bathroom lighting common types - www.click4bathrooms.com

There are several distinct types of bathroom lighting and they are specially designed for installation in a wet environment. In theory, the bathroom is divided into zones and each zone is designated according to the likely intensity of contact with water. In summary, the bathroom designer dictates the light positions, and the light positions dictate the possible solutions i.e. the light fittings suitable for each zone.

Click here for more information on electrical safety within the bathroom and an explanation of the various zones mentioned above.

Bar Lights:

Bar lights are a series of small adjustable luminaires mounted on a metal bar.

Bar lights may be attached to a wall, for example above your sink, or to the ceiling. The luminaires themselves have either upward or downward facing glass shades, so the light emitted may be directed at the ceiling or upon a bathroom feature at the users discretion.

As the majority of bar lights support two to six luminaires, they are capable of spanning double-sinks, eliminating the need to have two separate light fittings. For aesthetic versatility, bar lights are available in a variety of shapes, for example “S” shaped bars, and the luminaires mounted on them support shades of a multitude of materials, designs and colours. To offer at least an idea of how bar lights and their luminaires look, I have included the image below:

Sconces:

A wall sconce is simply a wall-mounted light fitting. Looking back through history we find its predecessor - a well-placed outcropping of stone, for example in a cave, used to hold animal fat with a wick of twisted reeds.

Over time, these primitive natural oil-well-lights gave way to candles, which in turn gave way to enclosed portable oil lamps, then to gas lamps and so on up until our modern-day electrical lighting.

Possible reasons the sconce is still popular are it’s discreet appearance and effective light diffusion. Wall sconces are able to shed light over a larger area than say tabletop lighting, with the added bonus of freeing up floor and working surface space. Nowadays, they are more efficient, offer the same benefits they always have and give the bathroom a sense of antiquity for those who appreciate that sort of thing.

For the hardcore antique enthusiast, you could go entirely the other way and purchase decorative candle sconces which are still available. Alternatively you could build a make-shift shelf and load it with candles. Have fun with this - there are no hard and fast rules here.

Readily manufactured sconces are available in elaborate brass designs, ornate curlicues that support a number of "electric candles" or traditional wall-mounted "half-moons". See below for examples of wall sconce lighting:

Recessed Lighting:

Recessed lighting provides dramatic, low-profile illumination for every room of the house, especially the bathroom. As recessed lights are by their very nature embedded into the ceiling or mounting surface, there are no dangling cords, switches, lampshades, bulbs or wiring to interrupt your view. However, if the ceiling is to be plastered, ensure access is possible to the wiring behind, for example via a small hatch near to each light fitting. The last thing you want is to have a light go off in a plastered ceiling necessitating the removal of boards and plaster.

Designers and homeowners should choose recessed lighting when they want something discreet, functional and affordable. Some are fixed position and others are available with a swivel action, enabling some degree of manual light direction.

In different combinations, recessed lights will produce light that is focused and bright, diffuse and calming, or somewhere between the extremes. The first important part is the housing, or can. This is the electrical part that positions the light and gets power to the bulb. Housings will vary based on whether your ceiling is insulated and how much access you have to the space above the ceiling surface. Variable light intensity is possible via dimmer switches.

LED’s:

LED technology provides modern, bright, extra-low-voltage lighting. Advantages of LED technology include very cool running, energy efficiency and very long lamp life. "L.E.D" is simply an abbreviation for "Light Emitting Diode" – a small electrical component that emits light as current flows through it.

A single LED would not sufficiently light a room, but grouped LED’s make for extremely bright lighting, especially when coupled with an efficient reflector: