Imagine walking into your bathroom each morning, flipping on the light and instantly feeling deflated. That was my reality for three years. I’d stumble into the bathroom each morning, rub the sleep from my eyes and stare hopelessly at my face while standing beneath one bright bulb that threw shadows under my eyes and somehow managed to make everyone look like Freddy Krueger in the mirror.
I’d spend the next few hours mumbling curses under my breath as I tried to determine why my makeup looked different at work than it did at home. “I’ll hang LED lights down from the ceiling like makeup studios” I’d tell myself. “I’ll research bathroom lighting eventually.” You know those promises you make to yourself? The ones that you swear you’ll keep one day but you magically never get around to? That was my mantra for years.
That was until my sister spent a long weekend with me last fall and remarked that my bathroom “felt like a vampire cave where they stored dark-themed teeth brushes and toothpaste.” Ouch. But she wasn’t wrong.
See, I had all this knowledge about lighting.
I thought. I spent weeks pouring over blogs and Pinterest boards trying to decide whether warm white bulbs or daylight bulbs were better for pendant lighting above my kitchen island. But for the bathroom?
I figured one overhead bulb would suffice. Friend, I was wrong. So very, very wrong.
It wasn’t until a particularly dreary January morning when I was trying to tweeze my eyebrows that I realized I could no longer face my bathroom lighting doom. Every time I attempted to pluck, rinse, and repeat I’d have to twist my body and neck at weird angles just to see what I was doing. GOOD LORD I KNEW LOOKING IN THAT MIRROR.
It was then that I decided I had had enough. Don’t get me wrong, the research portion was a lot of fun. Who knew there were so many types of bathroom lighting?
Vanity? Ambient? Task?
Accent? After reading dozens of blog posts on how to light a bathroom, I learned that while task lighting is important when it comes to bathrooms, you really need a mixture of lighting types to create a space that works for all your bathroom needs. First up, were vanity lights.
While any lights above your bathroom sink fall into this category, standalone overhead light bulbs are a thing of the past. Not only do they cast unwanted shadows, but they don’t distribute light evenly across your face. I opted for a pair of Vanity Lights that would hang on either side of my mirror.
These didn’t have to be anything fancy or trendy – I went with basic linear fixtures with frosted glass shades. BONUS TIP: When measuring where to hang your vanity lights, do yourself a favor and hang them at about 60” from the ground. This way, when you’re standing at your sink, the light from your fixtures will be even with your eyes.
Trust me, it’s a game changer. Trust me, friends. Unless you know what you’re doing, leave the electrical work to a professional.
Let me start by saying I checked the reviews a hundred times before hiring someone to come out to my house to install my new lights. After they left me with warm white bulbs instead of daylight bulbs (True story. ), I was already nervous about welcoming another stranger into my home. But my electrician was GREAT.
And after explaining over the phone that “they” always make you put those fixtures 40″ from the ground but that my blogger friend Julie told me 60″ was better…he laughed and reassured me that 60″ was perfect and proceeded to hang them exactly where I wanted them less than an hour later. Yes, friends, 60 inches is optimal unless you like a quirky vibe or have very high ceilings. Problem solved!
Holy grail status. Once I installed my new vanity lights, I felt like a Kardashian. I could see the exact skin tone of my face in the mirror.
Applying concealer and eyeliner had NEVER been so easy. Double checking for missed shaving bumps? A breeze.
The kids? Still starting at me funny, but whatever. Another amazon purchase to blame, I chose these LED puck lights.
You Might Also Like
I glued three of them underneath the shelf that sits above my towel storage, aimed toward the wall. They’re battery-operated and activated by motion, so they give off just enough light when I get up for a late-night bathroom trip that I don’t feel like I’ve traveled to Satan’s waiting room. And bonus, my husband who has spent years carefully creeping into the bathroom so as not to wake me up in the morning loves them so much he doesn’t even complain anymore when I make him get out of bed to turn off the lights after his nightly ninja escapades.
Ok, ok. I know. Ambient lighting is more “mood” lighting, but I could not have completed my bathroom renovation without it.
Between the dark walls and harsh lighting from the ceiling fixture, my bathroom still felt stark and sterile when I was lounging in the bathtub at night or taking care of business in the middle of the night. Soft white LED lights add ambience and fill in the room with brightness that doesn’t feel so concentrated. Bonus?
The warm white light from the LED strip I added underneath my bathroom mirror works wonders for highlighting my perfectly contoured cheeks. Plus, they’re SO easy to install. Simply measure your mirror at the width you’d like the lights to be and snap!
They’re installed with peel and stick adhesive. Bam. Friends, for $25 I can’t believe this didn’t occur to me sooner.
BUT NOW IT DOES AND I’M NEVER LOOKING BACK. I added a dimmer switch to my main overhead light and now I can control the amount of brightness depending on my needs. Loud concerts and intense workouts.
Dimmer. Taking a bath? Brighter.
You get the point. Did you know there was a correct way to hang bathroom lighting? Me neither!
Once I installed my vanity lights and felt like a VSCO girl babe every morning, I was determined to fine tune my bathroom light game. After reading through this handy dandy tip from JSECU Libraries,I made sure to measure twice and install once. My hanging lights hang down low enough to give me ample lighting when I want it, but not so low that I hit my head on them every time I open my bathroom cupboard.
Also? NO one likes a fly whisking about your face while you shower. My light is far enough away from the shower that this is no longer a problem.
Problem solved! I also opted to replace my heavy roman shade with a simple white, cellular shade. Cellular shades allow light in while still providing you privacy from neighbors and passerbys.
The room feels SO much brighter in the morning because of this simple swap. Lastly, I painted my walls a crisp white color. Dark colors, while on trend right now, suck up all your light and make the room feel more closed in.
Why rob yourself of that natural light when you can bounce it off white walls? All together, my lighting overhaul cost me about £455. The vanity lights were £180 for both, the light switch was £25, the LED strip lights were £40, painting supplies were about £60, and my electrician cost me £150 to install everything.
While that’s definitely not chump change, it was worth every penny.
Not only do I get ready quicker now (thanks to awesome mirror visibility), but I actually enjoy taking baths in the evening. Guests have also complimented my bathroom lighting.
You’ll never hear that one coming from my old bathroom! SHOP MY VANITY LIGHTS Get a custom quote from Home Depot. Isn’t it pretty?
Bottom line: don’t be afraid to layer your lighting. Yes, vanity lighting is key when you’re getting ready in the mornings. But when you’re taking a bath at night?
Ambient lighting is your BFF. Throw in some accent lighting while you’re at it for good measure. Oh, and maximize that natural light while you can!
Bottomless lighting pools for everyone!
