Kitchen & Bathroom Design Blog

All about bathroom lighting design.

Lighting is essential in every space in your home, but carefully planned lighting is especially important in a bathroom design. You need to be able to see clearly to get ready, which requires targeted task lighting that does not leave glares or shadows on your face. You have to be able to see in order to perform key tasks like shaving or applying makeup, as well as to navigate around fixtures safely.

Everyone uses the bathroom, so lighting in this space must be easily accessible for all users of any age and all mobility needs. This includes easy-to-find lighting for late-night trips to the bathroom. Simple lighting controls also reduce the risk of injury from tripping or bumping into fixtures while fumbling for a light switch.

Plan your lighting at the bathroom design stage of the remodeling process. This allows you to ensure that all lighting needs are met, that wiring is in place for all your light fixtures, and that your chosen lighting complements your design aesthetic. At this stage, you can also plan for mirrors for your bathroom design and determine how they fit together with your lighting scheme.

Creating a multi-layered bathroom lighting design.

There are several key types of lighting to consider when planning how to illuminate any space in your home, and the bathroom is no exception. A multi-layered lighting design lets you examine all your lighting needs and find solutions to achieve everything from targeted task lighting to soft ambient light, accent lighting, and decorative lighting.

By carefully planning your lighting requirements, you can use a single light fixture to achieve multiple purposes, which is especially important in a smaller bathroom design. Here is a rundown of the key lighting types to consider when planning your bathroom lighting design:

Task Lighting is the targeting lighting you need to see clearly in order to perform key tasks. Think about what you do in the bathroom where you need targeted illumination, such as around the vanity cabinet and mirror, in the shower, or at a makeup vanity. Consider how these lights pair with your mirror choice, and make sure your task lighting does not leave any glare or shadows on your face when you are looking in the mirror. Task lighting options could include sconces around the mirror, vanity lights over the mirror, a pendant light, or an LED-lit mirror.

Ambient Lighting transforms your room with warm, welcoming lighting from softer light sources. Ambient light is the background light that illuminates your entire room rather than focusing on a single area. In a bathroom design, in particular, ambient light takes your space from feeling purely functional to becoming a welcoming space where you can spend time relaxing. Use a dimmer switch or smart lighting controls to soften bright lights in a bathroom, such as recessed ceiling lights or vanity lights. Backlit mirrors are an ideal way to add softer light to a bathroom, as is undercabinet lighting (which is also ideal for lighting the way for nighttime trips to the bathroom).

Accent Lighting lets you use light sources to highlight your favorite design features or even a piece of artwork. Think of the spotlights used to illuminate paintings or light up shelves to feature the contents. Accent lighting can be employed in a bathroom to showcase the carefully chosen feature tile in your shower or backsplash area. It can also be used to light up alcove storage or floating shelves to make displays with accessories pop. You could also include accent lighting to show off architectural features like an archway.

Decorative Lighting transforms your light fixtures from purely functional into a core element of your design style. Just like a chandelier in your dining room or a bold pendant in the living room, bathrooms can benefit from decorative light fixtures that light up your space while also enhancing your design.

Consider the size of your room and your design aesthetic when choosing these fixtures, and make sure you don’t overwhelm a small space with fixtures that are too large. Place a modern chandelier or a large pendant over a freestanding tub or near your vanity cabinet. Choose wall sconces in a material, color, and finish that fits your style. Or select lighting with natural or architectural lines that easily become a style focal point.

What else do you need to know about bathroom lighting?

Natural Lighting plays a central role in lighting your bathroom design, alongside your light fixtures. If your bathroom has access to an external wall, try to maximize the value of natural light through windows, glass doors, or a skylight. These openings work beautifully in providing illumination during the daytime, which reduces the hours when you need to switch on lights and therefore helps your electricity costs.

It also creates an immediate connection to nature by bathing your room in natural light and giving you a view of the outdoors. This is essential to creating a calming environment for your bath design.  Consider placing your bathtub near a large window, which lets you soak in the tub while you soak up vitamin D!

Natural lighting is also ideal for providing daytime ambient light and for getting ready as it tends to be softer than harsh overhead lights. You can also use natural light to check your makeup before heading out for the day. Pair your windows and glass doors with coverings that offer sufficient privacy without blocking all light from entering the room.

