Best Bathroom Lighting Tips

Simple but effective advice to help you choose the right light fixtures for your bathroom

Lighting a bathroom can be a challenge. Light fixtures must be chosen carefully to give the right amount and quality of light, and placed appropriately to support the overall aesthetic of the room. This is especially important in small bathrooms or bathrooms that have no natural light at all.

Depending on your bathroom layout and design, you may need to incorporate some or all of these 3 key types of bathroom lighting:

• Task lighting
• Ambient lighting
• Decorative lighting

Fortunately, Mission West Kitchen & Bath can help you select the right fixtures for each of these functions. We have a wide selection of high-quality designer light fixtures to suit just about any style.

Read up on these bathroom lighting tips to get ideas for your project, and then stop by our showroom to browse quality fixtures in person.

Task Lighting Tips:

• Wall sconces mounted at eye level provide excellent illumination for tasks like shaving and makeup, without creating shadows that could make you look old
• Bathroom task lighting should provide 75 to 100 watts of illumination, which translates to 24 to 26 watt CFLs or 20 to 25 watt LEDs
• Use softer task lighting in a powder room. 45 watts of illumination should be sufficient
• Consider putting your master bath task lighting on a dimmer. That way, you can turn it up bright when you need to, but leave the light low for an easier transition early in the morning or late at night

Ambient Lighting Tips:

• Ambient light should be placed so that all spaces in the room are lit evenly
• Tucking sources of ambient light into and around architectural elements like cove or cantilever details can hide the fixtures and create flattering indirect lighting
• Don’t forget to consider how your mirrors are going to reflect and direct ambient light

Decorative Lighting Tips:

• Make the most of any accent niches or art pieces in your bathroom by illuminating them with appropriate accent lighting such as a recessed directional light
• Designer pendant lights can add pop to your bathroom design and also help fill up otherwise blank space above a tub

Candles are another excellent option for decorative lighting in a bathroom. Whether you use a wall sconce or leave the candles on the vanity or tub rim, be sure they are well away from any flammable items