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Bathroom Lighting Ideas
In case you haven't noticed, bathrooms have taken on a whole new identity today. Of course they've retained their basic functional uses, but the new trend is toward making the bathroom your own personal retreat. Changes in bathroom lighting have gone hand in hand with this transformation. Bathroom lighting is much more important and has gone well beyond the basic single ceiling fixture
As with any decorating element, any bathroom lighting ideas you implement should align with your personal preferences, and also take into account the size of the bathroom and its decor. As you start to make decisions, remember that one size no longer fits all. There won't be a single light fixture that meets all your needs; you'll want to include several kinds of lighting.
Bathroom lighting generally fall into three main areas:
1.Ambient lighting - refers to the general lighting in the room. The main thing you want to accomplish with ambient lighting is to eliminate shadows and to increase safety. Ambient lighting is most often accomplished with the combination of ceiling fixtures and natural light. So if you need more of this type of lighting, you can either add lighting fixtures or more windows.
If you want more natural light, but are also concerned about maintaining privacy, you might want to consider using frosted glass, glass blocks or skylights.
2.Task lighting - is used to illuminate whatever activities you might like to do in the bathroom, beyond of course the basic functions. This includes good lighting for applying makeup, shaving or providing extra light for activities like reading in the bathtub. You should add task lighting above or on either side of the vanity mirror. Your best options for task lighting are either incandescent or halogen lights.
One trick that many designers use is to actually over-light. In other words, use more lights than you need and then use dimmers to achieve the light level you need at any particular time. You should avoid using recessed lighting as task lighting, at least in front of the vanity mirror, because it could create unwanted shadows.
3.Accent lighting - is used to highlight specific features or design elements in the bathroom. Accent lighting could include mini halogen track lights directed at paintings or plants, or might be as simple as a small lamp placed on the vanity.
As you're collecting bathroom lighting ideas for your perfect personal retreat, be sure to stay aware of new technology. New types of forms of lighting are being introduced all the time. You can browse through catalogs, surf online galleries and spend time at your local home improvement stores for more bathroom lighting ideas. Effective bathroom lighting is the perfect way to transform a room that you happen spend a lot of time in into a room that you WANT to spend a lot of time in.