Before you buy your bathroom lighting, make sure you know what décor and preferences best fit your needs and your mood. Understand the roles of task lighting versus ambient lighting and accent lighting. How much light does your bathroom need?

Bathing lighting should provide plenty of even, shadow-free lighting for shaving, grooming, and applying makeup. Mirror lights can illuminate the entire room but larger bathrooms will need additional ceiling fixtures for general lighting.

As you build you lighting plan for your home, realize that each room has a different primary use. Lighting for your kitchen needs to be very different than lighting for your bedroom, bathroom, and most definitely than your closet. Keep in mind what the room is used for, in addition to how big the space is that you need to light.

Lighting throughout your house and yard should be based upon the décor and the style which best represents you and your home. No matter what, the lighting you chose should be functional and visually pleasing.

There are three different types of light which you should understand, so you can best determine what and where to use them in each room or space.

• Ambient – Ambient or general lighting allows you to move safely around a room or area. It is designed to simply illuminate various regions of a space. This type of lighting is accomplished with chandeliers, ceiling or wall-mounted fixtures, recessed or track lights, and with lanterns outside your home. It is a basic form of light that replaces sunlight.
• Task – Task lighting is usually turned on manually and helps you perform specific tasks such as reading, sewing, cooking, homework, games, or working on your computer. It can be provided by recessed and track lighting, pendant lighting, and portable lamps. Task lighting should be free of distracting glare and shadows; light should be bright enough to prevent eyestrain.
• Accent – Accent or decorative lighting is most commonly used for illuminating walks with subtle light, or to highlight a key object or focal point in the home or surrounding landscape. Accent lighting adds drama to a room by creating visual interest. As part of a decorating scheme, accent lighting is used to spotlight works of art, houseplants, or other prized possessions. This type of lighting requires at least three times as much light on the focal point as the general lighting around it. It is usually provided by track, recessed, or wall-mounted fixtures.

So just how much light do you need for a room and how do you go about calculating what is required to adequately provide lighting? Like most things in life, there is a formula and it’s really quite easy. Multiply the length of the room, in feet, by the width of the room or Length times Width. Then multiply your resulting answer by 1.5 to reach the amount of wattage you need to properly light the room for general illumination. For task lighting, use the same formula but use 2.5 rather than 1.5 to find the required wattage.

Bathroom lighting should provide plenty of even, shadow-free lighting for shaving, grooming, and applying makeup. In small bathrooms, mirror lights will illuminate the entire room however for larger bathrooms; an additional ceiling fixture will be needed for general lighting.

For small mirrors, use of decorative wall brackets on each side of the mirror will evenly illuminate both sides of your face. You can also mount a wall bracket across the top of the mirror. Fixtures equipped with incandescent bulbs behind glass or plastic diffusers provide the most flattering light. If you choose to select more energy-efficient fluorescents, pick warm white tones, they come closest to the color of incandescent bulbs. Theatrical lighting strips around your bathroom mirror or bathroom spotlights will give you the same excellent lighting the stars enjoy in their Broadway dressing rooms.

Tub and shower enclosures can be adequately lighted by placing an enclosed damp-location recessed downlight in the ceiling. These bathroom downlights are also recommended over whirlpool baths or in saunas.

Although the bathroom is a highly functional space in your home, it is also your private area where creating a mood is equally as important. Since it’s the first place you venture in the morning, having a warm and welcoming view of the day is probably important to your well being. Because you most likely want the best of all worlds, consider the use of a dimmer switch to create a more relaxing mood at the end of the day.

Before making any final decision on your bathroom light, consider the color of the room and the reflective nature of the tile you might be using. As the color of any room can have a positive or negative effect on the lighting, and the color of the lighting you choose will depend on the paint color in the bathroom.

You want the color of the lighting to react positively with the color of the room. Some colors work well with yellow-based lighting, while others work best with white-based bulbs. If you are unsure what color of lighting will work with the paint in your bathroom, consult a paint professional. He can help you choose the proper color of lighting for your bathroom paint color.

When choosing your bathroom light fixtures make sure they coordinate with the other hardware finishes you have selected, such as doorknobs, cabinet knobs, and faucets. It’s all the little things that make the complete look for your bathroom.

Related posts:

1. 5 Tips to Create Good Bathroom Lighting
2. Bathroom Downlights and Other Bathroom Lighting Ideas
3. Achieving Beautiful and Functional Bathroom Lighting
4. Achieve Designer Grade Lighting with Beautiful Wall Lights
5. Going Green in the Bathroom With Lighting