Lighting ideas and tips for a bathroom
When planning a bathroom renovation or makeover, it is especially important to ensure that you have good lighting, not only from a design point of view but also to illuminate grooming tasks.
Prior to the introduction of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) it was possible to install your own lighting on an existing power outlet, but regulations now state that you require the services of an electrician to perform this erstwhile simple task.
Mirror lighting
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Bathroom mirrors are available in various shapes and sizes and will influence your choice of lights. Remember the most important thing is to ensure that your face looks 'even', is free from shadows and bags, and does not look ghoulish. That way you will see better for shaving, putting on make-up, and styling your hair.
Here’s how to do it:
Instead of shining light onto the mirror and straight back at you, shine the light towards your face to illuminate the image the mirror is reflecting instead of reflecting the light - glare - of the fitting.
The ideal is to light from either side using wall lights. This is easier for oval, rectangular, square and round mirrors, which take up less wall space. If you have a diamond- or octagonal-shaped mirror in a small bathroom, it is best to light from above the mirror. Just remember when looking into the mirror, that you need to tilt your face up slightly to remove the shadows under your eyes and nose.
Another option is to use tilting downlighters either side of your mirror; however installing them requires precision. It is best to position them as close to the wall as possible, and to use two downlighters to light from either side.
Central lights and Downlighters
A light in the centre of the room provides adequate but not ideal light. It is advisable to use sealed waterproof downlighters to augment the lighting effect. It is especially important to use a sealed downlighter above the shower because of the effect of steam, which can create a short circuit or possibly cause fire.
If installing downlighters is too costly, perhaps consider replacing your central fitting with a circular fluorescent in a sealed fitting. Circular fluorescents offer a wider spread of light, fluorescents produce a lot of light, don’t use much electricity, and since bathroom lights are often left on throughout the night, this is a wise option.
Bathroom cupboards
If items such as razors and hairdryers are stored under the bathroom sink, you may want to make your life easier by installing under-counter lights to illuminate these cupboards, which are usually very dark. That way getting ready for work in the morning will be a breeze since you’ll be able to find things more easily with the extra light.
An alternative to under-counter lighting is to use a battery-operated Touch Light with LEDs. A Touch Light is also a handy item for power outages.
Fans and Heaters
An extractor fan is good for removing steam from the bathroom and protecting your electrical components.
A bathroom heater should be positioned near where you stand when you get out of the bath or shower. A directional infra-red heater both warms you and helps to dry you off, while a bar heater warms up the entire bathroom. Bar heaters take a while to heat up and are not a good option if you shower or bath quickly, unless these are switched on well before you take the bath or shower. Infra-red heaters usually have a light fitting, making them dual purpose.
Guest loo
You may like to consider a Sensor Switch for your guest loo. A light switches on when it detects movement and remains on for either 15 or 20 minutes (you decide). They are programmed to turn on only when light levels are low, so they are excellent energy savers.
Sensor switches are also ideal to use in entrance halls and at the front of the house.