Smart Lighting Controls work together with your light fixtures to transform the way you use and control your bathroom lighting design. They are the key to making sure your light fixtures can do double duty as task and ambient lighting by letting you easily change light levels and color at the turn of a dimmer switch, tap of a button on a smartphone, or command spoken to a voice-controlled system. This is a simple way to turn lights on and off at night or even change light levels from the comfort of your bathtub. Many systems even let you create presets for your favorite lighting plans.

All about bathroom mirrors.

It is difficult to picture a bathroom design without a mirror, as this is the place where we typically go to check our reflection when getting ready to go out or to welcome guests. Mirrors are essential to a well-planned bathroom and must work hand-in-hand with your lighting. You need a mirror that is sufficient to support the bathroom’s users. For example, in a spacious bath design used by more than one person install a larger mirror or more than one mirror so everyone can see to get ready simultaneously.

Mirrors serve other purposes in a bath design too. A carefully situated mirror can make your room appear larger, which is especially important in a compact bathroom. To accomplish this goal, install a larger mirror that takes up the wall space above your vanity cabinet. Your mirror also bounces light around the room, which helps to brighten up your space. Make sure your mirror is sized appropriately to your room’s size and your vanity, and check that your chosen vanity lights and mirror fit together.

Your bathroom mirror can also serve as a design accessory by choosing a style that accents your room’s aesthetic. There are a wide range of shapes, sizes, and frames that let you select a mirror to either blend in with your surrounding design elements or stand out as a stylish focal point.

Top bathroom mirror styles.

There are bathroom mirrors to fit any functional, size, or style requirements to enhance your bathroom design. Here are a few of the top mirror styles to consider:

• Frameless mirrors are ideal as they fit any bathroom design style, blending neatly with surrounding design features. This mirror type lets you maximize room for reflection with no frame to get in the way and is an ideal choice for a very large mirror. It puts the focus on the rest of your design since the mirror does not draw attention to decorative features such as a frame. If you want to add some embellishment, you can opt for a beveled edge to your frameless mirror.

• Framed mirrors provide a space to see yourself and play a role in your design style. You can choose a metal frame, either to match other fixtures or to stand out on its own. Or you could go for a wood frame that matches your vanity cabinet. Some mirrors are framed in unusual materials, such as rope or mosaic tiles, making them a style accessory.

• Mirror shapes range from standard rectangular to oval or round. Asymmetrical mirror shapes have also gained in popularity as they give your space an eclectic edge and a one-of-a-kind look.

• LED Lit Mirrors are a top choice as they use energy-efficient LED lights to either frame or sit behind the mirror, the latter giving your mirror a floating effect. They provide optimal lighting at the mirror and give off less heat than standard lights. LED-lit mirrors also add a stylish element to a bathroom design, immediately drawing the eye to your vanity area.

• Mirrored medicine cabinets balance style and functionality for a busy bathroom design. They offer internal storage for essentials like medicines or shaving products and then close up to give you a place to see yourself. These mirrored storage cabinets are often LED-lit too, meaning they do triple duty with storage, mirror, and lighting!

• Smart mirrors make your mirror high-tech by adding features such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, built-in speakers, and a screen for viewing, all operated by touchscreen or voice controls. Many mirrors also offer anti-fog capabilities with a built-in heating element to keep fog under control.

Finding the right combination of lighting and mirrors for your bathroom design.

There are many factors to take into account when planning a bathroom design. From new vanity storage to a luxury shower style, a bathroom remodel lets you recreate your space to fit your family’s style and functional needs. A multi-layered lighting design paired with mirrors is a key component of a bathroom remodel and must be considered at the design planning stage.

Think about your available space, your style, who will use this bathroom, and your budget. Remember that bathroom lighting performs a key functional task, but it also must enhance your enjoyment of the room by transforming it from a place to get ready for the day to a relaxing space where you can unwind in the bath. By pairing dimmer switches or smart lighting controls with your fixtures, you can efficiently use a single light source for more than one purpose. Partner your lighting with a mirror, or more than one mirror, that lets you see clearly, enhances your style, and opens up your space by reflecting light around the room.

Are you ready to plan your ideal bathroom remodel? Make sure you include bathroom lighting and mirrors in your planning process. Get more ideas for bathroom design in our gallery and then contact our experienced team to start planning.