Bathroom lighting
When buying light fixtures for the bathroom you must buy the ones that are sold for this purpose, they are more resistant to moisture. Once you know the zones for your bathroom then you can buy light fixtures according to the zones- for safety reasons they are divided into three zones.
· Zone 0; The interior of the bath or shower which can hold water.
· Zone 1; The area directly above zone 0 limited vertically to 2.25m above the bottom of the bath or shower. Also 1.2m horizontally from the centre of a shower outlet to the height of the outlet or 2.25m whichever is the higher.
· Zone 2; The area beyond zones 0 and 1, 0.6m horizontally and up to 2.25m vertically. Zone 2 also included any recessed window with a sill next to the bath.
Take a good look at your bathroom and identify where your natural light source is coming from before you decide the positioning of your light fixtures. Spotlights can be recessed into the ceiling and be splash proof plus have the appropriate IP rating. Wall lights are also available for bathrooms and they help give out a softer, diffused light creating mood lighting.
If you want to give your bathroom a luxurious and glamorous please don’t even think about putting a chandelier over the tub. Yes you have seen it in magazine photos but believe me that was only marketing! Electricity and water do not mix.
So if you are looking for a luxurious feel use spotlights or up lighting spots either set into the floor, or the side of a raised bath. And if you want the romantic look then just add some candles around the bath tub. To provide bright light necessary for daily grooming tasks use a mirror with a light, some versions have a demisting element built-in too or use decorative wall fixtures placed on each side of the mirror; it provides an even shadow-free facial illumination.
For those who bring books to the bath, an adjustable accent light aiming from outside the bath is dramatic, glare-free and great to read. LED (light emitting diode) lights are becoming favoured because they are more energy efficient, last longer, and are flexible enough for use in various lighting fixtures and situations so for those middle-of-the-night trips to the bathroom are safer and easier, install a low-voltage linear lighting or LED system beneath the cabinets. You might also want to consider installing an occupancy sensor to save more energy.
Laundry room
And for the laundry room you want to make sure you have bright lights so you can see what you are doing i.e. sorting clothes, reading labels and instructions. You are now thinking why should I bother with the Laundry room? And yes you will be wrong to think that most people don’t pay attention to their laundry room. I can’t tell you the name of the person but I went to visit a friend in London and while showing me the house I noticed that the laundry room was filled with art work that had prices tags of £100,000 and above so there you have it, they obviously are worth it.
If you are worried about the environment and the increasing energy cost then the news are good; a lighting scheme can be achieved in an energy efficient way. So even you my greenest friend can now feel good about lighting!
And since nowadays lighting together with creativity gives you endless possibilities plus with something out there for every taste and for everyone’s budget, go be creative and have fun.
Pictures via (diydata.com),(alldoing.com), (bathroomdesignsinpictures.com), (archdecors.com),(cocomale.com), ( homeinfurniture.com), (archzine.net), (decor-home-lux.net) and (tkdw.com).
This blog post is part of the mydeco.com ‘Pass It On Bathroom series’, a collaborative blogging project.
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