Bathroom Lighting Placement Ideas

Bathroom lighting placement serves a variety of purposes.

Bathrooms offer a variety of lighting placement options that range from the floor, up the walls, and to the ceiling. Each location casts light for different purposes so that you can make the most of your bathroom space.

In the Floor

Placing small lights or LED lights in a bathroom floor or along the vertical rise of a bathroom step creates a constant, subtle glow in the room. This lighting technique casts proper light onto steps to enhance safety and acts as a nightlight. If your bathroom doubles as a relaxation room, lights in the floor create a soothing ambiance because they are not overpowering and bright.

Under the Cabinets

You can also place lights under bathroom cabinets or vanities in the toe space. This light placement serves many of the same purposes as lights placed in the floor, but you cannot see these under-cabinet lights, just their glow. You can use under-cabinet lighting as a nightlight to avoid stubbing your toe on sharp edges.

Near the Mirror

Placing lights near the mirror helps supply you with appropriate lighting for daily rituals such as applying makeup, shaving or brushing your teeth. Lights installed beside the mirror aligned closely with your face minimize shadowing better than lights above the mirror. Light placement over mirrors is a good option if there is not space on either side of a mirror. You can test different wattages in an overhead fixture to find which lighting suits your needs.

In the Ceiling

You can install recessed lighting into the bathroom ceiling to cover more bathroom space with light. Recessed lights give you the freedom to highlight certain areas of your bathroom by casting it with overhead light. You can place this light feature over showers, bathtubs, sitting areas and sinks. Using a recessed light over a mirror takes some planning because it can cause intense shadowing if not placed properly. The easiest way to reduce or eliminate shadowing is to have a light illuminate your face directly by placing lights along the sides of a mirror. Placing recessed lights in the ceiling in front of where you stand for the mirror and reflecting it onto your face is better than installing them directly over the top of your head.

Tags: your bathroom, your face, bathroom space, better than, lighting placement