Saturday, October 10, 2009

Improving Bathroom Lighting

By Scott Rodgers

There are three or four basic types of lighting that should work together to light any room, including a bathroom. They are task lighting, general lighting, accent lighting and lighting that is sometimes called decorative lighting or "sparkle lighting".

Lighting is a major element in home decor, so each room should be well lit according to the needs. Here are some tips on bathroom lighting. Bathroom is used for activities like applying makeup, shaving etc. So, to perform these tasks comfortably, task lighting is very important, especially around the vanity mirrors.

It is strongly recommended that good task lighting be installed either above the vanity mirror located near the sink or on both sides of the mirror. This is absolutely critical for providing good bathroom task lighting.

It is recommended that the vanity light fixtures installed around the vanity mirror be incandescent or halogen fixtures. Make certain that the vanity light fixtures you select provide more than enough light.

It is a good idea to install dimmer switches with lighting fixtures near the vanity mirrors. This way you would be able to control the intensity of lights as per your needs.

Recessed down lights should not be used to light your face while standing at a mirror because the light coming from these fixtures will cause too many shadows on your face. Recessed down lights can be used in other parts of the bathroom for general lighting but not for task lighting at the vanity mirror.

An area of bathroom lighting that is often overlooked is the shower, tub, or Jacuzzi. It is suggested that one or two recessed down lights with special shower trims be used to illuminate each of these areas. You may want to consider selecting a shower trim with a domed glass diffuser because this shape often gives the most uniform distribution of light.

Always remember that light is the first element of design; without it there is no color, form, or texture.

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