The toilet is one of the only rooms in a multibodied household where we are expected and encouraged to lock ourselves inside. With that type of permission, it makes sense to use this private area as a luxurious sanctuary. Make the the majority of your haven by providing the proper lighting to it.
I talked with two lighting specialists about how best to change a bathroom into a relaxing, practical refuge with light. Here is their advice.
Randall Whitehead Lighting Solutions
The four kinds of light needed for the best toilet atmosphere are activity, accent, decorative and sparkle.
Task Lighting
Here is the light by which you can best see yourself. “Propertask lighting in the mirror is essential,” says lighting designer Randall Whitehead.
He recommends having a pair of sconces mounted at eye level on either side of the mirror to offer shadowless illumination. This creates the best scenario for makeup application, shaving, tooth care and so on.
Jennifer Gustafson Interior Design
Tip: Avoid adding a light over the mirror. That contains recessed lighting in the ceiling. “That would throw a strong light onto your forehead and cast deep shadows below your eyes, nose and chin,” Whitehead says. “Not only is this light ineffective for shaving or applying makeup, it can visually age you by a decade. Folks should look their best when they appear at their manifestation.”
Proper lighting in the bathroom will make you feel better about yourself and encourage confidence during your day.
Hughes Studio Architects
Wattage for task lighting. “In the master or guest bathrooms, use fixtures which offer 75 to 100 watts’ worth of lighting,” Whitehead recommends. “You can receive these wattage equivalents in a 24- to 26-watt compact fluorescent or 20- to 25-watt LED.”
Get the lowdown on energy-efficient LEDs
Tip: Placing task lighting on a dimmer will enable your eyes to correct first thing in the morning; it will also enable you to wind down during the night.
Urban Herriges & Sons, Inc..
Task light wattage in the powder room. Task lights in powder rooms can have much less wattage (think 45-watt range), as it is not a area where anybody will be performing the morning ritual. Lower wattage provides a milder, relaxing ambience for guests.
Find a color temperature which makes the room feel inviting and illuminates guests in the most attractive manner.
How light affects interior Colours
Juli Baier Interior Design
Accent Lighting
If you like art on your toilet, accent lighting will reveal it off best. Recessed directional lights deliver focused illumination for each piece of artwork — or, in this case, for an alcove dedicated to a sculptural bouquet of blossoms.
Besch Design, Ltd..
Decorative Lighting
This adds visual sparkle. Whitehead advises using one pendant in a square-shaped toilet for just the correct touch.
Jerry B Smith Photography
At a grand rectangular toilet, he recommends using two to three fittings installed across the ceiling airplane for sufficient lighting.
Xstyles Bath + More
Candles also offer wonderful sparkle and set a distinctly relaxing, intimate tone. Just make sure that you keep them well away from any flammable items, like towels and hair, and never leave them unattended.
Eduardo Hernandez Ch. Architect / CHK Arquitectura
Francesca Owings Interior Design
Ambient Light
This acts asfill light. “In bathrooms with taller ceilings, a cove or cantilever details, ambient lighting fittings can be installed along the outside of the space,” Whitehead says. “Architectural details like these can hide the fixture and create indirect illumination.”
A pendant fixture with a translucent shade can be a source of both decorative and ambient lighting.
Before Photo
Putting It All Together
Interior designer Katie Anderson altered the darkened toilet shown here in many ways, but one of the most significant — and many universally useful — has been bringing in light.
“Before, there weren’t enough light sources or proper fixtures to layer lighting,” Anderson says. “Additionally, there wasn’t any pure light.”
Her assignment: invent a lighting program which would light up the shower, tub and sink areas equally. Here is what she did.
Katie Anderson Interior Design Consultants
AFTER: Sconces on large mirrors in the sink vanities now offer practical task lighting. Recessed headphones on dimmers offer ambient lighting for any mood is desired. Dimmers are especially beneficial in the tub area, in which comfort and romance are priorities. Wall sconces offer additional ambient and ornamental lighting.
Katie Anderson Interior Design Consultants
Large mirrors, both in the dressing table and over the tub, effectively reflect each of these layered lighting sources for the best effect.
HOUSEworks Design/Build General Contractor
Whitehead suggests placing the fan and light on separate switches. “I don’t need the fan to continue automatically every time I go in to scrub my hands,” he states. Placing each light source — or even a logical combination of lighting sources — on various switches allows you to choose what you would like lit when.
Tip: Should you utilize recessed cans over the sink, then make certain they are on a different switch than your task lighting, as Anderson did.
How could your toilet use a light makeover?