We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: good lighting can make or break a bathroom. It can transform your bathroom from a functional space to a rejuvenating sanctuary, enhancing both its functionality and aesthetic appeal. Getting the lighting right will make your bathroom routines easier and create the kind of uplifting ambiance that can really make you fall in love with a room. So how do you get it right? Well, like lots of things in life, it’s all in the planning!
Why refit your bathroom in the first place
Firstly, it’s important to take a moment to consider and identify what your aims are in your bathroom refit. Is your main aim to create more space, minimise maintenance, or to change the focus of the room from function to luxury? Your bathroom refit will ultimately improve your home’s value and your quality of life. That’s a given. The ways that it will achieve this, though, will be slightly different depending on your design aims.
While a coherent line of furniture and choice of high quality materials are absolutely key in creating good aesthetics, and well designed fixtures will ease your use of the space, it is lighting that ties it all together.
Understanding your refit process
Refitting a bathroom involves several steps, from planning and design to installation and decoration. It’s essential to have a clear plan in place before starting any work to ensure a smooth process and avoid costly mistakes.
Design
During the planning stage, consider the layout, style, and functionality of your new bathroom. This is the stage to decide on your lighting scheme. Proper planning can help you avoid common pitfalls, such as insufficient lighting or inconveniently placed light fixtures.
Preparation
Once you have a plan, the next step is to remove the old fixtures and fittings. This stage can be messy and time-consuming, but it’s crucial for creating a clean slate for your new bathroom. Working with a luxury bathroom design and installation company like Stone & Chrome really takes the stress out of these parts of the process.
Installation
From plumbing and electric infrastructure to tiling and decorating, the installation of a high quality bathroom involves a lot of different disciplines and many trade professionals. At Stone & Chrome, we manage the whole process so that you just need to enjoy the finished product!
Start with natural light
So, when it comes to the detail of planning your bathroom refit lighting, start with assessing natural light. It enhances the space, making it feel larger and more inviting, and it can even improve your mood. So it’s key to work out which elements of your bathroom refit can maximise natural light before you start to plan artificial light.
Maximising natural light
If your bathroom space is small, north facing, or has limited window area, there are some key parts of your design concept that will help to optimise the natural light that diffuses around the room.
- Minimise window dressing – Avoid heavy curtains or blinds that block sunlight. Instead, maintain privacy with frosted or textured glass which allows natural light to flood the room.
- Use reflective materials – Mirrors, and glossy finishes or surfaces are great for reflecting light, making the room appear brighter and more spacious. Stone worktops and large mirrors are ideal here.
- Choose light colours – Light coloured walls and ceilings can help bounce natural light around the room. So choose materials like marble or quartz for tiles and surfaces and neutrals for walls.
Bathroom lighting design principles
When planning your bathroom lighting, it’s essential to consider the different levels of lighting needed to create a balanced and functional space.
Ambient Lighting
Ambient lighting provides overall illumination for the bathroom. This can be achieved through ceiling mounted fixtures, such as recessed spotlights or if there’s room, pendant lighting. Ensure that ambient lighting is bright enough to illuminate the entire room without being harsh.
Task Lighting
Task lighting is essential for specific activities, such as shaving, skincare or makeup routines, or brushing teeth. This type of lighting is usually placed around the mirror or above the vanity. Integrated lighting into mirror surrounds and recesses are great choices, or look at wall mounted or LED strip lights if you prefer to keep things separate.
Accent Lighting
Accent lighting adds depth and dimension to your bathroom, highlighting architectural features or decorative elements. You can use accent lighting to create a focal point, such as a piece of artwork or an unusual bathtub. LED lit shelving recesses are ideal for this purpose.
Integration
For the most modern, elegant bathroom designs, integrating levels of lighting into the design scheme is key. While living spaces have plentiful scope for lamps and freestanding lighting, bathroom functionality doesn’t really allow this. There are plenty of places to include integrated lighting, which makes creating varied lighting levels really straightforward.
- Within the mirror edging
- Under wall cabinets
- Within worktop edges or sideboards
- Downlights in recessed shelving
Choosing your lighting temperature
The colour temperature of your lighting can significantly impact the ambience of your bathroom. Understanding the benefits of warm and cool lighting can help you choose the right option for your space. Lighting temperature is measured in Kelvin, with lower numbers giving off a warm glow and higher numbers a brighter white light.
Warm Lighting
Warm lighting, typically ranging from 2700K to 3000K, creates a cosy, inviting atmosphere. It’s ideal for creating a relaxing environment, making it perfect for bathrooms where you want to unwind.
Cool Lighting
Cool lighting, ranging from 4000K to 5000K, provides a bright, invigorating light that mimics daylight. It’s excellent for task-oriented areas, such as around the vanity, where you need clear, focused illumination.
Why choose?
Of course, these days dynamic lighting can provide the scope to move from cool to warm shades of light at the touch of a button. While you may choose warm LEDs for your ceiling spotlights which provide ambient light, you may prefer more variable task and accent lighting.
When you plan your bathroom lighting, remember that this element of the room design is the only one which is ultimately variable. It moves between daylight hours to evening darkness, changing the feel of the room along the way. Get it right, and you can have a bathroom which fulfils a plethora of different needs and moods. So why not contact Stone & Chrome to get the most of our design expertise.