Sanctuary bathrooms are here to stay. A calming bathroom oasis is high on homebuyers’ must-have lists, and bathroom remodels continue topping the list of popular home improvement projects.

And with the understandable excitement of choosing the right tile and vanity, it’s easy to underestimate the importance of lighting as a key design feature. In a highly functional space like a bathroom, lighting not only provides day-to-day illumination, but helps create a place to get ready for the day properly, unwind after a long one, and simply relax and recharge. Lighting impacts the look and feel of your bathroom and by extension your appearance, affecting makeup application, hair styling, shaving, and other personal grooming activities. Getting it right gets you a great start to your day.

When planning your bathroom lighting, keep in mind the rule of three — a combination of ambient, task, and accent lighting will provide the appropriate illumination for sight, movement, and activity. With this in mind, we’re sharing designer-approved lighting recommendations to help you make the best choice for your bathroom, whether it’s a luxurious primary bathroom suite, functional powder room, and anything in between.

Lighted Bathroom Mirrors

See yourself in a better light with a lighted bathroom mirror. If you’ve scrolled through Instagram or Pinterest for a minute, you’ve probably seen lighted mirrors creating serious home style inspiration. It’s easy to why, with their sleek profiles that are modern yet versatile enough to work with a variety of design styles.

Think of lighted mirrors as luxurious, around-the-clock ring lights ready for your next closeup or selfie. The light source is installed directly onto the mirror to cast an even and diffused light that’s ideal for makeup application, shaving, hair styling, and other personal grooming tasks. Hard-wired into your home’s electrical system or plugged into a wall outlet, lighted mirrors provide enough ambient light to illuminate a smaller bathroom or act as a nice base layer for a larger primary bath. There are two types of lighted bathroom mirrors, the primary difference being the location of the light source:

Backlit mirrors

A backlit mirror is constructed with a mirror and mirror base. Small LED light strips attach to the base to achieve a lovely floating mirror effect and a soft backlit glow.

Lighted mirrors

LED lights are installed directly on top or beneath the glass’s surface for this type of mirror. You’re still getting soft and even lighting, however, the mirror’s illumination is front-lit instead of backlit.

Lighted mirrors also come with other helpful perks:

• Light dimming capabilities to control the amount of light depending on the time of day
• Motion sensors for improved energy efficiency
• Touch sensors that allow you to conveniently turn on and off lights and adjust brightness
• Color temperature control settings to adjust how warm or cool you prefer your bathroom light to look
• Anti-fogging technology to prevent moisture buildup while showering or bathing

Side Lights

If you’ve ever looked in a bathroom mirror and noticed something a little off in your appearance, overhead lighting is probably the culprit. When a light fixture is installed just above a bathroom mirror, the light shining down tends to exaggerate facial features with unwelcome shadows under the eyes, nose, and mouth.

In the bathroom where lighting is highly functional, cross-illumination is key. Achieve it with light fixtures on either side of your bathroom mirror. Install them at eye level or just above for a balanced cast of light over your face and throughout the room. Even better, side lights in the bathroom can do double duty as ambient and task lighting, however you will still need at least one other light source in a larger bathroom.

Going Vertical

The design-forward profile of vertical lights makes them an on-trend yet timeless addition to most bathroom styles, from minimalist and modern to transitional and contemporary. Because vertical fixtures shine light forward, up, and down, they can elongate the look of the wall and create an illusion of more space — a benefit for any bathroom size.

A light fixture’s shape and size will also affect the quality of your bathroom lighting. For example, in a small bathroom where space is at a premium, you may not have the opportunity to layer different types of lighting. With illumination at eye-level as well as just above and below, vertical light sconces are a source of ample and even lighting. And if you use them as side lights flanking a bathroom mirror, they act as three-in-one combination fixtures providing ambient, task, and accent lighting.

Creative Combinations

Even in smaller spaces like bathrooms, taking a layered approach to your lighting will ensure you have plenty of illumination to take you from day to night. Ambient light should mimic the look and feel of natural daylight while integrating task and accent light will provide the right light to get ready in the mornings and evenings.

In her popular style blog, interior designer and author Emily Henderson recommends installing lighting at various heights to spread light evenly throughout a room. For example, recessed lights or a chandelier can act as the bathroom’s primary light source, with a lighted mirror adding a second layer of illumination for personal grooming tasks.
Control is also important when planning your bathroom lighting. Your lighting needs will vary from morning until night and may also depend on the weather. You won’t need as much light on a bright sunny day as you would during a rainy one, for instance. Dimmer switches and fixtures with dimming capabilities allow you to control the brightness and amount of lighting throughout the day to keep you looking your best.

Accent lighting in the bathroom is also an option. Undercabinet lighting can accentuate styled shelves, or kick lights installed under vanities provide a nice visual effect and act as a safety light. When planning your bathroom lighting, visiting a lighting showroom will help you better visualize the best fixtures for your space. Bring photos of your bathroom so lighting professionals can offer suggestions and make recommendations.

The Right Bulbs

No bathroom lighting guide would be complete without discussing light bulbs. Your bulb choice is key to achieving the mood and look you desire in a bathroom. But lighting a bathroom is a bit different from a living room or kitchen. You want to see yourself in the best and truest light possible while creating a calming and soothing environment. So, where to begin?
LED lights are the best choice because their benefits outnumber their incandescent cousins. LEDs have a longer lifespan and better energy efficiency. With no heat or UV emissions, they’re also much safer to use. Even better, their wider selection of design possibilities makes them a smart choice for any style preference.

When perusing the light bulb aisle at a showroom or hardware store, there are two main units of measurement to look out for:

Color temperature: Measured in Kelvins, this refers to how cool or warm looks to the naked eye. A high Kelvin rating translates to bright or blue light, while a lower rating stands for warm or yellow light. For a bathroom, look for bulbs between 2,700 and 3,000 Kelvin for even and warm light that transitions well from morning to night.

Color rendering index (CRI): This measures how bulbs render people and objects in comparison to natural light. For bathrooms, opt for bulbs with a CRI of at least 90 to adequately illuminate facial features and other details like skin tone and hair color.

Bathroom Lighting Design Takeaways

The right choice of lighting fixtures, placement, and bulbs can create your dream bathroom space for getting ready, relaxing, and recharging. While you can easily research and shop for bathroom light fixtures online, nothing compares to the experience of seeing their color, size, and shape in person. Get bathroom lighting ideas, expert advice, and a complimentary personalized design layout by visiting a Lighting One member showroom near you.