Bathroom Renovations: Lighting

Aussie Home Renovations / Blog

With home renovations becoming more and more sophisticated, finding the right accessories can make a massive difference to the overall look and feel of a space. If you are designing a luxury bathroom or you need to make a few upgrades, lighting can provide the missing link. But when it comes to bathroom renovations, people don't give it the same amount of consideration as everything else. The reality is that the right type of lighting in the bathroom can make or break the space. If you have too much, it can be overwhelming, and if it's too little you will be bumping into the vanity mirror. What are the best ways to add an amazing ambience to the bathroom space? Here are a few things that you should bear in mind during your renovation that could make a massive difference in the final outcome.

Opting for Spotlights

When undergoing renovation, the lighting needs to be planned early on to guarantee all the fittings are lit properly. Areas like the shower and vanity areas need to be lit appropriately. Spotlights can be a fantastic addition because they can be directed to those spaces that don't get enough light, but can also accentuate the item’s design to make them look more aesthetically pleasing

Vanity Lighting

If you are looking for bathroom lighting ideas, a vanity light is an extra light source that can make a massive difference. Many bathrooms have one light source but downlighters have become very popular in recent years and are fantastic for bathroom vanities.

The Direction of the Lighting

When you are making bathroom upgrades, you've got to think about illuminating the entire space. The direction of the lighting will go one of two ways: upwards or downwards. Upward provides ambient light and downward lighting provides more of a focus on specific tasks. A great bathroom will have the combination of both, which is why accent lights can be a perfect addition as they can face in both directions.

Fitting Spots Into a Tight Corner

Spotlights are a great alternative to ceiling lights, especially in a small space. If you are in a smaller property where the bathroom ceiling slopes at an angle, spotlights mounted on the wall are a perfect addition because they can bounce off reflective surfaces. Reflective surfaces are a great way to bounce light around the property, and if you have a white bathroom, this can make a small bathroom feel much larger and brighter. If you want to reflect more light into the space, you should also consider adding shiny objects like mirrors and upgrading your taps to chrome.

Choosing the Right Types of Bulbs

Lighting your space is as much about the types of bulbs as it is about where you place them. Vintage bulbs are becoming a more stylistic choice, and incandescent bulbs are being phased out, so if you're looking for a more eco-friendly version, CFLs and LEDs are the two best options.

CFLs have a shorter lifespan in bathroom environments but LEDs are more durable, so when it comes to choosing the right bulbs and fixtures, you need to bear the following things in mind:

The colour temperature and lumen level. A warm colour and a high lumen level will work great in the bathroom.

Dimmers and Switches. If you want to adjust the lighting level to suit your activity, a dimmer switch is a fantastic choice.

Colour rendering index (CRI).. The higher the CRI, the more accurately the colours are depicted. If you get ready looking in the bathroom mirror, you need a CRI rating of more than 80.

IP Ratings. When undertaking a bathroom renovation, you need to look at the IP ratings (Ingress Protection) rating. This is what will tell you if your lighting is safe to use in the bathroom. There are three different zones to bear in mind when you are selecting lights for your bathroom:

1. Zone 0 is the bathtub or the floor of the shower, which should have a minimum IP rating of IP67.

2. Zone 1 is above the bath of the shower floor up to 2.25 mm in length, and should have a minimum IP of IP44.

3. Zone 2 is up to 0.6 m outside the bath or shower and 2.25 m above it, which should also have the minimum IP of IP44. The rest of the bathroom does not need an IP rating.

With many different considerations for your bathroom renovation, lighting is essential, as this will create the right type of ambience. If you want to find out more, it's always a good idea to contact renovation experts who will help you design the bathroom of your dreams and ensure it is lit correctly.

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