When we enter the bathroom it’s usually because we need to make ourselves clean and presentable. Whether it’s personal hygiene, appearance or plain old vanity, we want to leave the bathroom looking our best so an important factor in achieving this is to make sure the room is lit properly.

As with any room, there are three basic types of lighting required for a bathroom – task lighting, general lighting and accent lighting. In this article we want to concentrate on bathroom mirror lighting which is task lighting that illuminates an area of the room where tasks are performed Рusually this will be applying make-up, shaving, brushing teeth etc.

The importance of vanity or mirror lighting

Anything that affects a person’s appearance can come under heavy criticism if not done correctly. Retailers, hoteliers and hairdressers have been aware of this for many years (and if they’re not you should take your custom elsewhere) because making the customer look good means they’re more likely to have a pleasurable experience and come back for return business.

These industries go to great lengths to make sure the mirror lighting on their premises is just right – bright enough so you can see but not overly glaring that it blinds you while being accurate yet still flattering your appearance. You can apply the same standards in your bathroom so you, and your guests, will look good and feel good.

Mirror lighting tips and products

Don’t rely on ceiling lights or recessed downlights in your bathroom to light your face while at the mirror. These lighting fixtures will cast too many shadows on your face. Use this type of lighting as general lighting in the room and combine it with mirror lights.

Mirror lighting should surround the face of the mirror with light whenever possible to minimise shadows falling under the chin, cheeks, eyes and forehead. The most common mirror lighting is on the wall above the mirror. Because the light is only coming down in one direction the light should be strong enough illuminate both sides of the face.

As we’ve mentioned, task lighting a mirror can be achieved from the top but you can also achieve a similar effect by lighting it from the sides. Wall-mounted strip lights fitted both sides of a larger mirror work really well.

 

It’s a good idea to install a smaller lit mirror next to your main vanity mirror. Sometimes referred to as a ‘shaving mirror’ it can help magnify what you see and improve lighting for closer attention tasks such as shaving or doing your make-up.

 

For added convenience you can buy mirrors that have tasks lighting fixtures built in. They can be lit from both sides as well as top and bottom and take the fuss out of installing extra electrics in the bathroom.

 

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