Having a well-lit bathroom is more important than you might realize. Think about some of the things you do in your bathroom: shave, put on makeup, fix your hair, and the list goes on. These are detail-oriented things. You need good light to see what you’re doing, so it’s important to carefully consider how to position your lighting before you head to the hardware store for fixtures and bulbs.
In a bathroom, you generally need three types of lighting: ambient, vanity, and shower. Let’s take a look at each one.
Ambient Lighting
Light that is not directed at one specific area is what we call ambient lighting. It fills in the areas that other lighting fixtures don’t reach and generally illuminates the room as a substitute for natural light. In a bathroom, this is usually a single fixture, often a surface-mounted ceiling light. But you can also get stylish and creative with your ambient lighting. A pendant lamp or chandelier shows off your personal style while illuminating your bathroom. In a small bathroom, accent or recessed lighting is often the best choice for ambient lighting.
Vanity Lighting
This is what we call task lighting or functional lighting. That just means that you need light to illuminate a specific area. The trick with vanity lighting is to minimize the shadows on your face. The best way to get even light on your face is with vertical fixtures on either side of the mirror. If you don’t have the space for that, a fixture over the mirror that is at least two feet long will wash the light evenly over your face.
Shower Lighting
Not every bathroom will need a dedicated fixture for the shower. In a smaller bathroom, the other lighting fixtures may be enough to illuminate the shower. If not, small recessed fixtures usually do the trick. However, you want to make sure that you use a fixture with a glass lens rather than a plastic one. Over time, the plastic lens will yellow, dimming the light.
Light Your Bathroom Like a Pro at Your Local Hardware Store
Whether you’re remodeling your bathroom or just upgrading the fixtures, you’ll find everything you need at your local hardware store, Aubin Ace Hardware. And if you’re not quite sure what you need, our staff is always ready to help.
