Most people don’t consider lighting to be a central aspect of a bathroom, yet lighting fixtures have a great impact on the overall aesthetics and ambiance of a bathroom. Sufficient, well-planned lighting is also important in a bathroom for functional reasons and should be part of any bathroom design.

Ambient lighting

Ambient lighting refers to the general lighting that uniformly fills an entire room. In a bathroom, ambient lighting can be provided in a number of ways. Ceiling-mounted light fixtures are a stylish way to furnish a bathroom with ambient lighting. This can include recessed ceiling lights or a flush mount fixture. Flush mount lighting fixtures come in a range of styles include bowl, box, and drum styles and in a variety of finishes including bronze, chrome, nickel, and stained glass. Another option for ambient bathroom lightning is an elegant hanging chandelier in a style consistent with the bathroom’s theme.

Task lighting

Task lightning is localized lightning in a specific area of a room that provides illumination for specific tasks.  In bathrooms, task lightning mainly consists of light directed toward the mirror to reduce eye strain while applying makeup, shaving, putting on contact lenses, etc. Task lightning also minimizes shadows under the eyes, nose and chin producing a sharper reflection in the mirror. Task lightning can be done with either halogen lighting or a recessed downlight near the mirror, or by mounting scones directly onto the mirror. Another option is a pendant light above the mirror. Portable countertop lamps can also be a distinctive way to provide task lighting in a bathroom.

Accent lighting

Accent lighting is lighting that adds drama to a bathroom design or that draws the eyes to display features such as paintings, alcoves, or other visual points of interest. Wall sconces for example, can serve the purpose of highlighting the texture of a bathroom wall, or curved track lighting can be installed on the ceiling for pizzazz. Halogen spotlights or wall sconces can be used to draw the eye to features such as decorative  bathroom alcoves.