The bathroom is not only a place for daily morning and evening hygiene procedures, here you can take a shower or immerse yourself in a warm bath. And in order to relieve stress accumulated during the day, or negative emotions, a favorable atmosphere in this room is important. To do this, the lighting in the bathroom should be at the appropriate level. In addition, many designers agree that the lighting of this room plays an important role.
Choice of fixtures
Let's start by asking which fixtures can be selected for the bathroom. Here it is necessary to be guided not only by price (for many this is the most important factor in a limited family budget), but also by other characteristics, taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of each option. This will rationalize your expenses.
Consider below the most common options for light sources that can benefit the bathroom.
Familiar incandescent bulbs
Such bulbs are very popular due to the low cost, ease of installation. In addition, many people are already accustomed to such lighting for a long time of use. However, the service life is not very long - about 1000 hours. The ambient temperature has practically no effect on the lamps.
In addition, such sources produce little light and can be very hot. Because of this, they cannot be used in plastic shades. Fabric shades are also not an option.
Halogen products
The backlight in the bathroom with halogen lamps has a high light output and a longer period of operation. And if they are used in spotlights or spotlights, then thanks to the aluminum diffuser the generated heat is absorbed. This allows you to place them in a suspended ceiling. But there is one caveat: a 12-volt lamp requires a lowering adapter, which is expensive.
Fluorescent Solutions
The main advantage of these lamps is that the luminous flux they create is as similar as possible to natural light. Depending on the amount of phosphor, the light flux is created in three types:
At the same time, such a solution also has certain nuances. The lamp power is not more than 150 W, when the voltage drops, they turn off, and during operation you can hear a characteristic crackle.
LED lights
LEDs are characterized as sources with the longest life among all other light sources at a given time - 50 thousand hours, or even more. However, they consume very little energy. Often they come on sale in the form of tapes or as part of spotlights.
The use of modern LED lighting in the bathroom, on the one hand, can be justified by a number of advantages:
- good degree of lighting;
- energy saving;
- durability.
But, on the other hand, there are some disadvantages. This is the high cost of the LEDs themselves, as well as the attraction of the necessary equipment for the full-fledged lighting operation (ventilation system, transformers).
Lighting Designs
Today in the market you can find a wide range of artificial light sources. This allows each buyer to choose the right option for each specific case. Depending on the method of fastening, structures can be of the following types:
- recessed;
- suspended;
- waybills.
The recessed design is a kind of spotlight or spotlight. In a small room, such lamps can be used for both primary and secondary lighting. Installation is carried out thanks to special ears and is made directly to the base of the suspended ceiling. When using incandescent lamps, the dimensions of the ceiling sinus should be no more than 12 cm, and for halogen lamps - 7 cm.
With the suspension design everything is already clear, just look at the photo of the bathroom lighting. Multi-track chandeliers or single-lamp fixtures are suspended on a metal hook. In this case, it is enough to choose the optimal lamp power so that the lighting is not too bright. Moreover, this option is more applicable to high ceilings.
Overhead ceiling lights can be suitable for almost any surface. They can also serve as a primary or secondary light source. Designs involve the use of plastic or metal. Installation is carried out by means of hardware.
Bathroom lighting
In most cases, the bathroom does not have natural light, and therefore this nuance has to be compensated for by artificial sources.
But here it is important to observe certain requirements:
- Lighting should have a natural spectrum that is as close to daylight as possible.
- Each zone in the room should have its own lighting (if possible).
- It should take into account the high level of humidity in the bathroom, and therefore all light sources should be as safe as possible during operation.
Lighting in the bathroom with just one light bulb will not provide the necessary comfort for all manipulations. Therefore, a rational option is the use of several lamps placed in different places. This will create a not very bright, but at the same time functional atmosphere. Moreover, you can enable them both all together or separately. Or even use some kind of harmonious combination.
In addition, shaving, applying makeup, washing requires more intense lighting, which will be localized in any particular area.
Functional Zones
A bathroom can be considered fully functional only if the design of the room is harmoniously combined with convenience. Moreover, regardless of the ideas used. Choose fixtures depending on the size of the room. Indeed, bulky chandeliers as illumination in a bathroom of small dimensions will only serve as a hindrance.
In addition, it is desirable to divide the entire space into several functional areas, illuminated by their own lamps. These may be the following sections:
- place for water treatments - bath, shower;
- sink with a mirror;
- area with shelves or cabinets;
- location of household appliances (washing machine and other appliances).
Despite all these amenities, not every bathroom can be divided into such zones. For example, the layout of Khrushchev is seriously limited in its capabilities - it is not always possible to place household appliances or furniture in such a small space.
Bath
Many stores have LED bathtubs on offer. Only this option requires a considerable investment of financial resources, and therefore not every buyer can approach it. Nevertheless, this zone can be beaten in different ways, without even having a huge budget.
