Bathroom Lighting: Creating the Perfect Ambience

Lighting in interior design is a crucial decision and your bathroom renovation is no different. When it comes to bathroom renovations, the lighting isn’t just to light the space adequately. It’s all about setting the perfect ambience to combine style and functionality. So, if you’re thinking one light will suffice, think again!

The first factor to consider is the different types of bathroom lighting available.

Types of Bathroom Lighting 

You can’t choose the right lighting until you understand the different options.

·   General

General lighting is your primary bathroom light source and it should light the entire space uniformly. Generally, it’s a ceiling light and its purpose is to light the space for showering, using the toilet, and dressing.

·   Ambient

Ambient lighting is supposed to bring a touch of rest and relaxation to the space and you can achieve this through a wall light or an indirect light.

·   Decorative

Decorative lighting is about the style of the light fixture or it’s used to highlight a specific bathroom feature. Decorative lighting can come in the form of accent lights, LED strips, or wall lights.

·   Task

Task lighting is often overlooked, but it’s important because it provides the light to support tasks like styling your hair, applying your makeup, shaving, or any other grooming. Task lighting should be shadow-free and clear lighting.

Bathroom Light Temperature 

Colour temperature might not be something you’ve considered before, but bulbs change how you perceive your environment. Bathroom lights should mimic natural daylight as closely as possible, which equates to around 4500 Kelvin. The higher the Kelvin, the cooler the light, which is closer to a daylight ambience. However, your relaxing ambient lighting should be a warmer bulb, something closer to 3000 Kelvin. It’s important to note that Lumens define the brightness of a bulb, but Kelvin is for temperature. 

Type of Bathroom Lights

Different types of lights will provide a different effect. 

For example, an LED light is long-lasting and energy-efficient and with various colour temperatures, they are great for providing clear light. They come in strips and are suitable for recessed lighting, too. 

Fluorescent lighting is bright and energy-efficient, but it’s cooler than the recommended Kelvin rating for bathrooms. It can be too bright for the space, so if you’re thinking about this option be sure the style mimics natural light the way you want. 

Incandescent lighting is warm and inviting, but they have a shorter lifespan and they’re not energy-efficient. That being said, if you’re looking for warm lights, this is a good bulb for ambient lighting. 

It’s important to check the light fixture, many require expensive specialist bulbs and that could be an expensive ongoing cost you don’t want to be lumbered with. Additionally, you must ensure your lighting fixtures are suitable for use in the bathroom. It might be beautiful, but it might not react well to a high-moisture area.

Perfect Placement 

You might buy the perfect bathroom lights, but if you don’t know where to place them, they won’t do the job you need.

Ambient Lighting 

If you enjoy a relaxing bath, ambient lighting is a much more important factor than you realise. Flipping the switch on a big light won’t bring tranquillity, but an LED strip light along the bathtub will. 

Think about how you use your bathroom and what different moods you might need to set, that should help you decide on perfect placement.

Task Lighting 

There’s nothing worse than catching sight of yourself in the work mirror and realising your makeup is a mess or you’ve missed a spot shaving. Great task lighting can prevent these mishaps and task lights are typically placed around the vanity. 

Task lighting should provide bright illumination, but it must be shadow-free. In addition to vanity lights, wall lights can create a flattering light. 

If you have plenty of space, you might want to spring for under-cabinet lighting. You can also install side lights.

 Lighting in the shower or bathtub is also task lighting, it must be sufficient to make bathing safer and it has to be water-resistant. Recessed ceiling lights are the most likely option.

Natural Light 

The bathroom can be hazardous, especially to older people and very young people. You need to consider your lighting from a safety perspective, too. 

Can everyone see where they’re going? Think about night-time visits and whether an ambient light provides enough illumination for safe passage. An adjustable setting might be a good compromise to avoid installing an extra light fixture.

Crystal Bathroom Renovations in Sydney Licensed 

Lighting a bathroom is much easier if there’s plenty of natural light, but with clever lighting choices and placement, you can mimic natural light to achieve the right look. A professional renovation team can offer advice on how to achieve this. 

If you’re considering a bathroom renovation in Sydney, there’s just one team to call. Crystal Bathrooms in Sydney has a combined experience of three decades and we can take you from the design stage of renovating bathroom right through to installation.