Best Lighting for your Bathroom: Bathroom Renovation Tips

Bathroom lighting is that finishing touch to your renovation, so it’s important to get it right. Check out our tips on how to get the best lighting for your bathroom.

It’s nice to have a variety of lighting options in your bathroom. Between ceiling lights to task lighting, deciding on the best lighting for your bathroom can be a challenge. It’s important to find the right balance between function and style, especially if you’re in the throes of a full scale bathroom renovation. Just like any other part of your bathroom, lighting can be an important asset in asserting a cohesive design. 

What kind of lighting should I go for in my bathroom?

Let’s start with the practical choices before we get into style. For general bathroom use like ceiling lights, bulbs and LED lights in a ‘soft white’ with a range of  2700K – 3000K are best. They’re perfect for providing an all round light for the room as well as useful for small grooming tasks like applying makeup. 

You’ll also want to pay attention to a bulb or LED fixtures CRI rating. CRI stands for Colour Rendering Index and ranks how well an artificial light shows colour out of 100. For a white general bathroom light you want something in the range of 90-100 CRI for the best quality. 

Another rating to take into consideration, specifically for bathroom lighting, is IP rating. For a standard bathroom anything with an IP65 rating and upwards will mean your lighting fixture is ‘dust tight’ and is protected against typical types of water damage it might be exposed to in a bathroom. To find out more about what types of IP rating you need for bathroom appliances, look into the bathroom electrical zones, as this will tell you what lighting and appliances can go where!

Ceiling Lighting 

For ceiling lights you need to ask yourself do you want something to become a statement in your decor, or do you want something subtle to blend in? If you want something that won't add to your decor, but is practical and stylish, then recessed spotlights are the best lighting choice for your bathroom. 

Recessed spotlights  can be spread out evenly across your bathroom, ensuring strong lighting that covers every corner of the space. The Revive Matt Black Round Tiltable Bathroom Downlights are a great option. They’re sleek, minimal and practical with an IP65 rating and tiltable fixtures to cover every angle!

For more of a statement piece in bathroom lighting, a chandelier or globe ceiling light might provide the style you're looking for. Something like the Revive Matt Black 1 Light Semi-Flush Bathroom Ceiling Light brings a unique element to your space. Not only practical, this lighting fixture provides character and can become a key part in your décor.

Ambience Lighting 

There are a couple ways to go about incorporating ambience lighting in a bathroom. One of the most common types is wall lights. The best place for them in a bathroom is either side of your mirror, above a vanity if you have one. This helps create a natural focal point in the room. If you have white lights for your ceiling lights, it might be an idea to bring a soft white or soft yellow light to bring some variety. You don’t want anything too bright when creating ambience for a relaxing bath or shower. 

LED strip lights or shower lights are also another way to implement some relaxing  vibes. These work great at bringing ambience because many have colour and brightness settings, meaning that you can find the perfect lighting to match your mood!

Task Lighting 

Task lighting is for those essential bathroom tasks like brushing your teeth, make up, shaving and anything else you might do in the privacy of your bathroom! Task lighting provides a focused source of light directly in the area you need to carry out said tasks. 

The best way to implement this in a bathroom is with an LED mirror. Not only can colour changing bluetooth mirrors like the Arezzo Matt Black 600mm Round LED Illuminated Anti-Fog Bathroom Mirror add some great ambience with the vast array of colour options, but you can get some great task lighting too. You’ll likely already have a mirror in your bathroom, so why not have one that brings some lighting to your space!

So to recap, pay attention to bulb colour, CRI and IP ratings. Be sure to remember that general lighting, ambience lighting and task lighting are key in setting up the best lighting for your bathroom.