A house is more than just rooms. It has various living spaces where diverse activities are performed. Each living space has objects that serve functional requirements for the specific tasks performed there, as well as for aesthetic appeal. Utility objects like lighting fixtures also reflect a certain mood and create a certain ambience which complements and reflects the individual’s taste and attitude, as well as the personality of the dwellers.
A bathroom is a living space where daily ablutions are carried out. People spend time in the bathroom not just to take a hurried wash. It is a place to rinse away a day’s tiredness and groom one’s self. Proper lighting in the bathroom is as essential as in any other place. The right kind of lighting fixtures for bathroom lighting ensures one doesn’t struggle to find things or look at one’s self in the mirror and find a monster reflected instead.
Suitable lighting fixtures in bathrooms enable one to get the right shave for that important executive meeting or the right make-up for a date. Apart from their aesthetic significance, bathroom lighting fixtures ensure that the bulbs are held in the right position. A bathroom is a place with lots of moisture and condensed soapy deposits, and hence it is vital to choose the right kind of material for bathroom lighting fixtures.
Ideally, the light should be directed at the person and not reflected off the mirror. This can be achieved by positioning the two lighting fixtures in opposite directions so that light is reflected on the face from both sides. Lighting fixtures can also be placed on the wall directly over the sink, at a distance of at least 2 feet from the sink.
To avoid severe shadows it is best to steer clear of reflectors. Bathroom fixtures can also be used inside cabinets or on the ceiling over bathtubs or bath enclosures. The right lighting fixture is essential achieving the desired light effect and avoiding a glare or shadow.
There are various kinds of bathroom lighting fixtures. Bar lights house tiny trochees mounted on metal bars, of various designs and shape. These bars are fixed to the walls or counters. They provide for either up lighting (to allow light to gush down on mirror cabinets) or down lighting (to bounce light off the ceiling).
Certain bar lights with two to six shades can be used above double sinks. Long bar lights eliminate the requirement for separate fixtures. The lampshades can be of white frosted glass or glass which is translucent. The metal portion can be chrome-plated, polished brass, or some antique finish. Vanity bulbs are another type of bathroom lighting with rounded white glass enclosures for encasing light bulbs. These lights are used for providing a strong diffused lighting effect appropriate for close-up jobs. These lighting fixtures should be ideally placed over narrow sinks.
Wall sconces can also be used as bathroom lighting fixture. They are generally not fixed near sinks and can be put up to light closets or in a different room for a commode. Recessed lights are most suitable as bathroom lighting fixtures. These bathroom lighting fixtures give respite from deposited moisture and soapy condensations deposited on bathroom fixtures, as the actual fixtures are recessed inside the ceiling. However, their installation and wiring is expensive, as they are embedded inside the ceiling.