Lighting

If there’s one thing people often overlook when they set out to remodel a bathroom in Los Angeles it’s the effect that a good lighting scheme can have.  Usually people tend to settle for either one of two things: a single light mounted above the mirror on a normal switch, or an overhead lamp fixture that lights from above.  But for a room that serves more than one purpose on a daily basis, this one size fits all lighting scheme does not fit the bill.

Alternatively, I recommend a mixture of light sources for the bathroom—each geared toward a specific purpose.  For the everyday morning routine a good amount of face illumination is important, as when shaving or applying makeup it is important to see what you are doing without shadows limiting your angle of view.  This would go under the category of good “task” lighting, as it serves the purpose of aiding in the day to day tasks that everyone does as a part of their normal routine.  For this light usually sconces or lighting strips that flank the mirror provide even coverage with minimal shadowing.  As they are highly visible as soon as you enter the room you can easily match them to faucets and hardware with an array of available finishes.

But to make your bathroom a truly inviting and comfortable place, accent lighting and ambient lighting should be a prominent consideration.  Ambient light, or light that is designed to bounce off of multiple surfaces, creates a background glow that is much softer than your everyday task lighting.  Placing these above your task areas with diffusion filters can set the mood for the various times of day that the bathroom sees use.  After all, your bathroom should very well be one of the most relaxing spaces in your home, so ambient light is key to tailor it directly to your personal tastes.

After ambient lighting, accent lighting is what allows you to really create your perfect space.   With small accent lights, often placed in pivoting recessed fixtures located in the ceiling, you can highlight the features of your bathroom that give it a personal, homelike quality.  This could be plants, artworks, tile patterns, or countertop textures you have added to the room.  These recessed fixtures are usually non-decorative, and are blended into the room in a way so as to highlight your decorative features.

Ultimately, by creating a layered lighting scheme, what you want to do is create an inviting space for the multiple purposes of the room at the different times of day that it sees use.  Your relaxing time in the tub will find you in a much different mood than your time in front of the mirror, and you should have a lighting scheme that accommodates this.  If you don’t have a lot of time and money to install different these lighting setups, dimmer switches coupled with good task lighting can make a happy medium.  With them you can adjust the scene somewhat based on the time of day, giving you greater latitude to adjust the room according to your mood.  And an added bonus is that they also save energy and increase lamp life.

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