So you are planning a new bathroom in 2022? How exciting! Just think, by this time next year you will hopefully have already had your new bathroom for some time and will be enjoying all the benefits it brings.
But to get the bathroom of your dreams needs careful planning and a bathroom installer you can trust. To find out more about planning your ideal bathroom, take a look at our recent article The best bathroom design for your home.
The importance of bathroom lighting
When planning your bathroom, you’ll be thinking about all kinds of things including bathroom furniture and fixtures, flooring, decor, colours, accessories and so on. But another really important factor in the equation is lighting.
Careful planning of bathroom lighting can make a huge difference to your new bathroom, and ensure that you have the perfect ambience for any time of day or night, and for all your bathroom needs. Bathroom lighting is not just a practical necessity, it is also a style statement. Creating layers of lighting can transform your bathroom from the functional to the extraordinary.
But many people overlook the need to plan bathroom lighting right from the start, so that all the necessary wiring can be done correctly for the lighting you want.
So in this article we take a look at three different types of bathroom lighting that you may want to consider for your new bathroom.
Ceiling lights
Downlights are one of the most popular types of bathroom ceiling lighting. Downlights use LED bulbs and are installed in a hollow recess in the ceiling. This creates a streamlined and unobtrusive finish, flush with the ceiling, and enables streams of light to shine down from the ceiling.
Careful positioning of downlights can ensure that you highlight particular features of your bathroom. Many downlights can also be dimmed to provide flexibility in the amount of light provided.
Another advantage of downlights is that they are economical on energy consumption, so are environmentally friendly as well as cost effective.
There are various other options for ceiling lights as well as downlights. Three of these are:
- Ceiling lamps
- Pendant lights
- Chandeliers
All of the above are light fixtures that are mounted to the bathroom ceiling. Using one or more in your bathroom can provide a warm ambient light across different areas of the bathroom. In general, the larger your bathroom is, the more ornate you could make your lighting.
Wall lights
Wall lights in bathrooms can be used to highlight particular areas – for example the vanity and mirror – and add layers of light to that provided by the ceiling lights. Wall lights can also be used on their own, without ceiling lights, when you want a warmer and richer ambience.
The example below shows wall lighting from a luxury attic wet room and bathroom. They light up the vanity area beautifully and are a perfect complement to the LED downlighting.
Area Lighting
As we have seen, wall lighting can be used to add lighting layers to a particular area of your bathroom. Similarly, any area of your choice can have additional lighting to highlight it. Some examples are:
Vanity lighting
Many people like the option of being able to illuminate their vanity area. As well as the wall lighting option we saw earlier, you could consider a pendant over the vanity area, or strategically placed LED lighting as shown in the image below. In this luxury steam shower room, LED lighting illuminates the vanity dressing table area to the right of the basin.
Storage lighting
One of our trademarks at Stone and Chrome is to use LED lighting to highlight storage recess areas. We think it looks spectacular! Not only does this provide an additional layer of lighting, but it makes the storage areas another feature of the bathroom rather than just a practical necessity.
Mirror lighting
You will notice that the above LED lit storage area also featured a mirrored background. A clever combination of mirrors and lighting can completely transform the look and feel of your bathroom.
You can also add mirror lighting in various different ways. One of these is to use an LED striplight around the mirror, as shown in the image below. Not only are these a practical way of lighting your whole mirror, they help to cast an ethereal glow around your bathroom, particularly when the light is reflected by the mirror itself around the room.
Why you need expert help
So as you can see, there are many different options for bathroom lighting, and it makes sense to include your lighting requirements right from the start of your bathroom project. This will ensure that your preferred lighting combination is both do-able and safe.
Stone and Chrome would love to help you do this! So why not take a browse through our bathroom gallery for some ideas and inspiration then get in touch with us to arrange a visit to our Camberley showroom. Let’s get things moving in 2022!