflective surfaces such as mirrors, glass, and tiles. For a softer distribution of light which feels bright and clean without glare, choose fittings with opal/opaque glass (white glass or frosted in some way), such as the understated simplicity of our Caden semi-flush pendant.
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• Is it safe to put LED lights in your bathroom?
Yes! Our LED bulbs cast a warm white light, and the designs of our integrated LED light fittings are exceptional. And all of our non-LED light fittings can be fitted retro-actively with LED bulbs.
Choose from LED bathroom ceiling lights or LED ceiling lights.
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• What is IP44 rating?
This is a ‘water ingress’ test. It’s very technical and involves spraying the light with water and lots of other specific tests, but really all you need to know is an IP44 light is designed to be resistant to moisture (and dust) for normal use in a bathroom.
• Do bathroom lights have to be IP44 rated?
Technically, outside of Zone 2 they don’t have to be. As we said earlier, all där Lighting bathroom lights have been tested to IP44 standard; if looking elsewhere, do make sure this is the case. Here at där, we also consider how durable the finish will be in a humid environment; this is not necessarily part of the IP44 standard, but we feel it’s important that your light lasts and appreciate that you want it to continue to look the same.
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Still unsure? Call, email or message us on social media with your lighting questions and dilemmas and we’ll do our best to help. Find your local stockist here.
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