Alternatively, you can highlight the bath with a directed stream of light, while the rest of the room will be in twilight. You can hang a sconce with a lampshade on the wall above the bathroom itself (preferably made of colored glass). Or place ceiling lights that can change the luminous flux. At the same time, they can illuminate several areas of the bathroom at the same time due to the possibility of rotation.
Another option is to frame it around the perimeter with LEDs as an additional light source in combination with the main ceiling lamp. In water procedures, it is better to make the light on the ceiling more intense than lighting the bath itself.
Illuminated bathroom mirror cabinet
Almost every bathroom has a piece of furniture. And this is also room for creativity. By placing small fixtures in drawers or shelves, you can provide yourself with quick access to the right things.
It is safe to say that mirror cabinets are in high esteem, since it is not only multifunctional, but also an aesthetic piece of furniture, which is in almost every bathroom. At the same time, they can be floor-mounted, which allows you to install the cabinet near the sink or in some corner. But there are also wall options, which are often hung over the sink, but they can be placed in any other convenient place. If you need to look at yourself from all sides, you can install a floor structure opposite the sink, above which there is also a mirror.
The versatility of this furniture is that you can still store various useful and necessary things inside, as well as accessories, accessories (towels, cosmetics) for the bathroom. Thus, a mirror cabinet with lighting in the bathroom simultaneously performs two functions. In addition, nothing prevents, and the right thing is always in the access zone. The floor cabinet can also accommodate a laundry basket.
Materials
When choosing a mirror cabinet, you need to be vigilant, since there is a wide range of similar furniture on the market, which creates certain difficulties. First of all, you should consider what material these cabinets can be made of.
And, of course, the material must be moisture resistant. The most common options include:
- Particleboard is an economical solution, but the service life is usually no more than 5 years. Over time, the cabinet loses its shape, swells and can at the same time spread an unpleasant odor.
- MDF is a more expensive and durable option, because of this it is most often found in the manufacture of bathroom furniture. The service life can be up to 10 years, if not more.
- Plastic is also a budget and practical solution that can also last a long time. However, such cabinets look unpresentable. In some cases, varnished plastic is used as a coating for particleboard or MDF in order to improve their properties.
- Wood - these pieces of furniture are even more expensive. In this case, there are special species of wood that endure moisture. Such furniture is relevant for rooms with a high level of humidity, does not require additional varnish. However, one should take into account the interior and other items in the bathroom, since the cabinet lighting in the bathroom will not be combined with every style of decoration of the room.
- Metal + glass - lovers of modern style will be delighted with such mirror cabinets. Such furniture is distinguished by a special concise style and durability.
As for the fittings, it must certainly be made of stainless steel. This requirement is due to the high level of humidity. It is also important to maintain the integrity of the bathroom design.
Sink
Almost every bathroom has a sink; a mirror is usually located above it. This part of the bathroom is the main one, since it is here that we spend more time than in other areas. Therefore, the lighting here must be fully effective and functional.
On sale there are mirrors with illumination, the acquisition of which allows you to quickly resolve this issue. Some models of cabinets with lighting in the bathroom already have a sink.
However, you can arrange it yourself with the help of lamps or LEDs. The main thing is to correctly place them so that the lighting does not blind and does not create glare in the reflection in the mirror.
Light should flow evenly onto the face without causing an irritating effect. To do this, on the sides of the mirror, and also above it, you can place several fixtures with matte shades. Alternatively, you can use a sconce with a lampshade instead.
Nice decor
Those who appreciate beauty and style, and also want to give their bathroom a touch of originality, should take a closer look at the LEDs.
In this case, preference should be given to spotlights or strip lights, which in combination with the main ceiling lighting can significantly transform the room, making it visually wider. But even with only decorative lighting in the bathroom, the atmosphere will become more mysterious, mystical, and for someone even romantic.
General lighting
If it is not possible to distribute the lamps in different places in the bathroom, you can do with a ceiling chandelier of the appropriate size. A general light background will be created, which will be enough to perform many everyday procedures: from washing hands and taking a bath to using a washing machine.
And since such a lamp is an element of decor, then it is necessary to select it depending on the design of the room. Moreover, if the ceiling of the bathroom is high, then the light source can be any (you can even hang the most beautiful chandelier). In the case of a low ceiling, it is necessary to pay attention to flat lamps, so as not to reduce the already modest space.
Built-in spotlights will also be an excellent option for creating a “luminous” ceiling, which is very important for rooms with small dimensions. In this case, no shadows are formed, which makes it easy to carry out cosmetic repairs. With such lighting in the bathroom, even the room itself will appear larger and wider.
In the case when the exhaust hood of the bathroom does not allow timely removal of steam, it is worth choosing hermetic lamps with a high level of protection against humidity. The same applies to rooms with a sauna.