Bathroom Lighting Buying Guide

Sconces are a great addition to the sides of a mirror and help to even out the light on your face and eliminate shadows during activities such as makeup application and shaving. In addition sconces add a decorative touch to help complete your overall design.

Ceiling Lighting is used in addition to the lighting around the mirror. Ceiling lighting helps to illuminate the rest of the bathroom and can be used in the center of the room or in alcoves improving overall conformability and safety.

Bathroom Lighting Placement

The purpose of lighting around the mirror is to surround your face with light. A Bath and Vanity fixture is intended to cast light downward and the sconces are intended to illuminate from the sides. The Bath and Vanity fixture should be about the same width as your mirror. When hanging the fixture, take into consideration the relative heights of your family and install the lighting at about average forehead height. An average height in most homes is about 66” from the finished floor. The mirror should be hung 1-5” below the bottom of the fixture. The sconces should be equal height on either side of the mirror and positioned to fill in the sides of your face with light.

Most bathrooms will also require at least one Ceiling Fixture to properly illuminate the remaining area of the bathroom. If your bathroom has additional alcoves you may want to consider adding small fixtures in those areas for even overall lighting.

Matching your bathroom lighting and plumbing fixtures

Consider the finish of your bath sink faucets when purchasing your new light fixtures. Most manufacturers offer a variety of finishes to match bathroom faucets for a cohesive overall design.

Bathroom Lighting Tips:

• Use frosted or white bulbs rather than clear bulbs to avoid glare
• Incandescent lighting is best in the bathroom because of its warm daylight glow