An Introduction to Bathroom Lighting

The bathroom, of all the rooms in the home or office, is probably the most sensitive to bad lighting. We have all had the displeasure of going into a bathroom with extremely cool light and grimacing at the goblin standing in the mirror. In this article I will go through some steps you can take to make your lighting look its best so you can too. The lighting surrounding your bathroom mirror is the most important lighting decision you will make regarding your bathroom illumination, so let’s start there. No matter what type of fixture you decide to use, you will want to have light sources on either side of the mirror so you can easily see your face without shadows. If you are a fan of Hollywood glamor, you may want to go with Hollywood bathroom strips, which I would recommend using with Globe CFLs. You can really go with any number of fixtures beside and even above the mirror. In this application I would go with a CFL that approximates daylight color temperature (5,500K) so the light is not too yellow or too blue. CFLs are nice in this application because they do not give off heat, allowing you to get close to the mirror without any discomfort. Remember that the mirror will multiply the light around the mirror, so light surrounding the mirror should be adequate for the space. Another option for mirror lighting is purchasing a mirror unit that has lights built into them. The lights used in these mirrors are typically T5 fluorescent tube lamps. These are a good choice for office bathroom lighting or even restaurant bathroom lighting too. Illuminated round mirrors are also popular, these mirrors typically use G4 halogen bulbs to encircle the mirror. These are excellent bulbs for the mirror area because they usually feature a 100CRI score, which means they replicate color exactly.

Beside lighting surrounding the mirror, you will want to focus on areas that require recessed lighting. One place you will likely place a recessed light is in your shower. Beyond making sure that the fixture you choose is waterproof, you will want to choose a bulb for your recessed can. There are many options that will depend upon the size of the can and lighting preferences. CFL reflector (R) and bulge reflector (BR) bulbs are a good choice, as are CFL A-shapes and low voltage MR16s. The bottom line is that in the shower you want plenty of bright light so you can see what you are doing. How much recessed lights and how much light you need will obviously be dictated by the size of your bathroom. Don’t forget that many bathrooms have at least one window and that there is no light source more efficient than natural light.

Well, that’s it, a short introduction to bathroom lighting. For more information comment or post a question or call 1-877-622-0897.
By The Lighting Specialist | 03 September, 2010 | 0 comments
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