Planning a Lighting Makeover: Bathroom

Bathrooms often get overlooked when people redecorate, but yours is far more than just a functional space. These diminutive rooms have the potential to become cozy sanctuaries that let you escape from the stresses of the outside world. Of course, their ability to do so depends on the mood that you set using lighting.

Is it time to give your bathroom a makeover? Here’s how your choice of lights makes all the difference.

Vital Bathroom Lighting Varieties

Bathroom lighting comes in diverse shapes. The secret to understanding all of the different styles and fixtures lies in being familiar with their general purposes. Many interior decor experts divide bathroom lighting into:

• Task or spot lighting that provides a focused area of bright illumination to make it easier to see what you’re doing,
• Ambient or fill lighting that brightens up the general space by coming from multiple directions and establishing a unified visual tone, and
• Accent, object or decor lighting that highlights artwork, adds color or introduces some other form of stylistic flair.

Task and Ambient Lighting: Choose Practical Elements First

To select fixtures that create the desired impact, start by considering which roles each light will fulfill. For instance, if you want to brighten up the entire space, then picking ambient elements like recessed ceiling lights is a smart idea.

It’s important to remember, however, that some ambient lights may not provide the bright illumination that you’d prefer when shaving or washing your face. You should combine them with task-oriented fixtures, like lighting around vanity mirrors and in showers.

Always settle on ambient and task lighting before moving on to more stylistic elements. Because these lights define the general feeling of the space and determine how you use it, it’s easier to build on them instead of doing things the other way around. Ask yourself the following questions to figure out what you’ll require:

• Does your bathroom have windows that might mean you need less ambient light during the day?
• Is it necessary to design around existing fixtures like fan vents?
• Are there components of your current lighting that you’d prefer to retain and supplement instead of completely overhauling everything? 

Adding Personality: Tie It All Together

Most lighting fixtures can fulfill several unique roles. For instance, ceiling-mount lighting and hanging lights typically add ambience, but when judiciously positioned, they can also serve as accents or even task lighting. Although most mirror lighting is designed to make tasks easier, it can also perform double duty as a source of fill lighting when combined with pendants, sconces and other elements that typically act as decor.

Crafting the ideal creative lighting arrangement is all about combining these different elements in a style that reflects your tastes. Once you’ve decided what your primary needs are, pick lighting families and fixtures that complement each other to fill them. Even if you feel like experimenting or mixing and matching different collections, the fact that you began with the basics will make your makeover an overwhelming success.