There has been an explosion in lighting options for bathrooms in the last few years and I am here to best guide you in the best way to light up your life and your bathroom.

In an ideal world we would all have giant windows and skylights but the reality for most of us we are lucky to have a window and some ventilation.

My guide to lighting your bathroom will help you get the most out of your space with modern and old bathroom lighting concepts.

Below is what we will cover 

• What’s the best lighting to have in a bathroom
• Tip for lighting your raked high bathroom ceiling (Nice for some) 
• How many lights should you have in your bathroom
• The perfect guide to vanity lighting
• My guide for novice renovators trying to work out lighting.

What’s the best lighting to have in a bathroom?

So when it comes to the best lighting to have in a bathroom you want to ask yourself what kind of lighting works best for you. 

For me the best bathroom lighting is the bathroom lighting that is going to make your room feel less like a tomb. 

Led lighting is the new age lighting that wont has your room looking yellow but that beautiful white lighting. 

Additionally LED Lighting is the best lighting to have in your bathroom as it is also very affordable and lasts forever also saving you on the power bill along the way. 

Lighting up your raked bathroom ceiling guide.

Overwhelmingly we all crave those high ceilings in our homes but it can still be hard to find lighting that suits the space.

If your light is too short it can throw off the proportion of the bathroom but also render the light useless if being used as a task light. Choose light fittings that have an adjustable pendant cord or rod which allows you to adjust the length of the drop.

How many lights should your bathroom have?

Importantly you want to get the lighting right in your bathroom but you do not want to overdo it or go so little you end up brushing your teeth with the hand towel. 

I have a rule when it comes to how many lights in a bathroom and that rule is 3 downlights for a room that is 2.5m x 1.5m.

For anything smaller than 2.5m wide you only want 2 downlights but for anything bigger you need to start looking into combing lighting. 

Combined lighting changes how much ceiling lighting you need so an example of this is if you have say one or two wall lights you want less ceiling lighting but this depends on the room configuration and if you have an alcove section. 

Alcove sections that contain showers or vanities need their own section lighting as if they are their own room. 

What is the perfect vanity lighting

When it comes to vanity lighting you are talking to an expert. Let me guide you through the perfect guide to vanity lighting and the three choices you have. 

Firstly we have the traditional wall lights. Wall lights are either a light above your mirror or two wall lights besides your mirror

The wall light setup is perfect for face lighting or task lighting as it aims directly at you instead of above you creating shadows. 

Undoubtedly the biggest downside of wall lights is they impact your mirror size and creates complicated issues around mirror cabinets. 

Often mirror cabinets will be too deep and block the light but you can work around that with the examples below. 

Secondly, you have mirror lighting which are mirrors that light up and give you direct face light. These are great for makeup or any face task you require. 

Without a doubt, they are the most popular mirror we install and require power be hard-wired. For more information click here

Last but not least is the strip lighting often installed under vanities or under mirror cabinets to create ambient lighting or a more subtle bathroom lighting for someone using the room but not wanting to turn all the lights on

Beginners guide to bathroom lighting

Renovations can be complicated and the advice you receive and read is all over the place. Let me help you with a few quick hits. 

As covered below most bathrooms of small to medium size will use two to three downlights and this will cost you around $300 to $500 they are valued for money and last a long time. 

If you will be doing a lot of make-up, brushing your teeth, or want to look at your face a lot get a LED mirror light or two wall lights and a small mirror they are worth the money and a great resale item as we all love unique helpful things. 

Finally, when it comes to bathroom lighting chat to your sparky, he should be able to guide you but do not overdo it you can always add more lighting in the ceiling later its the taking away which is harder. 

Are LED mirrors worth it?

When it comes to if LED mirrors are worth it, we ask if our LED mirrors are worth putting in your bathroom. The biggest pet peeve clients would have with me over the years was lighting for bathrooms would always struggle with face lighting.

LED mirrors or light-up mirrors as they can be cooled allow for face lighting where before we were limited by wall lights. CLICK HERE OR THE IMAGE BELOW FOR THE FULL ARTICLE

Looking for the most modern heating in a bathroom well check out the vertical heated towel rails guide below. 

Leave a comment below about your experiences with lighting small bathrooms and if your small bathroom needs more lighting. 

We would love to know what you think is the biggest pros and cons of lighting small bathrooms.

 

It’s important to note that all our advice is general in nature and all bathrooms are unique so always speak to your local qualified tradesman for the best advice.

If you are looking for a bathroom renovation advice or want to collaborate together just drop me an email at jimthebathroomguy@gmail.com

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